The Sound of Drums - A British Hearts of Iron AAR
Part Eleven
13th March - 30th June 1938
The British-French reaction to the
Anschluss was remarkably muted, most likely due to the knowledge that there was little either nation could do to protest what appeared to be a legitimate and perfectly democratic union of two nations. It was remarkable, however, that no member of the cabinet brought up the issue of Hitler tightening his grip over the German
Wehrmacht.
Anschluss had completely overshadowed the event to all but the highest levels of command.
Realising the threat of an expanded Germany with an army completely under the Fuhrers control, both France and Britain upped their own military expansion programs. Blueprints and reports were swapped between either nation to boost the other, and fresh industrial projects began. In Britain, this meant increasing the abilities of the Royal Air Force, and refining the existing Army forces.
Weapons of war: Spitfires under construction
By 1938, the British Army had grown to a respectable size, with forces in Africa equalling their Italian counterparts in Libya, and the British Expeditionary Force itself now receiving reinforcements in the form of new infantry divisions. The defences of the English south coast was boosted with a third division, and several more were due to be commissioned over the coming months. While these numbers looked good on paper, the Chief of the Army, General Nodikus, was worried about the lack of support brigades and advanced weapons. It was all well and good having - on paper - enough forces to sit pretty on the frontlines, but they could hardly hope to launch an offensive without artillery support, nor be able to survive an air attack without any anti-aircraft weaponry.
Luckily, British industries were already well underway in developing the next generation of war equipment. Research into new artillery, small arms and armoured support brigades reached a high in mid-1938, with developments such as the Matilda Mk.II heavy tank providing some relief to the land forces of Britain, in particular to those serving in Egypt, where it was presumed some brigades would be deployed.
The RAF also saw the beginning of its reorganisation, as squadrons began upgrading their aircraft and redeployed to more important regions of the Empire. Egypt received four tactical bomber squadrons and a newly upgraded Hawker Hurricane group to protect the region, while all strategic bomber wings were moved to the British Home Isles. In the meantime, brand new Spitfire fighter groups were being produced, and all old Gloster Gladiator planes were to be replaced by Hurricanes in the next year.
Like with the Army, the RAF was to be supported by more than just the sheer number of fighting squadrons. On the 30th April, the RADAR network along the English southern coast was completed, giving Air Command an effective early-warning system against any enemy airforce. Static anti-aircraft guns began to be deployed in major British cities, starting in London, to assist in repelling bomber attacks. Finally, the Dowding-Portal Doctrine, after two years of development, was put into effect for bomber command. This resulted in such a marked improvement in practice runs and trials that its chief developers were asked to begin work on improving tactics and doctrines for the fighter and interceptor wings. All of these improvements were designed to make Britain as invulnerable in the air as she was at sea.
Heavy AA-Guns protect the southern coast of Britain
Britains rearmament program was now well underway, though still mainly unknown to the general British public. It was the government officials, military chiefs and private industries who had now begun to realise that perhaps peace wasnt to be as permanent as hoped, particularly after being caught off-guard by Hitlers annexation of Austria. And there were fears he was focusing on claiming another region for Germany - the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia. Heavily populated by ethnic Germans, yet containing very developed industries and military fortifications, there was little hope it would be absorbed as peacefully and easily as Austria was. There was a very real chance that Britains new armed forces may be forced into action a lot sooner than expected
