Part XXXI: Dominoes Falling

By September 1941, months of incessant desert skirmishing by LRDG units and their Italian counterparts, particularly around the oasis of Marada had led to the extreme ossification of the front just west of El Agheila. Upon arriving, even the most inexperienced observer could see why Vehib Pasha had chosen to push that much further and endanger his supply line to stop the offensive there. Given the Western Desert Force's numerical inferiority, the strong position allowed them to hold the line with minimal forces until sufficient reinforcements and logistical support could arrive. An extensive salt marsh to the south funnelled all forces into a single narrow pass along the coast which Vehib Pasha quickly fortified with an anti-tank ditch and mines before being relieved by forward elements of the ANZAC Corps. In the coming months, their Italian opponents, the XX Motorized Corps built their own set of fortifications and similarly waited for an opportune time to launch a counter offensive.(1)

Unfortunately for the Italians, that time never came. Despite the presence of two armoured divisions (Centauro and Ariete) and two motorized divisions (Trieste and Taranto), the new Italian command structure's overcaution and sclerotic buildup squandered a golden opportunity to capitalize on British logistical difficulties. Fearing another disaster, Balbo and Tellera's replacements Gariboldi and Granziani chose to dig in and build up several massive supply depots rather than launching the flanking offensive around the salt marsh necessary to dislodge the ANZAC corps. Instead, Granziani opted to employ Compagnia Auto-Avio-Sahariane to pave the way for their coming attack and in so doing set off months of incessant skirmishing in the vicinity of the Marada oasis as they expended their newfound mobility in penny packets. Such an approach played right into the hands of the Allied forces due to their superior overall logistical position and their militaries' structural advantages in small unit engagements. Thus, though the Italians did win their share of engagements in the "War of the Desert," as 1941 dragged on, the men of the Long Range Desert Group, including Albanians under Major Vladamir Peniakoff, had secured a decisive advantage particularly as Free French forces under General Leclerc diverted substantial forces with their attacks in the Fezzan.(2)

The planned Italian offensive received a further blow in May 1941 following news of the disastrous Italian response to the unplanned and uncoordinated uprising in Albania that same month. With their Albanian garrison on the verge of collapse, the Italians redirected vital shipping and even more vital airpower across the Adriatic, leaving Granziani to focus on desert skirmishes and the occasional amphibious commando raid on the Via Balbia. This delay subsequently metastasized as Zogist resistance doggedly fought back against Roatta's murderous offensive and in so doing sucked up even more resources particularly after the Royal Navy sent a squadron spearheaded by the battleship Warspite to wreak havoc on Italian shipping in late June 1941.

Even with such distractions sapping the Italians' limited logistical capacity, the XX corps stationed across from the ANZAC corps remained a formidable force and one which knew that any counterattack would come from both inland and along the coast. In recognition of this fact, Wavell knew that any offensive would have to be far more pre-meditated if it had any attempt of success and took action to that effect almost as soon as Vehib Pasha began digging in around El Agheila. Wavell's initial actions were largely in the realm of logistics, building up new supply depots while doing as much as possible to both expand and protect port operations at Tobruk, Derna, Benghazi, and Mesa el Brega. He augmented these approaches by prioritizing the extension of the Western Desert Railway with no fewer than 4 teams officially working on extending the line all the way to Benghazi. Though much of the work was part of a strategic deception effort to lull the Italians into a sense of false security by having them think that no offensive would come until the line's completion, the completion of the line to Tobruk by September did make a significant contribution to the coming offensive. When combined with supplies being offloaded daily at the ports, those shipped via rail to Tobruk freed up hundreds of trucks for additional runs to the front and in so doing allowed Wavell to not only prepare the ANZAC Corps but the newly rested and refitted WDF now known as the XXX Corps for the coming Operation Crusader in September 1941.

