“On the subject of heavier armaments, I can assure you the Germans have also moved ahead in this field. From what Nick has been able to show us already, the Panzer Model -Two and -Three tanks used in Poland and in France so far are completely different to the types we knew of by the same names in Realtime. We can expect more to come… a great deal of the technology the New Eagles brought with them from the future involved advances in the field of armoured vehicles, and they’re unlikely to rest on their laurels with what they have already.
“It appears the current tanks the Wehrmacht is using have been around for several years now, and that’d suggest upgrades or outright replacements aren’t far away. When the next generation does arrives, I can say with some certainty that the two-pounder gun arming British tanks at present will be worse than useless. Even the QF six-pounder I know is in development right now will in all likelihood still be ineffective, and development of a conventional type of tank gun of enough power would take some time. Even if one were available, there’s no way the current crop of Matilda II or Valentine tanks could be modified to carry the weapon quickly, if at all.
“We do have an alternative in the short term however. Without getting too specific on the science, we can offer a weapon that can be fitted into a Matilda or Valentine — and we know that because we tailored it specifically, using examples of those tanks we had left over from this war. The weapon, which uses a method of operation known as a ‘High-Low-Pressure System’ and produces less recoil force than a conventional two-pounder gun, will also fit onto the same sized turret ring.” She took a deep breath and a wry grin. “Quite ironically, the technology for this weapon was originally developed by the Germans, late in the war.
“I think with a little effort we can probably have those tank guns coming out of factories within a month or two. I also have a set of direct-fire sights we’ve developed for the 3.7-inch AA gun which, given an appropriate armour-piercing shell, would turn it into a devastating anti-tank weapon more potent than the Germans’ infamous eighty-eight millimetre flak gun.
“I don’t have lots of highly advanced plans and things to give you gentlemen — things like the aircraft outside would take decades to develop, even with plans already in existence. What I do have are a number of smaller but far less ambitions advances — a new and easy to make rifle; a different kind of cannon shell; newer and more advanced tank gun designs; perhaps an improved engine for the Spitfire and a set of faster-firing, more powerful cannon to arm it. Smaller things like these will on the whole take only months to develop rather than years and will cumulatively add to the fighting capabilities of your armed forces greatly.” A pause followed, during which it became clear that Donelson’s part of the discussion was finished for the time being.
“On behalf of all of us, I thank you for that most enlightening talk, young lady,” Edward began, his gaze then turning directly on Thorne. “Now that we’ve been given an example of how you can help us…” he said thoughtfully“…how can we help you?”
“Well, Sire…” Thorne began slowly, considering the problem seriously. “As we’ve already said, there’s every chance Britain will be invaded and that we’ll eventually have to leave this base. That being as it may, until an invasion actually happens, the greatest danger to this unit is aerial attack. Most of the combat aircraft we believe New Eagles have brought back with them from the future have already been destroyed, and although those remaining do represent a threat, it’s one our own fighters can probably deal with well enough, given enough warning. More of a potential danger however is a massed conventional attack by the Luftwaffe : an air assault of sufficient numbers would certainly overwhelm us.
“What we need is at least a fighter wing for air cover as soon as possible — preferably Spitfires, although I know that may be difficult the way things are at the moment — and a good deal more anti-aircraft capability down here on the ground. The pair of flak vehicles we have with us are probably quite sufficient for low-level raiders, but we’ll need a fair brace of Bofors guns and 3.7-inchers for use against the higher-flying stuff. The 3.7- and 4.5-inch weapons in fixed emplacements around Proserpine Naval Base pack a reasonable punch, but we really need some serious strength of that type around this area as well. We could also do perhaps with a credible security presence here — say commandos or some other equivalent elite force. We’ve only limited personnel here, and even an extra handful of experienced personnel would make a huge difference.”
“Prime Minister…?” The King referred the issue straight to Churchill, who in turn passed it on to the staff officer seated beside him.
“General Dill…?” Churchill directed to his Army Chief of Staff, turning his head.
The officer gave a faint shrug. “The guns shouldn’t present too much hardship: we can find a battery of each within a week or so, although the ammunition might be more difficult to acquire. The personnel should be no problem at all…I would think our paras or commandos would leap at the chance to work in this environment — the potential for exchange of experience would be huge. I’ll have a list of acceptably-cleared personnel drawn up for your consideration.”
“Excellent,” the Prime Minister nodded. “What about those fighters, Air Chief Marshal?”
Dowding shook his head slowly — he wasn’t so certain of his available forces. “Perhaps two squadrons of Spitfires are all the RAF would be able to spare, and we’d have to bring them mostly from Twelve Group as it is, stripping the rest of Britain’s northern defences into the bargain.” Staying true to form, the man was reluctant to place the rest of the country’s defences in jeopardy. “We can supplement them with a squadron or two more of Hurricanes, but we still have many other installations that also require protection.”
“Fair enough, sir,” Thorne nodded. “We’ll make do with whatever you can give us.” He turned his gaze back to the King. “Your Majesty, you’ve all already helped us a great deal just by having all this prepared for us. We’ve jet fuel and sufficient stores of cannon ammunition for our aircraft, and we also have avenues of flight if that becomes necessary. What I’ve already mentioned are our most important needs in the short term, and there’ll no doubt be strategic issues I’ll need to discuss with you all at length, once we’ve a better picture of the overall situation, but right now these things are all we basically need…” he gave a shrug as something else occurred to him “…apart perhaps from the usual stuff like food and supplies. Standardised uniforms for the men might be nice too: something to make them feel more like a real team and an integrated part of the military rather than standouts in a variety of disparate combat gear.
“You can rest assured we’ll get about those things you’ve requested right away, Mister Thorne, however there’s one thing that has occurred to me in all of this…” as he spoke, Edward cast his thoughtful gaze across the faces of the Hindsight group. “There are a large number of Americans and Australians in this unit…a greater number than Britons, it appears…”