His Majesty's Dragons: The Battle of Britain

[Charon]

Jake didn't look impressed when the image of the Bismarck came up. But he'd never been a navy man, and everything looked big next to a tugboat. He whistled softly when the Admiral explained what exactly the Bismarck was carrying, and when it was explained that they were going to sink it, he merely grinned.

When the Admiral explained what happened to the Hood, Jake stopped himself from a whistle of awe. No reason to get on this guy's bad-side yet.

Once the briefing was done, Jake smirked. "Those Leuchtkaffers won't be much of a problem for us. Hell, Kunja 'n I could probably keep them busy at the least." Jake looked back to get confirmation from his dragon before turning back to the Admiral. "Kunja thinks we could finish the Leuchtkaffer's in time to assist with finishing the mission, but I'm not as confident."

Jake paused. "I assume we're gonna be getting some paperwork on what exactly the Bismarck has to offer?"

[LadyTevar]

Judith was silent, thinking hard. Outside, Jebediah was hmming quietly to himself, thinking of the Leuchtkaffers. "Me n' Kunja ken tak' th' Lightkoffers, keep 'em busy" he amended. "Tha'll leave sinkin' th' ship ta ya'll. Bu' wha' Ah wanna know is how high can those guns reach?"

[Avian Obscurities]

Allen tugged at the collar of his uniform nervously. Despite having traveled over hundreds of miles of ocean to reach Britain, the prospect of engaging in a naval battle unnerved him. They would be unable to go to ground in an emergency, far from reinforcements, and subject to winds very different from what they were used to over land.

Looking at the grainy, black and white pictures of the battleships as they were discussed, Allen was struck by a sudden realization. The waves of the water were not unlike the undulating red dunes of the deep Outback, seen from very high above, as he and Flinder had done many times. That red land was no less barren and inhospitable than the blue desert of water.

Once the comparison was made, he relaxed considerably, and quietly listened to the rest of the briefing.

[General Havoc]

Admiral Tolkien turned back to Admiral Sommerville, the naval admiral, who stepped forward to provide as much technical detail as he could.

"We do not know the exact specifications of the Bismarck-class of Battleships. All we have to go on are aerial photographs, primarily of her sister ship, the the KMS Tirpitz. But given the usual characteristics of battleships, and given that Bismarck appears to be a modified and modernized version of the old Deutchland class, here's what we've got:"

"Bismarck's main guns shouldn't concern you overly. Her primary fifteen-inchers and secondary six-inchers are designed to target enemy capital ships and destroyers, respectively. They have a low rate of fire and are unable to track flying targets effectively, though we believe that the Kriegsmarine has equipped both with airburst fragmentation shells for use in case of emergencies. Still, your primary opposition will come from Bismarck's arsenal of dedicated anti-dragon guns."

"I will not mince words, this arsenal is one of the most lethal concentrations of firepower afloat. Bismarck carries sixteen SK C/33 4.1 inch long-range anti-dragon cannons, generally loaded with high explosive fragmentation or concussive shells, mounted in double turrets running the length of the ship. These are supported by sixteen 37mm guns, probably SK C/30s, also mounted in double turrets. These guns are something of a bust for the Germans. They're single-shot guns with a relatively slow rate of fire and a complex feeding mechanism prone to jamming. There is however nothing wrong with their accuracy, and their shells are proven dragonkillers. At close ranges, Bismarck can deploy some twenty 20mm machine cannons. Most of you have already seen how effective these can be up close, in particular against light and midweight dragons. We believe most of them will be single-mounted, but expect to encounter at least one Flakvierling 38 quad-mount, probably positioned on the superstructure amidships. I should mention gentlemen that all of these guns will be capable of firing arcs of between 85 and -10 degrees of elevation, giving Bismarck lethal protection from nearly all angles."