Yet even with the 7th Armoured, 7th Australian, and 5th Infantry division augmenting Blamey's corps as a reserve, Wavell recognized that interior Italian lines of communication left his forces at a disadvantage and so worked with Admiral Cunningham and Churchill to engineer one of the greatest commando operations of the war. Building off a suggestion from Zog himself, Churchill and Cunningham organized the transfer of the elderly battleship Centurion and the obsolescent cruiser Vindictive to Alexandria to be converted into blockships. From there, an enterprising skeleton crew of volunteers, including a number of Albanian naval personnel, planned to sail the two vessels and sink them in the mouth of Tripoli's harbour under the watchful eyes and guns of the Mediterranean Fleet. Though Cunningham remained skeptical of the operation's prospects until the day itself, his exasperation at his inability to engage the remnant of the Regia Marina led him to push forward with the operation. (3) Unbeknownst to him, the delays in repairing damage done to the Vittorio Veneto during both the raid on Taranto and the bombardment of Genoa left the Italians with no appetite for battle.(4) Knowing that their only operational battleships, the elderly Guilio Cesare and Andrea Doria could only prevail in set circumstances, they withheld them once again in September 1941, leaving the defense of Tripoli to local forces.

These forces were faced with the additional challenges of not only having lost their best bomber squadrons to operations in Albania but also dealing with the newly formed Special Air Service. Though their opening bout was hardly an unmitigated success, their successful destruction of over a dozen Italian bombers and illumination of key airfields paved the way for the subsequent blows landed by the Fleet Air Arm mere hours later. These strikes on the night of September 13, 1941 paved the way for Cunningham's bombardment the next day and the subsequent final voyages of the Centurion and Vindictive in an action that merited no fewer than 3 Victoria Crosses. Facing heavy fire from shore guns, local torpedo boats, and remaining aircraft, the skeleton crews pushed forward despite catastrophic losses and successfully lodged the Centurion's battered hulk in the harbour entrance. Though Italian torpedo boats successfully crippled the Vindictive before her crew could lodge her in a complementary blocking position, the Centurion's presence alone temporarily halved Tripoli's effectiveness as a port when combined with the effects of the aerial and naval bombardment.

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The demilitarized HMS Centurion sunk as a blockship in the Raid on Tripoli

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News of Cunningham's brilliant raid on Tripoli brought flashbacks to the events of the previous year's raid on Taranto yet even these were drowned out by the events around El Agheila. There, mere minutes after Cunningham opened fire on Tripoli, the guns of the 6th Australian division supported by the HMS Terror and others off-shore began to saturate Italian positions in a manner reminiscent of the Great War offensives of 1918. No sooner had the Italians began to return fire than news of fighting on the other side of the Marble Arch in Tripolitania. Unbeknownst to them, days earlier the men and machines of Percy Hobart's 2nd Armoured Division, augmented by the 1st Albanian and 3rd Indian Motorized Infantry Brigades as well as the 2nd New Zealand Infantry Division, had initiated what would become known as "The Left Hook." Sweeping around the extensive salt-marshes south of El Agheila, Hobart oversaw a mad dash to the coast often along unmapped and rarely travelled desert. Having transferred all of his slower Infantry tanks to the 6th Australian and XXX Corps in exchange for the 22nd being completely equipped with new "Crusader" cruiser tanks, Hobart's blazing advance overwhelmed the handful of pickets and achieved near complete surprise.(5)

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Yet the XX Corps was a far cry from the forces Wavell had so thoroughly defeated in Operation Compass. Well equipped, mobile, and determined, the Italians responded admirably to the deluge of defeats on September 14. While doing all they could to hold their positions at El Agheila they threw their reserves against Hobart's lines in a desperate attempt to secure a line of retreat and link up with the forces around Tripoli. There they planned to capitalize on Wavell's future logistical difficulties and throw him back if not to Egypt, then at least back to El Agheila. The battles which followed marked the fiercest and most mobile fighting of the war in the Mediterranean thus far and would have likely succeeded if not for the valiant stands of the Albanians at Bel-Medima and the daring pilots of 351 Squadron subsequently known as the "Tank Busters"…(6)

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…With the ANZAC corps exhausted from September's battles with the XX Corps, Wavell opted to rotate the XXX Corps forward a week earlier than planned, bringing an end to the 1st Albanian Motorized Brigade's direct involvement in the last phase of the African campaign on October 11, 1941. Having lost over a third of its strength in the preceding month, the brigade was in no shape to continue the advance regardless of their statements to the contrary. Nevertheless, the battle had been effectively won. The destruction of not only the XX Motorized Corps in September, but also the loss of most of the 11th Army's motorized units in the abortive counterattack at Sirte that same month coupled with the damage done to Tripoli's harbour facilities had fatally damaged Italian morale. (7) The arrival of O'Connor's fresh XXX Corps proved to be overwhelming when augmented by RAF air superiority and close air support. Sweeping around Italian positions at Homs, O'Connor's flanking attack slammed into unprepared Italian positions to the south and west of the crucial port threatening the complete collapse of Italy's African Empire. Unable to unload sufficient reinforcements due to ongoing repairs, Mussolini and Hitler turned to Vichy in desperation, inadvertently signalling the end of the short-lived collaborationist regime.

