Chapter 54 Volume 2, Chapter 12: The Sharp Weapon of Counterattack

1940 My Own Reaction After the Dunkirk Evacuation Memorandum to General Ismay June 4th A Retrospective My Old Plans of July 1917 My First Ideas for Tank Landing Craft 1944 Instructions to General Ismay Concerning Counter-Offensive Shock Troops Tank Landing Craft and Paratroopers Memorandum of July 7, 1940 Calling for the Construction of Beach Landing Craft Capable of Transporting Six or Seven Hundred Tanks Memorandum of 5th August 1940 on plans for Armored Divisions Sea transportation capable of transporting two divisions at a time Establishment of Joint Operations Command Sir Roger Case Appointment Joint Planning Committee to be directly headed by Secretary of State for Defense 194 Progress in Landing Craft Construction in 2000 and 1941 I sent a telegram to President Roosevelt on July 25, 1941. I have always advocated the landing of armored forces on the beaches.

My first reaction to the miracle of Dunkirk was to make proper use of it by launching a counteroffensive.When many things are still unpredictable, it is obvious that there is a need to resume the initiative.The Fourth of June was a rather busy day for me, for I had to prepare a long and important speech to the House of Commons, of which I have briefly mentioned above; I hastened to give directions as to what I thought should at this time govern our thoughts and animate our actions. prime minister to general ismay June 4, 1940 Notwithstanding our command of the sea and our strong defense of fighter jets in the air, we were very apprehensive and justifiably apprehensive about the danger of a German landing in England.Every harbour, every beach, every port became our concern.In addition, there may be paratroopers attacking and occupying Liverpool or Ireland.If this kind of thinking can stimulate our energy, that is all the better.But if Germany can easily invade our country in spite of our naval power, one wonders why we think they cannot be treated in the same way?We must not allow the old idea of ​​total defensiveness which has ruined France to spoil all our initiative.The method of holding back large numbers of German troops along the coasts of the countries conquered by Germany is very important, and we should immediately start organizing raids against these coasts, where the population is friendly to us.Such a force may consist of self-contained, fully equipped units of about a thousand men each, and not more than 10,000 when taken together.The target of the attack should be kept secret until the last moment in order to ensure a surprise attack.What we witnessed at Dunkirk shows how quickly troops can withdraw (and, I think, go to) selected locations if necessary.How exciting it would be to keep the Germans guessing where we're going to attack them next, instead of them forcing us to huddle around the island and build up their defenses!We must make an effort to escape our psychological and spiritual submission to the will of the enemy and preemption.

Ismay communicated the above opinion to the Chiefs of Staff; it was cordially embraced in principle by them, and reflected in many of the resolutions we passed.It gradually developed into a policy.At this time my thoughts were completely concentrated on tank warfare, not only defensive warfare, but also offensive warfare.This required the construction of a large number of tank landing craft, which later became one of the things I often paid attention to.As all these must be of the first importance in the future, I must recall here a past event which I have kept in my mind for so long and now comes to mind.

I've always been fascinated by amphibious warfare, and the idea of ​​taking tanks from purpose-built landing craft onto unsuspecting enemy shores has been on my mind for a long time.In the first ten days of my tenure as Minister of Munitions in Lloyd George's government on July 17, 1917, I made my own plans for the capture of Borkum and Xu in the Frisian Islands, without the help of specialists. plans for Walter Island.The object was to acquire an overseas base for the flotilla and destroyers and the air forces we had at the time in order to reinforce our numerically superior naval operations and to establish again a tight blockade to relieve our Atlantic supply from very active enemy submarines line of attack and facilitated the transfer of American troops to France.Mr. Lloyd George was so appreciative of this plan that he sent it to the Admiralty and the War Cabinet.

This plan has the following paragraph (paragraph 22), which has never been made public: Troops landing on (Borkum or Wort Island) under cover of fleet fire are to be assisted by unloading armored barges from torpedo transports to release gas and smoke screens.About 100 barges are needed to prepare a division for landing. In addition, a certain number of, for example, fifty tank landing craft should be prepared, each landing craft carries a tank or several tanks, and the bow of the boat is equipped with a barbed wire destroyer. As long as the drawbridge is used or the bow of the boat is tilted, (the tank) can land under its own power, so that the infantry will not be hindered by barbed wire when attacking the entrance of the fort or fort.This is a new feature that avoids the significant difficulty of landing in the past requiring (our) field artillery to land quickly to break barbed wire.