"In terms of armored defences, Bismarck is designed to be functionally immune to most weapons deployed against her. She carries seventeen thousand tons, fully a third of her weight, in raw armor. Most of this is deployed to protect against battleship attack of course, but there is significant protection against air assault as well. Her armored decks carry fully four inches of Krupp Cemented Armor, particularly over magazines or machinery. These are supplimented by an upper deck designed to crack the armor penetrating shields of armor-piercing bombs and force them to explode on contact. Her torpedo bulkheads are on the order of two inches thick, and coupled to an outboard void-space usually filled with compressed air, to lessen the impact of torpedoes or mines. If she holds true to normal German ship construction practices, her internal structure will be subdivided and heavily compartmentalized, making her very difficult to sink with direct torpedo attack."

"Traditionally, the primary method of attacking battleships has been through assaults upon either their bows or sterns. Neither carry as much armor, and strikes to those locations can debilitate the warship more easily than a blow amidships. Cracking Bismarck's bows will slow her speed, flood her forward compartments, and potentially knock her firing solutions out of alignment through list or settling. Cracking her stern has the potential to disable either her propellers or rudders. German ships are usually weak in this area, with propellers placed too close to one another to provide adequate steerage support to the rudders, and one cannot armor up a rudder chain. Of course, striking a battleship moving at 30 knots with a direct hit from the aft, where she is designed to present the absolute lowest profile to incoming fire... is not an easy task. Particularly not while being fired upon by her caliber of guns."

Sommerville summed up. "There is no simple way to sink a warship of the calibre of Bismarck. We would not even dream of launching a single squadron of dragons at short notice at her on a one-shot strike if we had any other means of stopping her before she reached France. As we do not, we are obliged to make use of what resources are available to us. We have provided full technical schematics of similar classes and our best guesses as to the technical design of Bismarck herself for your officers and dragons to peruse. With luck, you will find something we have not."

[Charon]

Jake was actually quiet and not boisterous for several seconds.

"Damn... So, what are we waiting for right?" Jake grinned slightly, getting back into his usual mood. He looked around at the others, hoping to see some excitement in their eyes as well.

[LadyTevar]

Judith looked up, seeing Jake's big huge grin. "Yer nuts," she stated simply, but there was a twinkle in her eye that said she was with him. "Jeb n' Kunja kin take th' LightKoffers," she said in unconscious echo of her Dragon outside. "Tha'll leave ya'll free ta try n' dodge th' guns," she added, looking over to Capts. Reynolds, Allen, and Thibodeaux.

[Cynical Cat]

"The majority of her antidragon mounts appear to be amidships," said Nathan. "Where she presents the biggest target. Coming in low from the stern seems promising," he mused. "Any chance of a night attack or will the timing be unfavorable for that?"

[Charon]

Jake looked over to Nathan. "More promising maybe, but there's less guns there because it's a much harder target to hit too." Jake was pursing his lips in obvious thought. He opened his mouth, closed it again, then scratched his head. "Hey, uhh, Nathan. Just how long can Frostfell stay under water?"

[Cynical Cat]

"A long enough," said Nathan. "Unfortunately, he's not that fast below the water and he's got no training with torpedoes. He'll need a crew and he'll need to get close first."

[LadyTevar]

"An' crews migh' hav' trouble breathin' water," Judith replied, rolling her eyes. "Might slow 'em down swimmin' too."

[Cynical Cat]

"Any underwater attack plan naturally includes the use of breathing apparatus," Nathan replied.

[Avian Obscurities]

At the suggestion of an under-water attack, Allen's mind conjured an image of the white dragon lurching along under the surface with an exaggerated frog-stroke. He grinned.

Captain Reynolds is right, though; even though Frostfell is likely the best swimmer, he would be much too slow under the water....

Hesitantly, he cleared his throat. "It seems that...the best way for Frostfell to approach the ship would be to travel low over the water, in the air, for as long as possible. So long as he's not seen, he could dive and swim for the final approach. If a night attack is even possible; unless theres fog, I doubt it would work during the day." He paused, as he imagined Frostfell's white form skimming low over a dark ocean. "And we'd probably have to darken him up a bit, with grease-paint or the like."

