SDN World 3 Commentary Thread I

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Hey Bean, you open to joint administration of Singapore?

[Mr Bean]

Ok my intro post is up. Long backstory of George the V and the current history of Britain. Now then how was Lonestar going to deal with Pondicherry in the outbreak of war? It's only one city and the port only justifies coal/fuel storage. The kind of place Britain would only station a handful of ships being it a foreign power now. Maybe five ships tops? The HMS Calliope(C class Light Cruiser) to act as flagship with a pair of Beagle class Destroyer's (HMS Grasshopper, HMS Mosquito) and a single Admiralty M class Destroyer? (The HMS Nomad) each staggered so there's always one out patrolling at a time? With a single infantry Battalion & support staff to see to the provinces needs. Artillery limited to 12 pounders from the Boer war time period. Just enough to fire a 21 gun salute and not much more ect.

[Mr Bean]

Hey Bean, you open to joint administration of Singapore?

Hong Kong model. Britain is there for the taxes, resources and the harbor. After that we don't mind.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Hey Bean, you open to joint administration of Singapore?

Hong Kong model. Britain is there for the taxes, resources and the harbor. After that we don't mind.

Alright then. We can share the harbor.

I am open to other interesting talks of mutual interest and I can send an envoy if you like.

[Lonestar]

Ok my intro post is up. Long backstory of George the V and the current history of Britain. Now then how was Lonestar going to deal with Pondicherry in the outbreak of war? It's only one city and the port only justifies coal/fuel storage. The kind of place Britain would only station a handful of ships being it a foreign power now. Maybe five ships tops? The HMS Calliope(C class Light Cruiser) to act as flagship with a pair of Beagle class Destroyer's (HMS Grasshopper, HMS Mosquito) and a single Admiralty M class Destroyer? (The HMS Nomad) each staggered so there's always one out patrolling at a time? With a single infantry Battalion & support staff to see to the provinces needs. Artillery limited to 12 pounders from the Boer war time period. Just enough to fire a 21 gun salute and not much more ect.

You have the Pondicherry Enclaves, not just Pondicherry. As for what you think I would do...I suggest you ready through my posts.

[MKSheppard]

Some logistical math!

Distances:
From Shepistan and the Grand Dominion to the Shepistani Sea: 1,000 miles
Pearl Harbor to Japan: 4,000 miles
North Sea to Shepistani Sea via Suez: 6,800 miles
Cascadia to Shepistani Sea across the Pacific: 12,000+ miles
North Sea to Shepistani Sea via Horn of Africa: 12,000+ miles

I somehow don't think your ships would be in good shape following such epic voyages, not unless you spent significant amounts of time docked at ports along the way cleaning hull bottoms, cleaning out boiler tubes, and in general performing maintenance.

This is 1925, not 1944.

[Steve]

Gee Shep, you're right. We'd need stations across the Pacific to do that kind of thing, a whole series of naval bases from Hawaii to Truk, Rabaul, Perth, and maybe something in Sumatra....

[K. A. Pital]

I want to ask about construction of prototype planes.

I, by an educated guess, made them cost 10-fold the serial production (i.e. a prototype plane must be built before serial production; and a prototype costs 10x of a serial production plane, so that 1 plane would cost 1 point). Would that be acceptable?

[Steve]

Sounds logical, any opposition?

[Minister of Pigeonry]

Sounds logical, any opposition?

It sounds like a good idea to me. Though I've been wondering, Tech 3 can fly planes that came out no later that '22, and of course, Tech 4 can fly planes from '25. But what happens when we reach 1926? I imagine the Tech 4's could produce prototypes of historical aircraft from 1926 and for the Tech 3's aircraft from 1923 could be produced as prototypes? Then give a set amount of time before the aircraft can go into real production?

[K. A. Pital]

I just presumed we RP the development from then onwards (however, without using anachronistic machines), because the evolution of the airplane would be sweeping.

[Steve]

Yeah, Air Tech 3 probably could go for 1926 planes on time with sufficient help and/or more lead-time. Air technology in this era really just kept changing yearly, an Air Tech 3 isn't so far back from Air Tech 4 frankly.