And the twenty-seventh paragraph: There was always a danger that the enemy, hearing of our intentions, would advance his garrison with elite troops; at least in the case of Borkum, where the security of the enemy was very sensitive.On the other hand, the landing could be carried out using the barge's baffles as shields, the baffles being protected from machine gun bullets.The number of barges is large enough to cause little loss even under heavy fire (i.e. heavy artillery fire); even more tanks than suggested in this plan can be used, especially high-speed light tanks; Prepare the area for landing.The above may be considered new and highly desirable ideas.

In this document, I have additionally developed a plan for building artificial islands in the shallow waters of Horn Reef (to the north): Paragraph 30.One of the methods suggested to be studied is as follows: At Harwich on the Humber, in Wash Bay, in the Medway and Thames, flat-bottomed boats or caissons (not of steel but of concrete) should be prepared.According to the general plan, make them according to the depth of sinking.When the water is drained, they float on the surface of the water, so they can be dragged to a predetermined position on the artificial island.When arriving at the artificial island position marked with the buoy, just open mouth pipe, make them sink to the bottom of the water.

If it is convenient, they can be gradually filled up by sucking up the mud and sand with the suction pipe.Punts or caissons range in size from 50' x 40' x 20' to 120' x 80' x 40'.In this way, a torpedo-proof, weather-sheltered, atoll-like port can be formed in the sea, with destroyer and submarine repair docks and aircraft landing pads. This scheme, if feasible, could be greatly improved and could be applied in many different places.Perhaps the concrete flat-bottomed boat or caisson could be made to carry a complete heavy artillery turret, and when the outer compartment was flooded, it would sink to the bottom of the sea, like the Solente[1] battery, where one could choose.It is also possible to build other concrete structures that can be sunk to the bottom of the water, with storage rooms, oil depots or sleeping cabins in the structures.Because it has not been studied by experts, it is only to point out the possibility here, and what is mentioned is only the manufacture and transportation of components, as well as the assembly and placement of artificial islands and destroyer bases.

【1】Solent is the strait between the Isle of Wight and England.translator Paragraph 31: If this plan is technically correct, it will be possible to attack a fortified island without the use of troops and with all the dangers avoided. This method could be used to carry out a surprise attack, because although the Germans may know that there are such concrete ships, the result of their deduction is naturally that they are used to block the mouth of the river. This idea cannot be ruled out.Thus the enemy will not perceive the intentions of the island or breakwater system until the island or breakwater system is practically nearly complete.

The preparation time takes a year anyway. This document languished in the archives of the Reich Defense Council for nearly twenty-five years.I did not publish this plan in The Crisis of the World, where it would have had its own chapter, but because of space limitations, and because it was never put into practice, it was never made public.This is a great blessing, for the ideas I have spoken of are more important than ever in this war; and the Germans certainly read my writings on the war with great attention.The study by staff officers of the writings of any man of my position is, indeed, a commonplace business.The basic concepts of this old document, which were imprinted on my mind and which in this new juncture formed the basis of our actions, were, after a long period of time, memorably embodied in the 1943 A strong fleet of tank landing craft and Mulberry Harbor in 1944. 【１】