[LadyTevar]

Judith choked on laughter suddenly, recalling someone painting Frostfell pink ... "If we were hitting 'em hard from th' top n' sides, would it give Frostfell a chance ta get closer?" she asked, to cover the coughed laughter

[General Havoc]

Captain Rankin had purposefully remained quiet, allowing the captains to debate the upcoming assault.

"The timing is such that you'll likely be forced into a dawn attack," said Admiral Sommerville. "We'll try to arrange it such that you arrive over Bismarck when it's just light enough for you to spot her."

"What of the underwater option?" asked Tolkien.

Sommerville seemed to regard the possibility as a joke. "Unless your dragons have diesel engines that I'm unaware of, there is no chance whatsoever that any of them can catch Bismarck underwater. She'll show them their paces like a thoroughbred among nags. I'm afraid you may need to compel your beasts to perform a direct assault, unless of course they have the stomach for one themselves."

Sommerville's tone was disparaging and cold, and he did not bother to disguise it. It was not hard to determine why. The Royal Navy, the arm of the British forces that prided themselves as the guardians of the realm, had suffered an unconscionable humiliation and, once more, were forced to come and beg the aid of the RAF, the service they had always considered on pain of death to be the most slovenly, undisciplined, if not downright mutinous force in all the world.

It was an old rivalry, one that was likely not helped by the Air Admiralty's having selecting a squadron full of colonials and miscreants. To have the 'honor' of Bismarck's attack entrusted to a British dragon was bad enough. To entrust it to Canadian man-eaters, American mercenaries, Australian lunatics, Colored men and mix-blooded dragons, was quite another. The very men and women slated to make the attack in question might have considered said 'honor' to be one not worth the spittle it took to pronounce, the guns of a battleship would kill indiscriminate of honor after all, but Navy men were different, and this one plainly prickled at the very thought.

Admiral Sommerville however was not on his home ground, and moreover was not the only flag officer present. Admiral Tolkien could perhaps appreciate his counterpart's discomfort, but this was hardly the time for such absurdities, particularly given the sum total of what these men and dragons had already done. He was winding up to inform the naval officer of his place, in a proper manner of course, when he was pre-empted by, of all people, Captain Rankin himself.

"No."

Sommerville blinked. "I beg your pardon, Captain?"

"We cannot attack Bismarck directly."

Admiral Sommerville frowned. "If you are proposing that we permit Bismarck to escape unavenged - "

"I am proposing, Admiral," said Rankin, elevating his voice merely a hint, "that to send heavyweight dragons within the range of a collection of firepower such as the Bismarck can sustain is to commit suicide. There is not a gunner in the German Navy who could fail to swat a dragon of Frostfell or Hermecritus' size like a horsefly if we try to chase her down directly."

"Captain, you cannot catch her underwater, even if we had the means to arrange for rebreathers sized for a heavyweight dragon," said Sommerville. "What exactly do you propose to use if not a direct assault with torpedoes?"

"Mines."

There was a moment of silence from the Admiral.

"Mines?"

"Yes, mines," said Rankin, nodding, "and dive bombs. On the midweights. With the lightweights in support to ward off the Leuchtkaffers."

Sommerville looked like he was having some difficulty restraining his laughter. "You won't attack Bismarck head-on with torpedoes, but you'll lay mines in her path? Or drop on her with bombs?"

"Why not?" asked Rankin. "We can approach from altitude, strike from directly overhead, and present much less of a profile."

"And have utterly no effect!" said Admiral Sommerville, having cast decorum aside in his mockery of the idea. "Bismarck has thirty-one knots of speed, maybe even thirty-four. She'll dance around your mines like a dressage stallion! And as for bombs, with a squadron of dragons who've never been trained in high altitude bombing, you'd be lucky to hit Wales!"

