good morning jeremy

  

V A C A T I O N

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Dunkirk

  

The miracle of Dunkirk was that Hitler passed

on the opportunity to destroy the British army.

He wanted Britain off the continent but he didn't 

need Yankee imperialists and Japanese warlords

inheriting for free the sprawling British Empire.

The dagger at Britain's throat.

After the humiliating drubbing Nazi forces delivered 

to the Brits, Hitler believed London would quickly

agree to his offer for peace demands.

First, he'd take control of the western Mediterranean

with England giving him Gibraltar.  A present of

British oilfields in Iran and Iraq would give Germany

much needed energy independence.

This, too, would be part of any deal guaranteeing

Britain's safety.

Churchill calls Hitler's bluff.

With his troops from Dunkirk home safely

Churchill drew his line in the sand:

There will be no negotiations with Hitler.

If he wants anything from us he's going

to have to come and get it himself.

The Few.

An invasion of Britain requires the German 

Luftwaffe to have control of the air.  

Transporting ten German divisions across 

the channel to England's shores requires

an air force that can hold off the mighty 

Royal Navy.  The Royal Air Force, though,

must first be destroyed.

Air Minister Dowding

Churchill wants more fighters sent to France.

Dowding say, No.  It's a losing cause.

The Royal Navy wants the RAF to defend 

shipping in the English Channel.

Once again, Dowding says no.  

Take the train.

 

Luftwaffe bombers headed for England.

England's survival depends upon fighters fending off

an overwhelming number of Nazi warplanes

with precious few pilots of their own.

This is the challenge that takes up all of 

Air Minister Hugh Dowding's time.

And he thinks he has it figured out.

* * * * *

©  Tom Taylor

OVER EASY

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H O W L

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Checkmate

  

Maurice Gamelin was in a rare good mood,

having fought off another attempt to have him

fired as Supreme Allied Commander for being

out of touch - complacent in his view of the 

looming threat posed by Hitler.

Now Gamelin could be heard softly humming a tune

as he moved about his HQ.  Reports from the front

appeared to confirm his view of Germany's intent.

The troops were ready.  His staff was upbeat.

Everyone's optimistic.

 

A trap is sprung.

French and British troops dashed north, up 

Belgium roads towards prepared defenses along

the River Dyle.  The Allies were putting everything

they could muster into this left punch.

Funny thing, though.  The Luftwaffe is the most

powerful air force on the planet.  But where are they?

You'd expect constant bomber and Stuka attacks

to disrupt and slow down the Allied surge forth.

Nothing.  What gives?  Officers talked of this

among themselves.  It's like the Germans 

actually want us to get away from France

as fast as possible.

Surprise.

The Luftwaffe was providing an umbrella of air

protection for an army of tanks nudging down

forest roads.  Then, from out of the forest

and onto the quaint village streets of Sedan

rushed Guderian's armor.

Gamelin is confused by these reports but he 

persists in believing the German attack is coming

from his front and not his now exposed flank.

Concentrated firepower acts like the blade of a knife.

French doctrine disbursed tanks among the infantry

because their perspective was primarily defensive.

The burden of success lay with the offense.

It was for the Germans to devise a tactic that wasn't

suicidal in the face of machine guns and anti-tank 

cannon fire.  World War I had proved to generals that

defense dominated the battlefield and rushed forward 

assault was obsolete. 

Guderian's mobile command.

The order of the day was to look neither left nor right

but to plunge straight ahead, peddle to the metal,

all the way to the English Channel.  Your enemy's

confusion was your best defense against any 

counterattack.

Race to the Channel.

The Allied forces were fighting a war familiar

to Civil War generals of the horse and buggy era.

You endured a series of battles that hopefully

led you to the steps of your opponent's capital.

Blitzkrieg doctrine was to make it all very quick.

Go for the jugular.  

Get me checkmate in five moves.  

* * * * *

©  Tom Taylor

OVER EASY

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STAR  of  INDIA

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good morning jacob

  

C U R T A I N     A C T

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Sedan

  

Objective:  Cross Meuse River

There will be no blitzkrieg, no World War 2

if the French hold the Germans at Sedan.

Maybe.  A hundred miles of armored breakthrough

depends first on men under fire in rubber dinghies.

P a n z e r   I I

Without bridges water barriers make for 

stop and go blitzkrieg.  Defensive works

on the far bank need to be cleared of

resistance.  The rapid firing cannon of this

panzer saturates the target with 20mm rounds,

Establish bridgehead.

These fast rowing teams are sitting ducks if their

covering fire is not effective.  A couple of platoons

with a foothold on the far side enables combat

engineers to begin building a bridge.

Stuka

These dive bombers replace the cumbersome artillery 

that normally accompanies an army into battle.

The Stuka's bombload is light but its aim is precise.

A fortified bunker does not withstand its attack. 

Pontoon Bridge

A road for tanks came together in a matter of hours.

The large armored force of Guderian was free to

run rapid across the tank friendly terrain of France.

Breakout

French troops have been routed and German armor

now controls both sides of the Meuse around Sedan.

A number of HQ generals want time to bring up the

infantry and consolidate their forces.  Nonsense.

Delay gives the French time to regroup.  The road to

the English Channel is wide open, undefended.

Guderian forges on, unrelenting.  Flank support 

mostly nonexistent.  It's a big risk.

Hitler is unnerved.

* * * * * 

©  Tom Taylor

OVER  EASY

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