Fleet of Books

Chapter 47 - Ceasefire Agreement

In a battle that would later be referred to as the Battle of the North Atlantic, the European Expeditionary Fleet decisively defeated the combined British and American fleet. Despite sustaining a significant loss of aircraft and considerable damage to surface strike vessels, none of the ships were sunk. On the other hand, the defeated British Royal Navy lost 6 battleships, 12 cruisers, and 27 destroyers, with only 4 aircraft carriers and 5 heavily damaged destroyers managing to successfully withdraw from the battlefield. Admiral Cunningham, the supreme commander, went down with his flagship, the King George V, during the battle against the Japanese surface strike force.

The American fleet, which joined as reinforcements to the British fleet, suffered a heavy blow, losing over 30 destroyers in addition to three regular aircraft carriers. Admiral Halsey, the supreme commander, was thrown into the sea when his flagship Hornet was sunk but was promptly rescued by escort cruisers, sustaining no serious injuries although he suffered bruises and burns and required a period of rest.

Simultaneously with the fleet engagement, the aerial campaign over British airspace also ended in Axis victory. While the British Royal Air Force had depleted its strength by transferring many ace pilots to carrier aviation units, the German forces, augmented by both air fleets from east and west as well as the Italian Air Force, had overwhelming superiority. Even the resilient RAF couldn't withstand such a significant disparity in power.

Having disposed of the troublesome British and American fleets and witnessing the collapse of British aerial strength over its mainland, the European Expeditionary Fleet initiated the second phase of its operations. This involved deploying mobile task forces for commerce raiding, essentially hunting down British merchant ships. While the Expeditionary Fleet had three mobile task forces under its command – the Third Fleet, the Fourth Fleet, and the Fifth Fleet – one of them was assigned to disrupt maritime trade routes, while the remaining two were engaged in movement and maintenance and resupply tasks. Although only one mobile task force was actively engaged in operations at any given time, each fleet possessed five or six aircraft carriers, allowing for the possibility of dividing the fleet into two or even three groups as needed.

Furthermore, neither Britain nor the United States possessed the capability to counter Japan's mobile task forces. While the Royal Navy retained four fleet carriers, their aircraft complement had been depleted, rendering them non-threatening. Moreover, the fast battleships capable of engaging in actual combat were all lost during the Battle of the North Atlantic. Given these circumstances, Japan's fleet enjoyed considerable freedom of action. The mobile task forces, tasked with various missions, primarily focused on hunting British merchant ships after dispersing their aircraft carriers.

Following the commencement of operations, Japanese aircraft carriers became synonymous with death for British merchant vessels. With their superior reconnaissance and attack capabilities surpassing those of U-boats, Japanese mobile task forces regarded the sluggish British merchant ships as mere prey. In tandem, U-boat units and the German Luftwaffe redoubled their efforts to defeat Britain. Exploiting the dire situation of the exhausted Royal Navy and its escort units, which had lost numerous destroyers and seasoned sailors in the Battle of the North Atlantic, U-boat units wreaked havoc. Additionally, the German Kriegsmarine, bolstered not only by its own resources but also by a substantial supply of mines from Japan and Italy, indiscriminately laid mines around major ports, further disrupting Britain's maritime traffic.

With the absence of adversaries like the Spitfire and Hurricane fighter aircraft, the Luftwaffe asserted dominance over British airspace, engaging in daily bombings and strafing runs. Particularly impactful were the raids on food factories and markets, as well as the systematic incendiary bombings of granary areas using outdated or civilian aircraft, leading to a rapid deterioration of Britain's food situation.

As a result, inflation surged rapidly, with many unable to afford food, leading to widespread starvation and deaths, especially among the impoverished. Only the affluent, who could afford the exorbitantly priced food on the black market, managed to avoid hunger. Even children from middle-class families suffered from malnutrition, and lives were continuously lost due to the shortage of medical supplies.

Furthermore, malnutrition and famine easily lead to the spread of epidemics, exacerbating the shortage of pharmaceuticals. Moreover, in some areas, bombings have caused serious damage to infrastructure, leading to a drastic deterioration in sanitation. The extremely unsanitary conditions further accelerated the spread of disease. Additionally, whether due to incitement by German agents or not, looting and destruction targeting shops and food warehouses, as well as frequent riots, have occurred.

As shortages of supplies and associated stress have caused tensions to rise among people in British cities, there has been a surge of individuals losing not only physical strength due to illness and hunger but also their willpower. With the rampant increase in crime, the police are now effectively powerless, and hospitals can only watch silently as patients succumb to death.

The pervasive sense of war weariness had reached a critical point. Under these circumstances, continuing the war was simply untenable. The health and lives of the citizens were endangered to an unacceptable degree. Consequently, Britain had no choice but to opt for a de facto surrender in the form of a ceasefire agreement.

Following the implementation of the armistice, Germany promptly provided food aid to Britain. This measure aimed to somewhat alleviate the British public's animosity towards Germany and proved to be somewhat effective. Furthermore, while Germany refrained from imposing heavy taxes on the British populace, it conducted harsh confiscation of wealth from the government, nobility, and wealthy individuals.

The wealth that Britain had exploited from around the world over the centuries was immense. This sudden influx of wealth into the German treasury, which had been struggling with financial crises, was a complete turnaround. Additionally, Germany provided substantial assets to Japan, which had played a pivotal role in bringing down Britain, and to Italy, which had sent support.

Simultaneously, the defeated personnel of the Royal Navy received unexpected orders. They were instructed not to scuttle their ships; instead, each vessel was to proceed to a designated port. The British naval personnel, who had anticipated being forced to scuttle their ships as a retaliatory measure similar to the humiliation Germany endured at Scapa Flow after World War I, found this puzzling. In reality, the surviving British vessels were already earmarked for effective utilization by Japan, Germany, and Italy.

Of course, regarding the ships to be requisitioned, British naval personnel theoretically had the option to escape to the United States or Canada or to scuttle the ships themselves if they wished. Indeed, some personnel did appeal for such actions. However, considering the reality of being at the mercy of the Axis powers for food supplies, the overwhelming majority believed there was no way to defy the orders. Moreover, there were directives issued to hold not only the individuals but also their families and acquaintances strictly accountable for any desertion or scuttling of ships. If compensation claims were made for lost vessels, these families and acquaintances might face a lifetime of servitude. Given that the adversary was a totalitarian state, there was even a risk to life. Therefore, while British naval personnel harbored inner resentment towards the orders of the Axis powers, they had no choice but to obediently comply.

The Royal Navy of the British Empire effectively met its demise at this juncture.