Liberators: Battle for London

 [This is a complete work of fiction and whilst names, dates and actual events are included this story is utterly fictionalised and is solely for the purpose of entertainment despite the somewhat ridiculous idea of a battle for London]

Prologue:

From late May to the beginning of June 1940 the allied forces made a desperate retreat to and from the beaches of Dunkirk, with what remained were beaten, bruised and disheartened with very little left in equipment and armaments. Whilst the R.A.F had been putting up a bitter battle to maintain a effective defence against the Luftwaffe their losses continued to grow both in the air and on the ground, whilst nightly raids by the Heinkel's constantly struck London and other major cities.

It was during the mayhem that one soldier a Captain approached Prime Minister Winston Churchill with the proposal for the creation of a special unit of highly trained elite soldiers from occupied nations, that would work in conjunction with local resistance groups and factions across Europe whilst establishing a Continent wide network of unified Resistance that would conduct a continent wide insurgency.

Authorisation came through and Captain Luck now promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel began recruiting his selection. His criteria was strict, first the candidates for the selection process had to be from the occupied nations or had a history with them, he reasoning as these individuals would have a greater fighting spirit as instead of defending their homes as the British Armed forces were conducting such individuals would be fighting to reclaim their homes.

Then the candidates were to be put through a strict selection process which included a variety of tests, ranging from written examinations with questions that varied greatly from simple matters to more focused questions like the organisation of the German military. Then there would have been physical exams which included performing night marches in the pitch black with no lights in full gear, or jogging to the top of Ben Nevis in Scotland in full gear. Some were also more practical exams such as being dropped off in the country side with false documents and told to make their way into a population centre and blend in, even if successful the candidates would then be put through the most extreme test "Interrogation" where brutal methods of interrogation were used on the candidates to test their limits and their resilience.  

Many candidates were quick to either drop out or be classed as failures with only a minority making it through the toughest tests. Which if successful were all asked a single question that would determine if the Colonel would be able to trust their judgement "Who are we at war with?" if a candidate answered "Germany" they would be put at the bottom of the list but if a candidate answered "the Nazis" they would be more likely to be invited into the Corps.

The Blitz or is it?:

In December of 1940 the nightly bombings by the German air force were becoming more and more common most especially on London with it being the primary target. However one night the bombings came some what lighter than normal than previous nights, military intelligence deemed that the pilots of the bombers were likely in need of rest from having to fly every night with little break in the missions. However the truth was very different, in secret the Nazis high command had put together a new plan for the Invasion of Britain, whilst the Fuhrer had called off operation Sealion indefinitely the plan was merely altered for a new version.

Instead of the Luftwaffe opening the skies for aerial superiority to support a naval focused invasion of the south coast of Britain near Dover, the plan was altered for the Luftwaffe to lead the way instead with paratrooper lead invasions on southern targets. The plan would be for several divisions of Paratroopers to be dropped in or around specific targets across southern Britain but far from the coastline, these targets would vary. Such as primary targets such as R.A.F airbases and military positions, to secondary targets that were to act as diversionary points such as the attack on London itself, where five entire Paratrooper units including one made up of elite SS soldiers would be dropped directly into the city under the cover of night and secure as much as possible whilst the Luftwaffe maintained a constant steady stream of supplies.

Then the second stage would begin with a second wave of paratroopers landing in southern coastal cities with the major harbours and docks, by securing these the Nazis hoped to avoid an amphibious landing. So instead of landing their troops onto beaches they instead would embark on barges, be ferried across and be able to disembark onto proper docks and quays before moving into the battle. The hope was that by doing so they would not be risking their panzer divisions with an amphibious landing now the tanks could be unloaded relatively safely and move in land towards the troops in London.

The Fuhrer approved the plan and on 1st of December 1940 the first wave of Paratroopers set off from their respective runs ways in France and made their way across the Channel to confuse any night time watchers and Radar stations on the Coastline or further inland the transports were following a standard Heinkel bombing raid, so as far as anyone was concerned it was another night raid. At 02.00 hrs the paratroopers were over their respective landing zones around the heart of London and began to drop, they landed in several locations, but the primary landing zones were, the open grounds around Buckingham palace, an open space in Lambeth, an area of Covent Garden, St Katherines and Wapping, Bermondsey and Canary Wharf.

Thanks to the previous hour of bombings, the authorities were unprepared for the paratrooper attack, the units met little resistance during the first night of fighting, by next morning they had secured Buckingham Palace (thankfully the King and the Royal family were safely evacuated),  a portion of the city near the Royal opera house, a great amount of Lambeth, areas of St Katherines and Bermondsey and a great area close to Canary Wharf. Most resistance to the attack came in the form of local police officers and fire fighters scattered across the streets trying to tackle the fires from the bombing the only army units were focused around Buckingham Palace before having to retreat, the Castle of London and Westminster.