Notes:

1. See Parts XXIII and XXIV for details.

2. Peniakoff strikes me as another underutilized Brit who could be easily recruited by Albanians inspired by Zog's use of future knowledge to bring in Percy Hobart. In OTL he founded the No.1 Demolition Squadron aka Popski's Private Army in October 1942 after bouncing around for a bit. Also, Leclerc did have plans for raids on the Fezzan in 1941 which were kiboshed by Rommel's counter-offensive.

3. See Part XXX. In OTL Churchill proposed sending a modern BB and CA but Cunningham balked. The Vindictive is the oldest CA in the vicinity so she gets the nod in TTL. It is also worth noting that in OTL Cunningham actively tried to force a decisive Battle with the RM until the Battle of Cape Matapan. In TTL the heavier losses in the Raid at Taranto have denied him that opportunity so he is a bit more brash.

4. In OTL Force H bombarded Genoa to little effect but in TTL they do a bit better due to the loss of the Littorio and the more serious damage to the Vittorio Veneto which in turn leads to a bit more recon in the hopes of decisively knocking out Italy's last remaining modern BB. Though the bombardment doesn't sink the Vittorio Veneto, it does delay repairs and keeps it out of action.

5. Monty used the same tactic at El Agheila in OTL. In TTL, Blamey/Hobart have far more time to prepare and thus can send a much larger force through the desert.

6. For the origin of the "Tank Busters" see Part XXIX.

7. IMO the XX Corps and the ANZAC corps are pretty equally matched in terms of numbers and to a lesser extent equipment. Airpower and superior commanders IMO turn the tide in favour of the Allies. Balbo's survival and the faster victory of Operation Compass keeps Gariboldi/Graziani in charge and he's not capable of matching Blamey/Hobart.

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October 28, 1941. Oran, Algeria.

I have done so much, but I cannot preside over the end of the Empire!

Nearly eighteen months of humiliations had led to this point. Eighteen months of accepting new diktats from Berlin and Rome in the hope of buying enough time for France to rebuild. Eighteen months of talking his more aggressive subordinates into staying the course for the sake of the Motherland's rebirth. Eighteen months of swallowing his own pride while he watched De Gaulle of all people win victory after victory abroad.

Victories that should have been his.

Victories that became all the more galling with each successive retreat. While De Gaulle threw back the Italian attempt to annex French Somaliland at Loyada, Weygand had overseen the arrival of Italian military observers, intent on neutralizing the French fleet.(8) While De Gaulle rallied the American colonies with an elderly battleship this past March, Weygand watched as Pétain and Laval bent over backwards to accommodate Berlin and Rome to preserve something of the Empire. He'd surrendered hundreds of trucks and heavy artillery ammunition as part of a broader effort to save Syria, but it had ended up falling without a shot. Instead, those goods and 25 million Reichsmarks a day flowed into Berlin to fund Hitler's insatiable desire for conquest. (9)

Now, Maxime Weygand, Delegate General in North Africa, stared at the latest orders from Vichy in disbelief. At this point, coming on the heels of near total Italian defeat in Libya, to enact them would provoke nothing short of mutiny from his men. The demands were simply ridiculous. To shore up the collapsing Italian position in Africa, Berlin ordered that he allow the Italians to establish bases throughout Tunisia in addition to surrendering ports, railway stock, and retreating from positions along the Libyan border. Pétain had just signed away an entire colony to the Italians of all people. How was he supposed to keep the Arabs under control after this?(10) The Germans insisted that their demands were only temporary and that they would restore French control when the British had been driven back to Egypt, but these words held no weight for Weygand at this point. The Axis had lost any semblance of legitimacy in his eyes months ago.

