“And what if they make a run at the inside passage again?” Pound did not want a repetition of the maneuver the Germans had just used so successfully.
“With Spitfires at R.A.F. Vagar now, that should prevent any recurrence of what we just suffered with HX-69. Once burned, twice prepared. As soon as these operations conclude I shall return Ramilles and Revenge to Scapa Flow to watch that inside passage.”
“Good enough,” said Pound. “But what if the Germans bunch up on either of the Northern Passages as they planned it with Operation Valkyrie?”
“That’s where my squadron comes in. I propose to move Invincible and the two new battleships south from Scapa Flow to the Bristol Channel. I could operate from Cardiff or Bristol itself, but it’s a good hundred miles from those ports to the Celtic Sea, and I might want to post my squadron further west.”
“Where? Plymouth will be under German bombers.”
“Milford Haven,” said Tovey. “Yes, I know the German bombers can reach that too, but they’ve largely ignored it. The place will need facility development, fuel depots, but it’s ideally positioned to allow my fast battleships access to the Celtic Sea and Western Approaches. From there I can mount standing patrols against any possible sortie by the German heavy units in French Ports. They’ll have Hindenburg, Bismarck, and we’ve identified what appears to be alight escort carrier. Beyond that, the Germans got hold of two new French ships in the docks, Joffre and DeGrasse. The former is an aircraft carrier, and given their success with Graf Zeppelin, I have no doubt that they will do everything possible to get that ship rigged out for operations.”
“Admiralty estimates that will be a long year at best,” said Pound. “But I agree that the threat is real, and it is certainly something Bomber Command will be having a look at soon. One other question, Admiral Tovey. The Russians ship, is it still in the Atlantic?”
Tovey shifted uncomfortably. The Russian ship… the ship that had come from the depths of his long remembered dreams, from that impossible, unseen future, with weapons and technology that dazzled the mind and power that had not yet been fully engaged. Yetits very presence here was exerting a strange gravity on the war, bending the lines of history ever so subtly. Tovey had little doubt that it would soon emerge from the shadows and take a much more prominent role in the plans they were now forging. But how could he possibly wield this weapon that had come into his hands, or even explain the ship’s presence to men like Dudley Pound?
“The Russian ship is presently at Reykjavik, sir, relieved by HMS Renown and a pair of cruisers.”
“I see. And I certainly hope the Russians were not put off now that we have asked them to hold our coat and let the Royal Navy handle the Germans.”
“They were very understanding. Admiral Volsky fully appreciates the political issues involved. The staff work done on opening the Arctic convoy routes to Murmansk is well underway. In that event, Admiral Volsky has offered to meet our outbound convoys with a flotilla of Soviet ships and serve as escorts in the Norwegian Sea.”
“And if the Germans interfere?”
“After the hand off, sir, the convoy will be officially flagged as Russian. If the Germans want to take issue with that, then they shall have to take it up with Moscow. Frankly, I don’t see how the Soviets can sit on the fence for long as things stand. They’ve thrown in with us, but haven’t declared war on Germany, yet something tells me that will change soon enough.”
“Agreed,” said Pound. “Very well, gentlemen. These dispositions are sound. “God help the boys who went down on the Rock.”
“We knew Gibraltar was lost the moment the Germans began their attack,” said Fraser, “in spite of Churchill’s sabre rattling to the contrary.”
“Believe me, the Prime Minister knew we could mount no serious relief operation for Gibraltar. He wasn’t happy about it, but at least he’s made a good speech now that it’s done. The question now is Malta. The Germans will soon have a strangle hold on the Straits of Gibraltar, with guns on both sides, Stukas overhead, and U-boats freely entering the Mediterranean. This is a disaster of the first order, and we haven’t taken the full measure of it yet. Without Gibraltar, relief convoys to arm and supply Malta cannot have any chance of success trying to run the Straits. They will have to be mounted from Alexandria, and Admiral Cunningham still has the Italian Navy to keep an eye on. We have therefore decided to see if we can catch Mussolini napping and visit him at Taranto. We have HMS Eagle there at Alexandria, and we’re sending Hermes up through Suez to join the party now that it has come off refit at Port Elizabeth. That should allow a fifty plane raid against the Italian fleet anchored at Taranto. Our intention is to even the odds in the Eastern Mediterranean, if we can, and give Admiral Cunningham a little breathing room.”