By morning Prime Minister Winston Churchill was about to order all army units to move into London and push the Nazis out, however he was then informed of other attacks on R.A.F bases across the region as well as other attacks on cities such as Dover. Fearing that the attacks were the prelude to an invasion the army was forced to hold back a great portion of their forces to protect and retake locations of greater importance such as R.A.F. Biggin Hill.

Day 3:

On the third day of the battle worse news came as a second wave of paratroopers landed in London and other parts of the country, Hitler had changed the plans slightly seconding a further 2 divisions of Para troops into London. With this extra influx of men and equipment, the German forces already in the city were able to make more advances into the city and two were able to link up together forming one larger pocket around the Houses of Parliament. 

Another partial link up was between the Bermondsey and St Katherine pockets who became linked by a makeshift pontoon bridge across the Thames. Meanwhile the pockets in Canary Wharf and Covent Garden had for the time being been mostly contained, sadly however the cities defence was still limited in ability and manpower. Whilst the home guard from the surrounding towns and villages had been called in to help in the defence of the city the ability of these units was lacking military capabilities in the minds of many leading commanders and Generals.

To the surprise of a number of officials and Generals however was the great amount of Londoners who were willing to provide assistance with a number of them offering to help the wounded and a great number of men and women wanting to fight. The Best fighters however were those who had been sent under the direct orders of the Prime Minister who had been evacuated along with the Royal Family to a secure location. These were newly created Elite unit of soldiers known as the Liberator Corps, who as of yet had not seen active combat and many Generals questioned their ability and their fighting tactics.

For unlike all the other military commands in London who were wanting to fight the Germans in a conventional method of engaging the enemy in large scale engagements and surrounding the enemy pockets so that they can be squeezed tight. However Colonel Luck was somewhat against this proposal he pointed out that the French army had a similar idea of holding off the enemy before, establish a strong defensive line then perform a counter attack when they had tired themselves out. 

Instead the German army focused on a weak point, and circumnavigating the strong points, Luck wanted to use this tactic against them. He proposed establishing strongholds across the city around the Enemy held neighbourhoods these locations would be in positions that defence was significant and capable even with smaller numbers then from these locations small units of soldiers could perform unconventional attacks against specific targets within the enemy held areas, which would force them to go on the defensive and hold back more troops.

This proposal was put aside by the Commander in Chief of the London Defence General Harrelson, who wanted to show the nation that Britain could defeat the Germans in a head on fight.

Day 7:

This however proved wrong, as by the seventh day of the battle, the Pocket in Westminster-Lambeth and Covent Gardens had linked up and expanded their perimeter now encompassing most of Waterloo. For this inability to maintain a proper defence of London General Harrelson stood down and was replaced by General Bernard Montgomery, who instantly approved Colonel Lucks stronghold plan until such a time that more forces could be brought in from elsewhere to aid in a proper counter attack.

Colonel Luck made quick work of the available resources and manpower, he ordered his Liberators to organise the local units of Police, Fire brigade, Home-guard, Army and civilian volunteers across the City into different combat sectors and to add on the better ability and strength of his Guerrilla War plan. He advised General Montgomery that the strongholds should be the underground railway stations in areas not occupied by the Germans, using the Underground they could ferry troops from one location to another without being detected. When asked about the stations within occupied areas, Luck admitted that he had gone against orders and had performed demolition actions to seal them, whilst the tunnels were still open the Germans wouldn't be able to get down to to them. 

He also added that by using the Underground supplies could be moved quicker to areas that were in need of them or the city as a whole so instead of vehicles having to move through the ruined streets or couriers having to avoid snipers or mortar fire. They could simply use the tunnels to move quicker and safer. Monty agreed and applauded the Colonel with his plan, he asked how soon the Liberators could perform their raiding operations, Luck said immediately. Whilst the Strongholds were being constructed Luck and his Liberators began to teach what they knew to the Civilian volunteer units, they were formed into units of fifteen to twenty five fighters per unit, they were taught how to perform effective ambushes, hit and run strikes, where the best places to plant explosives and mines to hinder enemy movement.

Operation Stronghold:

Within two days the first units were sent off and began their operations, soon reports were coming in of successful raids against German held positions in Covent Gardens, Several ambushes against German advances in Lambeth and Canary Wharf. And after the 14th day of the battle operational strongholds were established surrounding enemy held areas of London.  With German forces recognising the location of London Strongholds near to their controlled areas, following the blitzkrieg tactics that had achieved success across Europe the Commander of all troops in London ordered for them to be avoided, yet whenever their forces came even close they would experience ambushes from British army units or civilian militias.

Or they would run into explosive traps or encounter snipers or concentrated mortar fire, this severely hampered their mobility and forced them to move more cautiously which slowed them down. On day 16 the commander of the German forces ordered for them to try and identify the weakest of the strongholds and focus on their efforts there, one was identified in the heart of Westminster south of Buckingham palace and west of Parliament. Yet when the attack began the troops performing the attack found the area heavily defended with all the buildings around it housing entrenched British forces and when not engaging the enemy the Germans units were facing well placed mortar fire and improvised explosives being thrown at them by civilian volunteers.