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General Maxime Weygand circa 1940​

Besides, even if he did follow Pétain's orders, he'd probably find himself in jail and on the gallows soon after. Like Dentz, he found himself presiding over an increasingly restless command. The sailors were the worst by far and understandably so. Having the Italians force them to demilitarize their ships in July had been bad enough, but then to have them continue to gloat while the British kicked their asses from one side of the Mediterranean to the other…And then to watch as De Gaulle's forces become the navy they could have been…Weygand was beginning to understand the source of their angst. The battleship Richilieu had just joined Force H in Gibraltar a few months ago having completed her repairs and refit in Great Britain. Her arrival transformed the same Force H that dictated the fleet's demilitarization into a truly Anglo-French force while also allowing London to send more modern ships elsewhere by augmenting the elderly Repulse.(11) Rumor also had it that the Jean Bart and the Béarn were currently receiving substantial work in American shipyards and would join the rest of the Free French navy next year.(12) While they had to suffer the indignity of being presided over by greasy Italian bureaucrats, their comrades seemed poised to finally strike back.

The Army and the Air Force were little better. Though Weygand had the most influence over the former, he had nothing to counter Legentillhomme's victories in Abyssinia, the fall of Syria, and now Leclerc's advance towards Tripoli. The latter development in particular made his cries to wait for the opportune moment seem all the more hollow in light of the impending Italian defeat. He had no doubt that the air force was similarly itching for a fight, especially as their comrades joined the potent aerial assault on Gariboldi's beleaguered troops in Libya. He'd been forced to station an increasing number of his loyal troops near his aviation fuel stockpiles lest his more rebellious pilots opt to defect and fly to the British airbases currently in range.(13)

Yet it was not mere self-interest that was preventing Weygand from going through with the order to surrender Tunisia. Nor was it merely an unwillingness to surrender the largest concession to the Axis given to date. Both of these factors were powerful, but there was something else lurking underneath. Opportunism? Perhaps, but also a sense of ideological duty. He'd kept an eye on the propaganda De Gaulle and his British puppeteers were spewing. Their fawning over the Third Republic's decrepit legacy was nauseating if not disgusting. For all his spinelessness towards Berlin, Pétain's National Revolution was a necessary purge for the French people and needed to continue even if somehow Britain, America, and the Soviet Union could win the war. If he could somehow establish himself as a more palatable face of the Revolution…perhaps he could save France from a future dominated by the Anglo-American plutocrats and their Jewish agents within France.(14)

The time for choosing was now…He'd wanted to wait until the British were stronger, until America had formally entered the war, until the Soviets had thrown the Germans back, but he simply didn't have that luxury. The impending British victory in Libya would have to be enough. Hopefully, Roosevelt could leverage the sinking of an American destroyer into a declaration of war and hopefully Stalin's mass of humanity could grind the Wehrmacht's advance down just like Nicholas had to Napoleon… No history of pessimism could change the fact that the circumstances were dictating Weygand hope once again.

Putting the telegram down, Weygand picked up the phone.

"…put me through to de Lattre in Tunis."

The operator assented. A few clicks and a ring later, he heard the familiar voice of Général de Division Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, the Tunisian garrison's commander in chief.(15)

"Oui?"

Weygand paused for a moment and then began to explain the situation. At first the words came tentatively, each striking at his sense of caution and duty. Reminding himself that he had no other choice, Weygand pressed on and each successive sentence became easier and easier. Slowly he felt the colour return to his skin and the fire return to his heart.

"And the Italians?"

"Are to be considered enemy combatants. Arrest the armistice enforcement officers and any who try to land or cross the border from Libya. All forces are to be on full alert. French North Africa…The Empire…we must stand again and fight."

The briefest of pauses followed, causing Weygand's heart to jump into his chest. He'd just committed treason… would his men follow him?

"Oui General. Vive la France."

Weygand's grin split his face in two. "Vive La France."

Hanging up the phone, he took a moment to consider his next steps. Contacting London took priority, but then…he probably could and should delegate the task of arresting the head of the Italian military mission in Oran to a subordinate, but something deep inside made him push forward. He'd do it himself.

