Hochseeflotte
The German Battlefleet of the Second World War
A look around the Globe
It is August 1945 and the war rages on across the globe. On the United States front, German divisions are about to seize control of the major production centers around Detroit, denying the Americans even more facilities for production and repair of their armoured forces. In the mean time Japanese, Siamese, Omanese and Iraqi airforce elements patrol the waters around Japanese-controlled Hawaii, probably searching for enemy submarines and other naval elements. The Slovak Stukageschwader have taken up the same role from the German-occupied Canary Islands.
After the German defeat of the Soviet Union and the Axis defeat of the United Kingdom, the British Army of India refused to surrender her arms and staged a mass uprising against the few Japanese forces present in the country. Combined with the American forces operating in Malaya the Japanes positions in Southeast Asia are actually under threat from 2 sides. In addition, US forces in revolt in the southern Phillipines are giving Japan a very hard time and might even liberate the country.
A quick reminder of what happened 4 months ago, around the time of the initial German invasion of the United States Persia and Afghanistan joined the Axis at last, and proclaimed mobilisation of their armed forces. With this process now complete, the Americans in trouble in their homeland and Japan hard-pressed in Asia, the time seems right to open a new front against British India. The Shah of Persia declared war on the Allies in early August and immediatly ordered his army to invade British Pakistan. After a few weeks of slow but unopposed advance, Afghanistan has joined them in their invasion. Though these 2 nations have small and not very well equiped armies, they can cause havoc in the undefended British rear and hopefully allow Japan to sort the situation in Southeast-Asia out. Combined with the relentless German offensives in North America, this should prove enough to topple the Allied powers.
The North American Front
German armoured columns have by now bypassed Detroit to the north and are pushing further west. The infantry is attempting to storm the city from the north, east and south but US paratroopers and infantry offer heavy resistance. The American positions collapse after 3 days of heavy fighting however, unable to defend Detroit from 3 sides. During the battle, tanks and panzergrenadiers of the 2. Panzerkorps have bypassed Detroit to the north and are now proceeding to form a line some 80 kilometers west of the city in order to surround the defenders. The operation is succesfull, however it turns out that only one US infantry division remains in the Detroit area as an effective fighting force to be surrounded. The other forces that were deployed to defend the city have simply shattered in the face of overwhelming German assault.
In the central sector of the front the advance continues as well, facing little resistance. The only reason operations in the south are not moving at full speed is a lack of divisions to cover the frontline. German infantry has entrenched behind the Savannah River awaiting reinforcements to push into Florida and reach the Gulf of Mexico. Once the German forces are in position again after the recent battles, a major operation will be launched with the objective of reaching the Mississippi River. Details of the operations can be found on the map below. In essence, the plan is to take the Indianapolis region, then launch a general offensive towards the Mississippi. With Allied resistance weakening everywhere by the week, the only real threat to the German forces is that of overextension.
The German army slowly advances west to these positions without facing much resistance. The only notable event is the US paratroop counterattack on September 4th just north of Indianapolis. A single division makes a combat drop behind German lines in an attempt to disrupt the advance. Unfortunatly for them, German infantry formations were just passing through the area in an attempt to catch up to the frontline and immediatly surrounded the paratroopers. A 2-day battle ensued, resulting in the loss of the entire paratroop division.
The Battle of the Carribean
Shortly afterwards on September 7th a naval battle erupts north of the Panama canal between the 3. Schlachtschiffdivision and an American battleship fleet. Admiral Kieseritzky could not confirm exactly from where the American ships had come from, but battle was joined nonetheless. The battle lasted most of the day and saw the first loss of a German warship in years, the light cruiser Breslau. However, the Americans lost something more important and were still considered on the losing end of the bargain. The pride of the US fleet, the battleship USS Mississippi was sunk by the big guns of the battleship Essen. The light cruiser Strassburg and several destroyers took heavy damage in the battle, whilst most other ships suffered light damage. but the Americans were on the run and the Hochseeflotte in hot pursuit.