【1】Refers to the artificial port established for landing in the northern sea of ​​France.translator On that unmissable day of June 6, 1940, filled with a sense of relief and strength to plan for the future, I began to draw up a series of memorandums ordering and continuing to urge the design and manufacture of tank landing craft. prime minister to general ismay June 6, 1940 I further elaborate on the memorandum on offensive operations issued yesterday (dated 4th June) as follows: When Australian troops arrive, should they be organized into detachments (250 men each) with hand grenades , mortars, hand-held machine guns, armored vehicles, and similar weapons, enabling them to resist enemy attacks in our country and at the same time to land on the shores of friendly countries currently occupied by the enemy.We should clear our minds of the idea that the ports in the Channel and the land between them are enemy territory.What arrangements have been made for the selection of excellent special personnel to sneak to Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium and the coast of France, etc.?Bold plans should be made to terrorize these coasts by means of specially trained troops of shooter-grade soldiers, first on a hit-and-run tactic; but later, or when we are well organized, We could then raid Calais or Boulogne, kill and capture the garrisons of the German barbarians, and hold the place until we were ready for a siege or a violent attack.The passive resistance that we have had so well in the past must now end.I hope that the Joint Staff will propose to me measures for a violent, bold, uninterrupted offensive against the entire German occupied coast.Tanks and armored vehicles had to be loaded on flat-bottomed boats, from which they could be driven ashore, surprise the enemy deep inland, cut off vital lines of communication, lay waste to the Germans, and return.Probably when all the elite troops of Germany went to attack Paris, only the ordinary troops remained on the defensive line.This part of the army should be harassed extensively.The measures to be taken are as follows: One suggested organizing an attack company. The second suggested sending tanks to land on the beaches, since we generally have command of the sea and the enemy does not. 3. Establish appropriate espionage and intelligence systems throughout the coastal region. 4. Deploy paratroopers with a size of 5,000 people. 5. Immediately rectify (i.e., put on inner tubes) our six fifteen-inch cannons, to a range of fifty or sixty miles, and mount them on railroad mounts or on emplacements made of reinforced concrete, In order to suppress the German artillery fire, the German army must bombard us across the strait within four months. Corresponding actions have been taken in all aspects.The assault companies were later named Shock Troops, ten of which were drawn from the Regular Army and the Royal Marines.The nucleus of this organization began to take shape during the Norwegian campaign.The heavy guns capable of firing across the strait will be described in the appropriate places in this book.I deeply regret that I had allowed the reduction of the 5,000 paratroopers which I had suggested myself to be reduced to 500. I was always thinking about building the landing craft, always thinking about it: it is an adventure for us, but on the other hand it is also a plan for attacking the enemy in the future.Trials of attack boats had begun before the outbreak of the war, and several were used at the Battle of Narvik.Most of these were lost at Narvik or Dunkirk.Now we need not only small boats that can hoist troop transports, but also ocean-going vessels to carry tanks and artillery to the attacking point and unload them on the beaches. Prime Minister to Minister of Armaments July 7, 1940 How far has it progressed in the design and manufacture of ships for the British Army to carry tanks across the seas against the enemy?This matter can be handed over to Mr. Hopkins, the former naval shipbuilding director, for research. Since the cultivator No. 6 [1] is outdated, he must be relatively free now.Ships of this type must carry six or seven hundred tanks in one voyage, and be able to unload tanks on the beach, or take them off the beach, and of course also be able to unload tanks on the docks. If possible, combine the two All effects are combined. 【1】A trench digging machine for attacking a fortified front. prime minister to general ismay August 5, 1940 A few days ago, I requested to submit a forecast report on the development of armored divisions in 1941, that is, there should be five divisions by the end of March, and one division will be added every month thereafter, until the end of August 1941, there should be ten divisions in total. division; each division should be equipped with armored vehicles and various auxiliary vehicles. Please let me know how the War Department's plans are going; whether the number of tanks to be ordered is compatible with such a large plan. Also please send me a report on the progress of the preparation of overseas transports which should be sufficient to transport two armored divisions in one operation.Who is doing the work the Admiralty or the Quartermaster?I think Mr. Hopkins may have spare time for this matter. prime minister to general ismay August 9, 1940 Please give me another report on the design and type of ships for transporting armored vehicles at sea and unloading them on the beach. In July I established a separate Joint Operations Command to study and practice this tactic under the leadership of the Chiefs of Staff, headed by Admiral Sir Roger Case.His personal close contact with me and with the Ministry of Defense will overcome all the difficulties between the departments concerned that arise from this special appointment. Prime Minister to General Ismay and Sir Edward Bridges July 17, 1940 I have appointed