The Attack was called off with a number of losses on the side of the Germans, an extreme few Allied causalities were confirmed by the units present, Luck was please as it was proof that his tactic of stronghold and Guerrilla War was working as each day the Germans were either loosing men they couldn't afford to lose or were having to care for a greater number of wounded they couldn't evacuate.

With this success he asked permission for the plan to be extended to involve areas under enemy control, when asked he brought in a civil engineer who had worked in the sewers for years. The man was a member of the civilian volunteers and explained that a number of the underground railway lines were close to old sewer lines which traversed much of the centre of London, Luck laid out the plan.

Using these tunnels in junction with the Underground Rail lines, units could move into the heart of enemy controlled areas of the city at least they could perform the same actions that had maintained the German forces in their pockets. At best they could inadvertently open up new fronts against the enemy, forcing them to divert more troops away from certain battle fronts and stretching their already limited manpower even closer to breaking.

General Montgomery gave his permission and by the end of the week the old sewers were opened up for travel by "Resistance" units and from hidden entrances into the sewers they began to conduct their operations. Soon areas previously though secured by the Germans were "Reconsidered" with more troops having to be held back from the front to support roles such as escorting the transfer of supplies from drop zones to the troops at the front.

With these successes the Allied Commanders decided to re-evaluate their position in London, mostly thanks to successes in other parts of the country, with places such as Dover and Biggin Hill being safely retaken from German forces. Now with the threat of German reinforcements being able to land on British Soil lessened if not gone the Allies were finally able to bring in a greater amount of reinforcements to the growing position of a counter attack that would put an end once and for all of German Forces in London.

Monty and Luck began setting up a plan of action that would allow quick and decisive victory, the decision was clear. The plan was focused on Westminster  which served as the greatest pocket and held the German commanders in London who was using the Houses of Parliament as his headquarters. The plan was clear and precise, whilst troops from the army and home-guard attack the enemy using the strongholds as the staging points. The Liberators and Civilian volunteers would use the sewers and underground rail lines to come up from behind dividing enemy forces and making harder for them to reinforce the front or organise a counter attack.

The focus points of the main offensive was the bridges across the river Thames, the aim being that even if the allies can't truly defeat the enemy then they can break the pockets up and make it harder for them to reorganise. A second target was the drop zones that the Luftwaffe used to drop supplies by parachute every night by taking them away from the enemy then the ability for the German forces to resupply would be greatly lessened.

On new years eve 1940 at 11.59pm allied mortars launched their rounds on enemy positions and the liberators and civilian militia set off prepositioned explosives. After a minute of explosions across the city the assault began with the Germans caught entirely off guard, success became quick as of the various divisions sent into London all had suffered a great number of losses after weeks of constant fighting.

At 06.42 in the morning Allied forces had retaken Buckingham Palace and Lambeth Bridge, were pushing on Waterloo Bridge and Westminster Abbey. On the other side a unit of Liberators had successfully destroyed the pontoon bridge between St Katherines and Bermondsey severing the two pockets and making it impossible for the two to support each other. 

Soon Allied forces secured a makeshift hospital and captured over 300 hundred wounded German soldiers unable to put up any resistance, despite some wanting revenge Colonel Luck gave explicit orders that the wounded were to be tended too with care and respect. When questioned he explained "We are meant to be better are we not". Soon the Liberators took command of the captured German troops and provided medical help to them.

One the 3rd of January Colonel Luck lead his liberators and a force of civilian volunteers in an all out assault on Westminster abbey and successfully retook it capturing the German Commander in the process. After a brief negotiation the German commander revealed that his troops were in no condition to keep fighting and sent out a message to all German forces in London to surrender, within a matter of a few hours all German forces in London surrendered without a fight, it was revealed that they were all low on ammunition, fiercely hungry and dead tired. Despite the supposed supply drops by the Luftwaffe the supplies sent were not enough for the entire force, most were desperate after weeks of each squad of soldiers having to share a can of beans.

Epilogue:

The Victory in London and the rest of South east England had shown the world that Britain and the Allies were not yet out of the fight and proved to the Axis that their supposed Aryan superiority was just that "Supposed".

For the allied commanders it showed another thing, the effectiveness of the Liberators Tactics in unconventional warfare and Guerrilla Tactics, in the past many were against the use of such methods and deemed them gun-ho and more criminal than that of proper soldiers. Now however some were more open to the ideas of Colonel Luck with a great number of people most notably from the civilian volunteers who had fought alongside them wanting sign on with the Corps. By the end of February the Corps had expanded from a unit of 60 men to full corps of 500.

Within a few weeks the Liberators were tasked by Allied high command to begin full operations across Occupied Europe and were granted the right to perform the same actions that had been successful in London.