Notes:

8. See Part XXII for ATL's armistice provisions in the absence of Operation Catapult and the Battle of Loyada.

9. In OTL De Gaulle "rallied" St. Pierre and Miquelon in December 1941 with the submarine cruiser Surcouf. In TTL, FDR is far more favourable to the Free French movement due to its increased strength in TTL so it happens in March 1941, with De Gaulle sailing onboard the battleship Courbet and proceeding to "rally" Vichy possessions in the Caribbean. Also, due to France not surrendering Belgian gold reserves in North Africa to Germany, the negotiations surrounding the Paris Protocols are different as Berlin leans harder on Vichy and cuts out the Italians to compensate. Thus Weygand's trucks and artillery head to the Wehrmacht in Europe instead of the DAK. In OTL the Paris Protocols saw Berlin decrease occupation costs to 15 million RM/day, decrease barriers between occupied and unoccupied France, and send home roughly 7000 POWs in exchange for further collaboration. In TTL the Germans focus more on exploiting the French economy than the French Empire.

10. British victories at El Agheila force the Germans to intervene on the Italians' behalf belatedly. This sets off Weygand as in OTL he favoured collaboration but not to the extent that it harmed French prestige in the eyes of the colonized people he ruled over.

11. French West Africa joins the Free French in TTL in August 1940, assuming that at least some demilitarization happened in July, I'm guessing 8 months to complete repairs and finish the construction left undone by the Fall of France. Then another six months to get her worked up. In OTL the British wanted to put her in the Mediterranean so that's where she goes in TTL.

12. Better performance for the RN means that there's a slot to rebuild the Bearn and complete the Jean Bart right away. The former gets a full rebuild/modernization to relieve pressure on the RN brought about by the damage done to the Furious in TTL. The latter I'm not so sure about. One drawing I saw had them skip installing the remaining main armament in exchange for maxing out the AA guns, turning the ship into one of the most potent AA platforms I've seen…not sure how realistic that is in 1941 though.

13. Dentz had to do the same thing in Syria after some pilots stole aircraft and joined De Gaulle.

14. Weygand went beyond Vichy's orders regarding Jewish persecution going as far as to bar Jewish children from attending school. IMO that signals a pretty strong ideological commitment to the Vichy's National Revolution. He's not a saint by a long shot and he's going to be the antagonist in the battle for the French soul in TTL.

15. In OTL de Lattre went on to play a major role in the French Army after he joined the Free French in 1942. In TTL he's Juin's predecessor in Tunisia.

(Excerpted from Shawn Anthony "World War 2 Day By Day" 2000)

Feb 18, 1941: David Benusan-Butt presents his report on the effectiveness of RAF night bombing, confirming fears that they are little better than the Italians' failed efforts against Malta and Albania. Senior RAF officials claim Butt's report is inaccurate and commission one of their own.(16)

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March 22, 1941: The RAF presents its counter-report using data gathered from the Battle of Britain and succeeds in staving off the decimation of Bomber Command in favour of other services.

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April 10, 1941: Major General Ernest Ord Lewin arrives in Singapore to succeed Sir Lionel Bond as GOC Malaya. Having briefly held the post from 1934-35 before several physical ailments and penny-pinching from local government and London led him to seek reassignment, Lewin returns with clear instructions to prepare Malaya for war with the Empire of Japan and a powerful ally in Churchill's personal representative General Adrian Carton de Wiart. Almost immediately they begin to clash with Commander-in-Chief Far East Command Robert Brooke-Popham and colonial officials. This development is not at all unexpected by Brooke-Popham who is extremely disappointed that London refused to appoint his preferred candidate Arthur Percival and sent him to the Middle East instead. (17)

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May 24, 1941: The HMS Prince of Wales and the HMS Hood engage the Bismarck and Prinz Eugen in the battle of the Denmark Strait. The battle lasts 40 minutes and sees the German ships focus their fire on the Prince of Wales, severely damaging it and forcing it to withdraw. Though the Prince of Wales did score several hits in response, the bulk of the British reply comes from the Hood which succeeds in sinking the Prinz Eugen and severely damaging the Bismarck before being forced to break off its pursuit. Aircraft from the HMS Victorious deliver the battle's final blow later in the day, putting two torpedoes into the floundering German battleship and forcing its crew to abandon ship. (18)

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June 10, 1941: Operation Tiger continues and sees convoy W.S. 8 split with several ships diverting to deliver supplies to Malta while the remainder proceed to deliver their vital cargo of tanks and other military equipment to Alexandria. Meanwhile 64 Supermarine Spitfires fly off the Ark Royal, Formidable, and Eagle to reinforce the RAF in Malta.

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June 27, 1941: The Royal Navy's Force K, consisting of 2 modern light cruisers and 2 destroyers arrives in Malta to interdict Italian shipping.

