Re: [GZG] John's Shipbuilding

[John Atkinson <johnmatkinson@xxxxxxxxx>]

On 1/16/06, damosan@xxxxxxxxxxx <damosan@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> >
> > First, the German Navy had a minimal surface combatant force and as a
> > result focused on fast ships intended for independant commerce raiding
> > rather than decisive engagements with the RN's battleline.  Second,
> > the decision to ditch the escorts early on, which baffles me.
> >
>
> Your first statement answers the second I think.  The Bismark was built as a fast commerce raider wasn't it?  Did German escort vessels have the range/endurance to keep up with B. while out at sea for any length of time?

Not a clue, but I have have a strong feeling you are headed in the
right direction with that line of thought.

Now, that's something else to bring into a campaign game, is cruising
endurance.

This is non-trivial, as one of the major failing of David Weber's
latest two books is a total reworking of the entire strategic
underpinnings of his universe by changing the rules in this regard. 
Previous to these books, naval campaigns were plotted around taking
systems in a methodical and understandable manner, creating a chain of
bases leading into the enemy's core territory.  In the latest books,
he has totally abandoned that in favor of terror raids ranging
throughout the entirety of the war zone and climaxing with an direct
assault on a home system.  Part of the problem is that he's forgotten
how to write coherently, and is abandoning every single aspect of the
Honor Harrington series that made it enjoyable to write.

But the biggest "What the HELL?" was the abandonment of conventional
pseudo-naval strategy in favor of deep penetration terror raids.  If
these were feasible, why weren't they happening at the beginning of
the war?

John
--
"Thousands of Sarmatians, Thousands of Franks, we've slain them again
and again.  We're looking for thousands of Persians."
--Vita Aureliani

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