Rankin smiled. "We don't need to hit her," he said. "All we need to do is slow her down."

Sommerville paused. "Slow her down?"

"Of course," said Rankin. "She can outrun our heavyweights in a straightaway, or at least lead them long enough to blow them out of the skies. But she can't very well do that while she's navigating a minefield and dodging dive bombers, now can she?"

Admiral Sommerville said nothing as he did the figures in his head. His expression told Captain Rankin everything he needed to know.

"It's just as Captain McClung said," said Captain Rankin, smiling broadly and gesturing towards the sixteen year old American, "Hit them hard from the top, and the sides if necessary, and give Frostfell a chance to get closer. Move him in at surface level or even underwater if we can manage it ..." Rankin's smile suddenly evaporated, and his face turned stony once more.

"... and put thirty torpedoes into her stern."

Sommerville said nothing, but Tolkien stepped forward. "Surely, no matter the state of German engineering, nothing afloat could survive such a blow, Admiral?"

It took Admiral Sommerville a moment to respond. When he did, he clearly was unsettled by the prospect under discussion.

"No," said Sommerville. "I should think not."

"Then," said Captain Rankin, standing up, "I shall take the plan to have your blessing, Admiral Sommerville, and take leave to discuss the details and modifications among my officers." Technically it was a question, but Rankin did not phrase it as one.

What Sommerville thought of the proceedings went unsaid, for Admiral Tolkien stepped forward. "Gentlemen," he said, "you have two and a half hours to prepare for the rendezvous flight with Ark Royal. Prepare yourselves and your crews. Dismissed."

As the meeting broke up, Admiral Sommerville could be seen shaking his head at the front of the room. Tolkien paused by him as he passed, and caught the naval man's eye.

"A most... unorthodox proceeding," remarked Sommerville. "I truly hope that this... rabble of yours has the constitution for an operation like this.

There might just have been a trace of a smirk on Admiral Tolkien's face as he responded.

"All that is gold does not glitter, James," said Tolkien, patting Sommerville on the shoulder as he walked by, "and not all those who wander are lost..."

And then Tolkien walked away, humming to himself softly, leaving Admiral James Sommerville to stand in the now-empty room and watch him leave. And after he had left, Sommerville slowly lowered and shook his head, like a sane man might upon viewing the antics of the mad.

"Colonials..." he muttered to himself.

[Cynical Cat]

"Frostfell can swim quite well," said Nathan. "He doesn't need breathing apparatus, that's for the crew and I'm sure we can manage to haul that along. The issue will be hiding him near Bismark's path so we ambush the ship. Mines and distractions will make that easier."

[Charon]

Jake smirked some. "Only question I've got is what I'm supposed to do once I finish with the Leuchtkaffers." Jake paused. "I mean, once Judith and I are done with the Leuchtkaffers."

"As for the trap, can't we try to use those mines to lure the Bismarck to Frostfell and Hermeticus? I mean, it's a Battleship, it may be fast but it doesn't exactly maneuver like a Widowmaker."

[LadyTevar]

"Jis' slowin' down will giv' us more time," Judith pointed out. "Th' Admiral said there's ships chasin' 'er, so when th' Nazis slow down ta fight us, our ships gain on 'er."

========

Outside, Jebediah rose to his feet. "AH'm thinkin' it's time ta go get armored," he said to the rest of the the dragons, before turning to the Admiralty's dragons. "Miz Galadriel, t'was nice seein' you 'gain. Hav' a safe trip home." With a nod of his head to the rest of the higher-ranked dragons, Jebediah turned and walked towards his barracks, where his crew was already heading. "C'mon, Kunja, let's hear wha' yer Captain's got planned fer th' Lightkoffers."

[Cynical Cat]

"Well, we have a basic strategy down," said Nathan. "Might as well send for the right harnesses, ordinance, and gear while we settle on the fine points. We only have so much time."

[LadyTevar]

"Cap'n Nathan's right," Judith added. "Let's get th' gear an' get a move on." She matched her words to action, turning and walking towards the door.

