It appeared that no physical damage had occurred but one never knew. They had endured a number of unnerving attacks. This time it was their turn. These beacons were not only used to guide the planes but also to attract their mortal enemy the Royal Navy destroyers, sub chasers and frigates that made their life a living hell. There was nothing that could be done about the flying hit men in the sky. That’s what the beacons where for. To guide our killer angels of death who would wipe the skies clean of our nemesis the submarine hunter aircraft. These little beacons out in the ocean will attract a hell of a lot of attention from both sides. They will be defended by our planes and attacked by the RAF. If they do not send enough attackers they will be overwhelmed. If they send many then they will be shot down by many more of ours.
Just like a sunken ship attracts all sorts of predators to feed on the various kinds of new life trying to find a place to reproduce and feed on its newly bare bones. These little beacons will attract many machines bent on killing each other. Machines full of men bent on each other’s destruction. This will be a major battle on the open ocean waged between our ships and planes and their ships and planes. Ours will be under and over the ocean. Thiers will be under, over and on the ocean. We will have the element of surprise and they will have the experience in this kind of warfare.
Our little Pe2s will be weighted down with extra fuel and our Seehunds and XXI submarines will be waiting in stealth mode, waiting for anyone to approach this harbinger of death. These small objects were much like the Sirens of Greek Mythology. They were calling in their prey with an irresistible cry, a pulsing signal that will possibly be irresistible to the Royal Navy. The object of this battle was not much larger than a 50 gallon drum and was mostly submerged. Very little was above the water… very little for such an expected reaction. The larger submarines would be rescuing our downed pilots and capturing or killing theirs. Protected by an air umbrella that would in turn be protecting their comrades. Protecting them until they were rescued by Soviet torpedo boats and the 16 XXI submarines lurking in the area. This was a perfect use for the possibly out dated Pe2s. There was nothing outdated by the bombs they carried. Easily large enough to sink a destroyer, frigate or sub chaser. The torpedoes carried by the IL 4s and submarines were for something larger if it dared to show up.
The Royal Navies aircraft that were expected to show up were not as advanced as the ones on land. The Brits could not spend the money or time to rebuild both land and sea planes to fighting trim and so the naval aircraft had been the last to be optimized. Their best models were not plentiful. Our fighters would be the best and most experienced. These battles in the ocean were to be the opening act and meant as a lesson. If the Royal Navy decided to leave the beacons along then they would continue to do their job switching frequencies to avoid being blocked by the British. If the beacons stood then the other attacks would begin. If they were attacked then the attackers would be the hunted. All the mighty preparations on land by the RAF would not assist their flyers over the ocean.
The Soviet planners believe that the Royal Navy will expect the beacons to be unguarded. For the next 6 hours they will be the most guarded objects that have ever floated in the Celtic and North Sea. Is the thousand plane raid using the beacons for directions of targets over the land or as a ruse to draw in the Royal Navy and its ships and planes? The answer depends on the reaction of the British. Force will be met with overwhelming force or the beacons will stay floating alone sending out their signal. Signals that the VVS will happily use to guide them to their targets on land.
For the last week, thousands of Soviet bombers and fighters took off from the fields in Western Europe and crossed the English Channel and North Sea. The initial routes were decidedly predictable with the raids from the Brest area heading NNE towards Plymouth and then before crossing the channel veering away from British soil. The raids coming from Denmark started out almost due West and took divergent routes from there. There were two main routes feigned from Amsterdam and Dunkirk with one initially headed due west and the one from Dunkirk, which headed northwest. All had turned back before contact with the RAF and crossing over into British airspace.
On September 24th, it all changed. Homing beacons appeared in four separate areas of the seas surrounding Britain. The southernmost one started transmitting from the Celtic Sea. Another was off Ireland in the area known as Donegal Bay. Another was in the Shetland Trench off Scotland and the fourth in the North Sea. The Royal Navy was instantly alert, and the individual commands in their respective areas each decided how to react. The beacons started transmitting within minutes of each other and were extremely powerful and unmistakable in their intent. The timing was such that the daily raids were formed up and were heading in their usual directions.
The forces in the Celtic Sea reacted aggressively and started to send 4 squadrons of aircraft into the area along with two destroyers and 10 other smaller vessels, including five Frigates and the famous 2nd Support Group. Four of the Black Swan Class Sloops of the original 2nd Support Group that had sunk 22 U-boats in the last war were still looking for victims. The original sloops Starling, Wren, Cyngnet and Wild Goose were joined by the Flamingo, Magpie and Amethyst. These sloops were the most experienced sub hunters in the Royal navy. Although their commanders and crews had changed, their tenacity and training had not diminished. Already they sank three Soviet Seehunds, the most of any unit. Their commander of the group was puzzled at the audacity of the Soviet beacons but was determined to follow orders. The task force was ordered to silence the beacon, and to sink the submarines responsible. 2nd Support Group was the farthest from the beacons in the Irish Sea. It would take another 30 minutes for them to rendezvous with the other destroyers and frigates which were within 60 minutes of the beacon.
Two squadrons of Royal Navy Seafires were scrambled as well as two squadrons of Hawker Sea Furies and a squadron of submarine hunters. The distances involved for the British planes were 150 miles from their bases. The VVS southern raid, which normally turned away from British air space, kept going flying north in one massive cloud. Some of the Navies 4.5” guns got off some long-range volleys and did score a few hits but by and large, there were now 45 squadrons of fighters between the five Royal navy squadrons and home. The Hawker Sea Furies could have theoretically used their long-range and speed to out-maneuver the Soviets planes, but the Seafires were in trouble. They were slower and could not out climb the La7s that were vectoring in on them. The Hawker Sea Furies to a man decided to stay with their comrades and try to see them home.
The destroyer flotilla included the HMS Charity and Consort, both Class C British destroyers. Being closer to the beacons when they became active, they too were cut off from safety by the distances involved. The 2nd Support Group and all its famous sloops were ordered to return to port when it became apparent that the beacon was a possible ruse. Their commander, knowing the potential fate of the destroyers and other ships of the flotilla, claimed radio troubles and decided to add his AA guns to the fight. For its part, the RAF was concerned with the three other huge raids still circling over the channel and winging their way over the North Sea towards the Northern-most beacon. The Royal navy fleet command out of Scapa Flow already decided to let the beacons transmit as it saw what was transpiring down south in the Celtic Sea. The two beacons off Scotland and Ireland were silenced fairly quickly by physical attacks by aircraft. That left the two sending out steady signals and capable of guiding the Red Air Force to any target in Britain and safely home.