[K. A. Pital]

Case in point, the USSR used foreign engines in many of it's planes during the 1920s. That changed in the late-1920s when the industry picked up. I'm following reality. My TB-1 engines will be foreign-supplied, for the time being.

[Minister of Pigeonry]

I see, I see. Must say I do like that better than my idea, heh. Excellent.

[MKSheppard]

Gee Shep, you're right. We'd need stations across the Pacific to do that kind of thing, a whole series of naval bases from Hawaii to Truk, Rabaul, Perth, and maybe something in Sumatra....

I suffice to say good sir, how in shape your crews are going to be after a 30 to 90 day cruise through tropical waters just to get to the area of battle?

*polishes monocle*

[Steve]

Probably not very well, especially if it's summer. Of course, I should inquire, just how well will Shepistan be doing when all economic connections to the rest of the world are severed? I should hate to see Shepistan suffer another horrible Hindu uprising....

[MKSheppard]

Of course, I should inquire, just how well will Shepistan be doing when all economic connections to the rest of the world are severed?

Considering how bloody hard it is to enforce economic sanctions on another nation in the present day with well established international organizations; quite well, I should say.

*polishes monocle some more*

[Mr Bean]

Speaking of remote minefields. One of my various World War II history books spoke of a way to turn about a remote controlled minefield into a liability via the employment of depth charges in bulk forward fired from modified minesweepers in a random patter in order to try and clear the field with a mix of sympathetic detonations and snapping of control ropes & cable ropes. The idea was pre war that Germany would mine it's own ports with remote controlled mines to prevent Torpedo boats from pouncing on outgoing ships or submarines sneaking in.

The idea tested good in theory but the idea came to nothing because the serious question was asked about how they were going to protect the minesweeper's as they moved up and fired these depth-charges. But the idea was fun in principle because it meant if your enemy mined their own harbor you could instant mine it yourself by just using their mines.

[Mr Bean]

Of course, I should inquire, just how well will Shepistan be doing when all economic connections to the rest of the world are severed?

Considering how bloody hard it is to enforce economic sanctions on another nation in the present day with well established international organizations; quite well, I should say.

*polishes monocle some more*

This is 1925! In this day and age when we want to stop Merchant shipping we ask them nicely and if they fail we simply sail into their harbor and sink their Merchant shipping! Over-land well... burning down their Capital always works.

[MKSheppard]

So Stas. How often are you going to do the VAST PLAINS OF MOTHER RUSSIA bit?

[K. A. Pital]

Always (though I might change it every X years or so). It's a good indicator that tells straightaway which nation is acting. Borrowed the idea from Shroom, so credits to him, yo!

[Norseman]

Some of you people are downright *paranoid* you know that Communism is only really dangerous if you have a large, heavily mistreated, underpaid, working class that is increasingly frustrated with how little say they have in society and...

Hang on... oh yeah that describes pretty much all of you don't it? Especially those of you who have coalmines.

But from jokes to revolvers! How is the Freedom Conference organised? How many people are there? What kind of security setup? I mean do you stuff everyone into a single armed camp and surround it with rings of armed troops? Or do you have a more open set up where representatives from any conservative faction is free to come visit? How about the press? How is housing arranged? Etc, etc, I'd like to know.

[K. A. Pital]

I think they would spare time to make security measures. Otherwise, you know...

1) Lax security on Freedom Conference
2) One disgruntled socialist with a bomb
3) Many dead monarchs and the like

[Steve]

Monarchs? More like many dead delegates.

Of course, I know why Veg is asking and he has something more... entertaining in mind.

[Thanas]

Shep, I have got friendly bases in Egyptian territory (as in they gave me permission to dock, refuel etc), I have got naval bases in all the former colonies of the OTL German Empire, other nations have offered the same deal as the Egyptians and if need be, I can send 18 oilers. So your argument of "GERMAN (and British) SHIPS TRAPPED" has no basis at all.