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July 1, 1941: Exhausted by his clashes with Lewin and Carton de Wiart, Brooke-Popham opts to retire rather than continue as CiC Far East Command. Eager to shuttle another problematic figure to Malaya, Churchill appoints Hugh Dowding to serve as his replacement to remove him from his unpopular position in supervising the purchase of aircraft in America.(19)

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July 7, 1941: 9th Australian Division and 5th Indian Division begin their transfer to Malaya to counter the growing threat of Japanese aggression. The 9th's 24th Infantry Brigade travels on to Port Darwin where it rejoins the 8th Australian infantry division to compensate for the 22nd Infantry Brigade 's reassignment to the 9th due to it already being in Singapore.(20)

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July 15, 1941: Dowding successfully negotiates the first of many aerial reinforcements to Malaya, albeit from a pair of unexpected sources. Having convinced Churchill of the impossibility of holding Hong Kong, Dowding transfers RAF personnel and equipment from there to Singapore. Though consisting of only a pair of flying boats and three obsolescent Vickers Vildebeest bombers, this symbolic move paves the way for the American Volunteer Group's decision to base themselves initially in Singapore before flying to China. (21)

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August 2, 1941: Lewin splits Malay Regiment to form a second battalion and massively expands depot training structure to serve both Malay and SSVF forces. He also calls up the two northern-most territorial battalions – 3/SSVF on Penang and 1/FMSVF at Grik as part of his staggered call up of local forces to meet the Japanese threat without devastating the economy.(22)

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August 8, 1941: The remainder of the 23rd Infantry Brigade (8th Australian Division) departs Darwin for Rabaul after being replaced by the 24th Brigade in Darwin.(23)

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August 15, 1941: In recognition of the US Asiatic Fleet's unreadiness for the impending conflict with Japan, Admiral Thomas Hart echoes his British counterparts and begins to consolidate his forces. Concern about the relative lack of air cover in the Philippines leads Hart to relocate his destroyer tender USS Black Hawk and one of his submarine tenders USS Otus to Singapore where they can more safely support Asiatic fleet elements.(24)

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August 30, 1941: Lord Cherwell publishes his "Dehousing Paper" as a response to concerns about RAF bombers' inaccuracy. As it provides a means for a largely isolated Britain to strike back, Churchill seizes upon it to give Bomber command a way forward amidst an uncertain future. (25)

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September 9, 1941: In keeping with his earlier pessimism over Hong Kong, Dowding transfers an invaluable machine gun (MG) battalion, the 1/Middlesex Regt, two Indian Army battalions, the regular Hong Kong Infantry Bde HQ and China Command HQ to Malaya.

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September 11, 1941: In keeping with his earlier actions to safeguard vulnerable support units of the Asiatic Fleet, Admiral Hart transfers the floating dock YFD-1 Dewey from Subic Bay to Singapore along with several hundred US Marines from the North China Marine Force and the Olongapo Barracks.(26)

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September 12, 1941: Several hundred British bombers, operating at their maximum range, strike Northern Italian industrial towns in the first of a series of missions intended to support the coming offensive in Libya. Almost non-existent Italian anti-aircraft guns, night fighters, and civil defense preparations amplify the effects of this raid and the ones to follow. (27)

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September 13, 1941: In an attempt to recreate the success of Operation Compass, Wavell launches Operation Crusader an offensive twice as large and far better supported aimed at taking Tripoli and driving the Italians completely out of Libya...

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September 14, 1941: General Lewin calls up two armoured car squadrons and two light artillery batteries.

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September 28, 1941: Last elements of the Hong Kong Royal Naval Dockyard arrive in Singapore. These tools, equipment, and personnel greatly restore the diminished capability of the Singapore Naval Dockyard. They join the rest of the former RN contingent at Hong Kong save the riverine gunboats: three WWI vintage destroyers, a new but unarmed minelayer, and the 2nd MTB flotilla in contributing to the defense of Malaya.

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October 1, 1941: The 24th Brigade and the 27th Brigade both from the 8th Australian Division leave Australia for Ambon and Timor respectively where they work with local Dutch units to prepare for the coming Japanese attack. (28)

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October 3, 1941: Carton de Wiart calls up both brigade HQ, 1/SSVF, and 3/FMSVF, in Singapore/Johore to bolster his own forces.