[General Havoc]

Two hours was none to little to equip out a full squadron of dragons, particularly with the paucity of resources that had been assigned to Tangmere. Even now, following months of crash recruitment and training programs, the ground crews of the RAF were still not at full strength, let alone those able or willing to be deployed to a combat zone such as Tangmere. The scars of the attack some months ago were still visible, even if the Germans hadn't buzzed the region in weeks.

One by one, the dragons of RAF Tangmere rose majestically into the air, heavily laden, for they were expecting a rendezvous, not a combat. Forming up in less than ten minutes, they wheeled around to the southwest and moved away from Tangmere, harnessed and armored all, save for the perennial exception of Fulminatus, who kept as always to himself, flying above and behind the squadron in silence. This was more than made up for by Capricorn, who insisted on talking largely the entire flight, babbling semi-sensically regarding fish, clouds, the water below, and the Stukas, tales of which he had been told, but had yet to see. With the perfect faith of the ignorant, Capricorn had declared that no-one had anything further to fear of Stukas, for he would "spit" on them, and they would crumple like dry leaves. Nobody quite believed him, not even Captain Kelly, but a Venomspitter could say and do as it liked, until something more potent showed it up.

*-------------------------------------------------------*

"Where the devil are they?"

"Bloody navy can't even keep to their bloody coordinates..." muttered Æquitas.

"Likely they had to avoid U-boats. They should be around soon. We'll circle until we spot them."

"Easy for you to say," said Æquitas. "I don't see you volunteering to haul ten tons of equipment about like a pack mule."

"And what a wonderful pack mule you make, Æquitas," said Rankin with a smile, patting the dragon on the neck and prompting a groan and several under-the-breath comments about humans in general. "If you need it, I can see if Hermecritus or Frostfell can give you a breather."

"Set down on the back of Frostfell?" responded Æquitas indignantly. "I'd sooner fall into the bloody ocean!"

"Yes, well I'd sooner not do that Æquitas, so do let me know if you're at risk of such a thing."

"If it comes to that, I'll be happy to tip the lot of you into the sea."

"I have no doubt you - there."

Looming out of the low-hanging clouds, a spot on the horizon at last. A signal later, and the entire squadron turned about and headed west towards it, as it resolved and grew and finally came into full visual range.

HMS Ark Royal was enormous, enormous even by the standards of heavyweight dragons. Eight hundred and fifty feet long, displacing nearly thirty thousand tons laden, her flat deck swarming with sailors, scrambling to prepare for the arrival of the squadron. No matter the size of the approaching dragons, her cavernous hull was easily able to absorb them, gigantic elevators providing unfettered access for even the largest dragons into the interior revetments that the ship housed. Her decks were cleared at present, no dragons present upon it, yet as the squadron pressed in closer, they saw the quartet of Winchester scout dragons flying lazy patterns overhead, eyes sharp for the tell-tale signs of U-boats or other ships that might threaten Ark Royal itself. About her sailed other ships, closer in or further out, escorts for the small task force that had been scraped together to assault Bismarck. The Heavy Cruiser Sussex stayed close at hand, guns pointed skyward, lest a flight of torpedo-bearing Bluejackets fall out of the sky. Behind her on either side were the old destroyers Hostile and Boadicea, and in front, leading the small flotilla, the new Ashanti, gleaming in the late afternoon sun as water washed off her polished teakwood decks. Yet Ark Royal herself dwarfed all her companions, as a Regal Copper might dwarf her escort of Greylings and Yellow Reapers, a mammoth of a ship, steaming eastwards at best speed.

The decks cleared as the dragons approached, giving plenty of room to land, and as they did so, one of the Winchesters overhead broke formation and descended towards the great Carrier, obviously intending to meet the new arrivals alongside the naval brass that were already collecting in the lee of her conning tower.

