Turn 3. Jan/Feb 1940. North Sea.
1. The RN and French navies both used naval actions on the first allied impulse for ASW escorts, patrols and to establish a 2nd BEF task force at sea in the North Sea to discourage or react to, as appropriate, any German move into the Low Countries (i.e., Holland or Belgium).
2. The Second BEF was in position to deploy to either Rotterdam or Antwerp if Germany invaded Holland or Belgium, respectively. With no airborne troops yet available this deployment of the 2nd BEF could only be prevented by the Germans by amphibious invasion of these cities on the invasion impulse (which at best was a risky proposition for the KM) or by naval combat that successfully interdicted the 2nd BEF (an even riskier proposition from the KM).
3. The KM during the turn also sailed two old battleships into the 1-box of the North Sea in order to negate the "in the presence of the enemy" 1 MP penalty.
4. As you shall see in the naval combat logs (next post), the allied navies were unsuccessful in their attempt to find and either sink or abort these two old German battleships. Thus, the KM battleships Schlessien and Scheswign-Holsteing were successful in remaining on patrol in the North Sea through the end of the turn and into the start of next turn.
Allied ASW Escorts and Patrols.
5. The RN, supported (a little) by the French Navy, established ASW escorts and patrols in sea areas threaten by German u-boats. Also, at this point in the war, ASW escorts only were established in those sea areas threaten exclusively by Italian subs or surface ships.
6. Those areas threaten by German u-boats, all of which were based in Kiel, were the Fareores Gap, Bay of Biscay and North Atlantic. ASW escorts, composed of surface ships including CVL's/CV's or air in position to react, were placed in the 0-box with the CP's. ASW patrols, composed of surface ships and included CV's or naval air if possible/practical, were placed in the 4-box.
7. Also ASW escorts guarding again a "neutral" Italian naval threat were also put out in the 0-box of Cape St. Vincent, Cape Verde Basin, West and East Med.