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October 7, 1941: British minelayers Kung Wo and Teviot Bank departs for Australia to augment minelaying operations around Rabaul.(29)

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October 28, 1941: In response to Axis demands to effectively cede Tunisia to Italy, General Maxime Weygand orders French North Africa to rejoin the war. In doing so, he not only dooms the faltering Italian position in Libya but sets off an undeclared civil war between himself and De Gaulle for control of the Free French movement.

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October 29, 1941: Despite protestations and promises of further collaboration from Vichy, Hitler goes forward with Operation Atilla: the occupation of Vichy France...

...

October 31, 1941: Tripoli surrenders. Churchill immediately begins making arrangements to transfer the ANZAC corps and associated units back to the Pacific. Similar plans are made to redirect RN submarines to Singapore, particularly those built for the expanses of the Pacific.

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November 1, 1941: "C Force" consisting of 2 Canadian Battalions, a Brigade HQ, and associated units arrives in Malaya having been redirected from Hong Kong. On the same day, orders go out to mobilize 2/SSVF in Singapore and 4/FMSVF at Kuantan.

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November 3, 1941: In light of the recent victory in Africa, Churchill authorizes the sale of 24 ex-French Curtiss Hawk fighters to the Royal Thai Airforce along with numerous other weapons many of which were captured from the Italians in Africa. This sale ushers in a new phase in Anglo-Thai relations and opens the possibilities for Thai cooperation with British plans for the defense of Malaya and Burma. (30)

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November 15, 1941: Both battalions of the Malay regiment are up to strength.

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November 20, 1941: The Curtiss Tomahawk aircraft of No. 3 and No. 450 Squadrons RAAF arrive in Singapore along with the assorted aircraft of No. 451 Squadron RAAF. Together with the planes of the American Volunteer Group at Tengah, nearly 150 of the modern fighters are now theoretically available to augment the defense of the region with more on the way.

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November 29, 1941: The First AVG squadron "Adam's and Eve's" leaves Tengah for Kunming, taking 20 P-40s with them. On the same day, Force Z consisting of the Battleships, Nelson and Rodney, and supporting vessels under the command of Lancelot Holland arrives in Singapore escorting a convoy containing the majority of the 1st Armoured Division. Though there is significant opposition to stationing such powerful forces in Southeast Asia, particularly an entire armoured division due to the supposedly questionable suitability of the terrain for armoured operations, Churchill maintains that such a powerful force will deter Japanese aggression.(31)

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December 3 1941: General Lewin mobilizes the last of the local reserves: the 4/SSVF at Malacca 2/FMSVF at Kuala Lumpur. He also organizes the 5/SSVF under LTC John Dalley. Comprised of the Communist Singapore Overseas Chinese Anti-Japanese Volunteer Army and the Nationalist Overseas Chinese Guard Force both already had considerable experience fighting one another and Japanese civilians in Malaya since the early 1930s.

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The last Japanese reinforcements arrive in Indochina in response to the British reinforcement of Malaya. Consisting of several bomber squadrons originally earmarked for the invasion of the Philippines, the High Command believes this infusion of airpower should sufficiently counteract the additional naval reinforcements without sending additional fleet units.

December 6, 1941: A pair of Lockheed Hudson aircraft from No.1 Squadron RAAF sight a massive Japanese convoy headed west in the South China Sea. Believing that an invasion is imminent, Dowding, Carton De Wiart, and Holland begin making preparations and inform allies in Thailand of the developments.

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The Majority of the 4th Marine Regiment arrives in Singapore onboard the passenger liners USS President Madison and USS President Harrison bringing USMC strength in Singapore to two battalions minus one company. The remaining battalion of the 4th Regiment remains in Cavite.

Notes:

16. In OTL this report came out in August. TTL's heavy bombing of Albania and Malta coupled with Jack/Zog's frequent citing of their ineffectiveness as a rationale to avert a similar bomber offensive to OTL leads to the rumors of RAF ineffectiveness in late 1940 being acted upon earlier.