[LadyTevar]

"Iff'n you get sick on som'thin' tha' big, Ah hop' ya kin mak' it to th' side in time," Jebediah drawled as they dropped gracefully in for a landing on the Ark Royal. The sheer size of it was almost uncanny, large enough to house and launch Red Coppers with ease.

Judith swallowed hard, as she was trying not to look at how the waves about the huge vessel were bobbing up and down. "T'ain't fair.." she muttered, Jebediah hearing her clearly. "I've no trouble wit' you n' yer tricks...."

As Jebediah touched down and started unloading, the Ark Royal hit a swell that tilted the bow down, then rolled itself back up. It was a small movement for such a large ship on calm sea, nothing even worth mentioning amongst sailors.

Judith turned pale and wan, one hand going up to her collar as she started swallowing quickly, eyes huge and fearful. Jebediah sighed, "Thar she goes..," looking over to Kunja as Judith ran for the nearest bucket.

[Avian Obscurities]

Allen had hoped that the call to action would tempt Flinder out of his melancholy. So far, though, he had been mostly disappointed. Flinder went through the preparations at Tangmere with cool apathy, as if it was no more than another drill, and had been largely silent during the flight to the Ark Royal.

Still, there were some signs of improvement. Flinder seemed to relax as they soared on strong ocean wings, his flight gradually shifting from stiff mechanical movement to his characteristic powerful grace. As they approached the ships, he perked up visibly, glancing around at the battle cruisers and dragonship in avid curiosity. He was so enthralled, he almost missed the signal to land.

Allen marveled at the great ship, and how it made even the midweight dragons seem like nothing more than colorful toys. When the landing order came, Flinder wheeled like a gull and descended at a steep angle. Allen tensed as the deck approached, fast, but Flinder backwinged heavily at the last possible second, and landed with a jarring thump. The crew shouted in irritation, and even Allen had to bite back an exclamation. But then something happened that silenced all their protests.

Flinder turned his head around, long neck rippling rainbow in the bright ocean sun, and spoke. "Easy, mates, I didn't want the draft to go knocking anyone off the deck," he said, and then he smiled.

[Cynical Cat]

"Doesn't that idiot ever shut up?" grumbled Frostfell as broke away from Capricorn to begin his landing approach. "Which bloody god deciding making him smart enough to talk and too stupid to take instruction was a good idea?"

The Wendigo dropped down onto the carrier. "And I hate metal decks." The Wendigo touched down with less than perfect grace.

"Now now," said Nathan. "Think of all the Germans we're about to kill. Think of the bragging rights."

"I'm here, aren't I?" replied Frostfell.

[Charon]

Jake and Kunja had flown rather characteristically for them, which meant they amused themselves with aerial maneuvers and skimming the water whenever they started to get bored. When the Ark Royal came into view, the duo perked up much like the rest of the flight did. Landing was fairly easy, though on a rolling deck it wasn't quite as graceful a landing as Kunja usually achieved.

Jake hopped down and actually staggered a few times. It was clear the captain had no real experience on the deck of a ship and was far away from gaining his sea-legs. Kunja seemed to be fairing as well as his captain as the Dragon sneered at the rolling deck in annoyance. Kunja spared a glance from Judith to Jeb and chuckled a little. "Looks like Judith ain't gonna be much enamored of this mission."

[Dark Silver]

Thomas had listened to the entire briefing and taken the orders as silently as the others could come to expect from him. When briefing was over, the negroid captain went to Hermeticus, and spoke softly, before the two returned to their clearing.

The few men left from Hermeticus' original crew had all become rather grim following the even which had granted them the medal.

The dragon and crew descended upon the Ark Royale in a tight pattern, still keeping his distance from the majority of the formation - as much as was still let them have their position in formation anyway. The dragon and his captain had taken a darker turn in their mood since the last battle.

With the landing done, the crew disembarked, the older crew helping the new crew, Thomas himself did not get down, but sat in the saddle, stroking Hermeticus' neck lightly.