The American fleet disengages and runs northwest along the coast of Colombia. A squadron of American aircraft carriers join up with the battleship squadron on the run in an attempt to bolster their numbers and make a stand against the Hochseeflotte. The linkup is too late however as the 3. Schlachtschiffdivision is right on their tails and engages once again. The result is a deadly battle off the Colombian coast, costing thousands of lives. A French submarine squadron accidentaly in the area joins the battle but is unable to affect the outcome.
A sudden Carribean storm catches the American carrier fleet off guard and forces her to turn into the wind to avoid being flooded by giant waves. The large German battleships have no such trouble dealing with the atrocious weather and continue to close in throughout the night of September 8th and the early hours of the 9th.
To the left the first engagement, to the right the second one
The end result of the battle is the sinking of an American aircraft carrier, an escort carrier, a battleship and 3 destroyer flotillas for the price of one German light cruiser. Another glorious German victory has been achieved at sea.
The last remaining American destroyer flotilla and 3 flotillas of French submarines flee the scene eastward for the French naval base at Guadeloupe. However the badly damaged American destroyers of the 24th Detroyer Flotilla are unable to keep up with their French allies and fall behind. They are caught by the 3. Schlachtschiffdivision in the Gulf of Venezuela and send to the bottom of the Carribean. The French submarines have used this distraction to head for Guadeloupe, but just a few dozen kilometers from their destination they are caught by advancing German destroyer squadrons. The German destroyers immediatly close on their targets even though they have not yet confirmed the location of all enemy submarines. This results in the 28. Zerstörergeschwader running headlong into a French submarine ambush around the island of Martinique and being destroyed. The rest of the 3. Schlachtschiffdivision however, now aware of the French submarines location, closes in and finishes them off.
The South-American Theatre
Meanwhile, Suriname has fallen to Brazilian forces, but an Anglo-American force is so far holding firm in British Guiana. In due time it is expected that Brazilian weight of numbers, combined with the German offensive in the United States will sort that out. The Hochseeflotte is patrolling the Carribean Sea as well as the convoy routes from Germany across the Atlantic and the Brazilian Eastcoast. No Allied fleets have dared to show themselves for weeks, although there are sporadix reports of submarines attacking convoys. The vast majority of supplies is getting through safely though, and we have build a vast convoy navy over the past few years: more than enough to replace current losses. It should also be noted that the British colony of Guiana, the last Allied position standing in the area, is only defended by a division of American paratroopers and some Dutch infantry formations. No actual British divisions have been sighted in the area for months. In fact, the majority of the Brazilian army, including its marine divisions, are positioned along the Uruguayan and Paraguayan borders. That should say enough about the war "raging" around Suriname.
Brazilian battleships are being deployed to the Carribean to support the Hochseeflotte in its patrol duties there whilst Brazilian marines charge ashore in Suriname, covered by their own destroyers. Over the past few years, Brazil has build up a powerful army, not very large perhaps, but quite capable indeed. Their fleets patrol the South Atlantic as well, shutting down the last Allied convoy routes in the area.
Whilst the Battle of the Carribean rages, Brazilian divisions have assaulted the British positions in Guiana and driven them away from the coast. By doing so they took away a vital base for the American and French fleets operating in the region and prevented them from escaping the German battleships' guns. A greater demonstration of coöporation between allies has rarely been seen.
However, the battle took its toll on the German 3. Schlachtschiffdivision. Not one of her ships got out of the battle unscratched, and most are quite heavily damaged. Still, they are still afloat and accomplished their objective admirably, so the fleet will return to port for repairs, showered in glory.
By comparison to the state of the fleet after the first battle (see image above), after the second battle the Ostpreussen is about 50% destroyed and approximately 80% of the Dusseldorf needs to be rebuild. Still, the German ships are afloat, something that cannot be said of their American enemies.
Situation on September 12th
The German army has almost reached the starting positions along the Savannah River line. Once the last formations reach the line, the advance towards the Mississippi will begin. US divisions prepare to resist the coming offensive, but they know they are heavily outnumbered, giving them little hope of success. The Hochseeflotte is proving its dominance in the Carribean against the US Navy, showing the world the future of naval warfare is still in the hands of the German-designed battleships, and not in this futurisctic but incapable idea of floating airfields.