17. MAJOR RETCON: I just found out about Lewin today (04/04/23) and he seems like someone the British would ask if Percival was unavailable. In OTL, Lewin placed a heavy emphasis on the Malayan volunteer forces and continually pushed for more investment in defense. He also seems to have given some thought to the use of armoured vehicles and mobile infantry in OTL as well. In OTL he retired in 1938 but returned to serve as GOC Portsmouth until 1941. In TTL he gets asked to go back to Malaya instead of Percival and decides to go given the increased funding and Churchill's personal support in the form of Carton de Wiart. In OTL, Carton de Wiart headed up the British mission to Yugoslavia but was captured and imprisoned by the Italians. Percival was Brooke-Popham's preferred candidate in OTL, but Jack/Zog moves behind the scenes, hinting at his suitability for a coming Balkan campaign, to prevent him from heading out east. Lewin and Carton de Wiart are then sent instead. Both Lewin and Carton de Wiart don't have the problem Percival faced in OTL of being rapidly promoted and given command of subordinates who only recently outranked him. Lewin is also quite familiar with Malaya, unlike de Wiart who is more there to shake things up.

18. In OTL Tovey did not follow through with his initial inclination to have the POW take the lead and buy time for the Hood by soaking up punishment with its superior armour. In TTL he's a bit less secure in his position due to a weaker performance in the Mediterranean and thus the battle goes quite differently.

19. Keep in mind that Dowding was notoriously unpopular in America in OTL and that in TTL his subordinate Park's earlier vindication also vindicates him. Brooke Popham similarly toyed with retirement in OTL and I can only see problems emerging between him and Carton de Wiart.

20. This is the first of several big divergences in TTL's Pacific War, In OTL Britain did begin reinforcing the Far east around this time in response to Japanese aggression but they were stretched far thinner. In TTL, no Greek campaign means that the East African campaign is wrapped up quicker among other things. This frees up the 5th Indian and the 9th Australian to head to the Pacific.

21. Much of this section is either inspired by or directly borrows from Eric C. Johnson's post in this thread. Its worth noting that in OTL Churchill seriously considered withdrawing all but a token force from Hong Kong. A little nudge from Zog could be helpful in changing his mind. The continued presence at HK held up American efforts to withdraw and prevented the AVG from using their contacts with the American business community and factories in Singapore to assemble their aircraft to avoid provoking the Japanese.

22. In OTL local forces in Malaya were not called up until the Japanese attack. Despite this mistake, many of them served admirably. Lewin was a major supporter of theirs and this seems like a thing he would do given additional resources.

23. In OTL only a single battalion from the 8th Infantry Division joined the garrison at Rabaul. The greater resources available in TTL means that it receives far more attention.

24. In OTL Hart did toy with basing Asiatic fleet elements at Singapore. In TTL, the earlier British withdrawal from China and the arrival of reinforcements leads him to go through with it.

25. OTL's De-housing paper was presented in March 1942. It's worth noting that Bomber command had been moving in that direction anyways in OTL. TTL's move is just earlier and more pre-meditated.

26. In OTL the withdrawal of US Marines from China took place later due to the continued UK presence at Hong Kong.

27. In OTL Bomber Command launched a smaller raid on Northern Italy around this time. In TTL the earlier Butt Report and other demands result in the RAF adopting a similar stance to the one they adopted in OTL during October 1942. Those bombing raids caused a massive disruption and contributed to mass strikes in March 1943…

28. In OTL only a single battalion went to each island.

29. The evacuation of Hong Kong in TTL increases the number of mines and minelayers in play in TTL and allows for the minelaying plans around Rabaul in OTL to be realized. Both the Kung Wo and Teviot Bank were converted civilian vessels and thus are much more vulnerable so they're withdrawn to a less viable area.

30. In OTL the Thais seriously desired British help and seemed to fixate on more "modern" aircraft such as the Brewster Buffaloes in Singapore. The Curtiss Hawk's better performance in TTL means that they are more open to further deliveries (they already operated roughly a dozen P-36N with fixed landing gear). Britain is also more willing to give them up due to having more aircraft and fewer demands.

31. In OTL the Rodney and Nelson were the original ships to be sent to Singapore however a lack of refits prevented them from doing so. In TTL the RN is doing better so they go with their original plan. Also a different battle of the Denmark Strait prevents Tom Philips from rising to prominence. In OTL, the First Armoured division arrived in North Africa on November 13, 1941. In TTL the unexpected collapse of the Italians and Vichy French defection means that it is no longer needed there and is thus rerouted to Malaya. It will not be ready to participate in Operation Matador in TTL, but the Japanese are in for an even rougher ride once they're organized and brought up to speed.