Admiral Sir Roger Case as Chief of the Joint Operations Command.He should take over the duties and supplies now held by General Bowen.General Bowen should be informed that, as the scope of such operations is now extended, a higher officer is required to be in charge, and this change does not affect him or his staff in the slightest.Clearly, he should collaborate effectively.I commend this officer for his work as Chief of the Royal Marines, but in any case the Royal Marines have a major role to play in this institution. When further arrangements are made, Sir Roger Case can approach the armed services through General Ismay, representing the Secretary of State for Defense. I have shown how well the Office of the Secretary of State for Defense was established and grew in power.At the end of August I took the only formal step I always thought was necessary.Until now, the Joint Planning Committees have worked under the leadership of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, which is their direct supervisor in their positions.I feel that this important but hitherto ineffective institution should be brought under my personal control.I therefore ask the War Cabinet to approve this definite change in our system of directing operations.All my colleagues readily agreed, and I issued the following instructions: Prime Minister to General Ismay and Sir Edward Bridges August 24, 1940 1. From Monday next week, the Joint Planning Commission shall report directly to the Minister of Defense and become an integral part of the Secretariat of the former Reich Defense Council in the Minister's Office.The office is located on Richman Terrace Street.The association will retain its existing status within the Departments of the Navy, Army, and Air Force and maintain ties with the three ministries.The council should work out the details of the plan presented to the defense secretary.After consulting General Ismay, they could also start to formulate their own plans.Of course they serve the Chiefs of Staff Committee, and the matters referred to them should be carefully studied. 2. All plans developed by the Joint Planning Committee itself and at the direction of the aforementioned agencies shall be submitted to the Committee of the Chiefs of Staff for review. 3. If there are any doubts or disputes in the future, or if there are major issues, all plans should be submitted to the National Defense Committee of the War Cabinet for review. Composed of three ministers; The Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces and General Ismay were also present. 4. The Prime Minister has the responsibility to report the current work to the War Cabinet; however, the relationship between the Chiefs of Staff Committee and the War Cabinet remains unchanged. The Chiefs of Staff accepted the change without major dissent.Sir John Deere wrote a memorandum to the Secretary of War, to which I reassured him. prime minister to secretary of state for war August 31, 1940 There is no question that the Joint Planning Committee should give me military advice.The society is merely making plans based on instructions from me.Whether these plans, or any subsequent changes in them, should be adopted should remain, as at present, the decision of the Chiefs of Staff Committee.Clearly, the Chiefs of Staff also have a collective responsibility to advise the Cabinet and the Prime Minister or Defense Secretary.It was not considered necessary to change their constitutional status.And I suggest, still work with them and work through them as before. The reason why I felt compelled to be in direct contact with the Joint Planning Commission and to take direct control of this agency was that after a year of the Great War I could not recall a single plan being proposed by the present command and combat system.I am convinced that I can rely on you and the other two Ministers of War to help me direct the war with practical and forceful instructions and to overcome the languid, procrastinating style which has hitherto led us to let the enemy go on every occasion. ahead. Of course, the number of joint planning committees must be increased from time to time. In fact, this new procedure went smoothly and happily, and I can't recall any difficulties ever occurring. Since then, it has been vigorously engaged in the manufacture of various types of landing craft, and the Ministry of the Navy has set up a special department to take charge of this matter.In October 1940, the first tank landing craft (L‧C‧T‧) was tested.Because these tank landing craft were too small, only about 30 were made, and then the design was improved, and they were manufactured part by part for easy transportation to the Middle East by sea, and then began to be shipped there in the summer of 1941.These ships proved their worth, as we gradually gained experience, so that the performance of this exotic ship was continuously improved.The Admiralty was very concerned that this new type of special production might deplete the resources of the shipbuilding industry.Fortunately, it was later proved that the manufacture of tank landing craft could be entrusted to construction engineering companies not engaged in shipbuilding, so as not to disrupt the work and plans of large shipyards.This makes it possible to realize the large-scale plans we expect, but it also limits the size of the ships. Tank landing craft are suitable for raids across the English Channel, or large-scale wars in the Mediterranean, but they are not suitable for long-distance navigation on the sea. There is a need for a larger and more seaworthy vessel which, like the landing craft for tanks, is capable of unloading tanks and other vehicles on beaches in addition to transporting them on ocean voyages.So I issued an instruction to design this ship, which was originally called Atlantic Tank Landing Craft, and later renamed Tank Landing Ship (L‧S‧T‧).Building such ships inevitably takes manpower and material resources from task-pressed shipyards.Accordingly, only three of the first design (nicknamed by the Admiralty as the Winnett) were built; the others were made to order in the United States and Canada, but in the style of later designs.At the same time we converted three shallow-draft tankers to carry the tanks, and they all served very well afterwards. By the end of 1940 we had a correct conception of what amphibious warfare actually meant.The production of this particular ship and its many accessories was developed, and the forces necessary to use these new weapons were gradually expanded and trained by the Joint Operations Command.For this purpose, special training centers have been set up both at home and in the Middle East.When these concepts and their actual manifestations had taken form, we introduced them to our American friends.After a few years of hard work, the results have grown more and more noticeable, and they have become, in just their time, an instrument, indeed an indispensable part in our greatest plans and operations.As what we did in this field during these first years had such a profound effect on the outlook of the war, I shall give an advance account of some of the important advances we have made later, in order to show how things turned out. In the summer of 1941, the Chiefs of Staff pointed out that the landing craft program was concerned only with small-scale operations, and that our eventual return to the mainland would require a far greater effort than we were capable of at the time.At this time, the Ministry of the Navy had already produced a new design drawing of the tank landing ship and handed it over to the United States, where the detailed design was jointly formulated.In February 1942, mass production of such ships began in the United States.This is the Tank Landing Ship (Type B) (L‧S‧T‧(2)). This landing ship has shown very superior performance in all our subsequent battles. A puzzle whose contribution may be unique.More than a thousand such ships were eventually built. At the same time, the production of many types of small boats for continental raids was going on on both sides of the Atlantic.All these small boats need to be transported to the battlefield by the ships that transport the attacking troops.Accordingly, a huge program of refitting was set up to enable British and American troop transports to carry these ships, as well as a great deal of other special equipment.These ships are called Infantry Landing Ships (L‧S‧T‧).Some were commissioned into the Royal Navy, others remained as merchant ships, and the captains and sailors piloted with distinction in all our offensive operations.These ships are constantly transporting reinforcements to the Middle East and other places in the military fleet. It is inevitable that they will suffer losses on the way, but this is a sacrifice of last resort.Production of various other types of auxiliary ships for the raiding force also began at this time.In 1940 and 1941 we were limited in the production of landing craft because of our efforts in submarine warfare.By the end of 1940 no more than 7,000 men could be employed in the production of landing craft, and there was no substantial increase in the following year, but by 1944 no fewer than seven thousand men were engaged in this gigantic work in Great Britain alone. Ten thousand people, and even more people in the United States put into this work. Because all our work in this field is of great importance to the future of the war, I would like to publish here a telegram I sent to President Roosevelt in 1941: July 25, 1941 Our war plan has been under consideration here, not only for the battles of 1942 but also for 1943.After the main bases have been secured, it is necessary to plan for the great force required for victory.In general, first we must intensify the blockade and propaganda, and then subject Germany and Italy to ever-increasing bombardment.These actions alone could cause unrest or collapse within the enemy, but plans should also be made to use Liberation Army landings to free conquered peoples when the time is right.For this purpose not only large numbers of tanks are required, but also ships capable of transporting them and unloading them directly on the beach.It will not be difficult for you to take some of the large number of merchant ships under construction in the United States and make the necessary modifications to make them suitable for tank landing ships. soon after: Prime Minister to First Sea Lord September 8, 1941 My opinion is not to ask the president to build this kind of Winnet in addition to the production tasks already arranged, but to ask the president to allocate part of the large number of merchant ships that the United States is building for 1942 to install Access to the bow or side hatches to enable tanks to be unloaded from the ship to the beach, or onto LSTs to be transported to the beach. Please help me explain this to the President on how US merchant ships should be converted as they are designed now. In view of the fact that there are now and more and more people are insisting that I am opposed to a large-scale frontal landing in Normandy in 1944, so, in order to make it easier for people to understand, I will make it clear that from the very beginning, I have vigorously promoted and empowered the competent authorities. Extensive authority to build such gigantic ships, form fleets, and carry armored troops to the beaches; and it is now generally recognized that operations of this magnitude would not have been possible without them.I will use the documents I wrote at that time to clarify this issue step by step in this book, pointing out that my true consistent proposition is completely consistent with the specific facts, and is exactly in line with the actual process.