Hi PeterZ,
What is the production rate for mortars?
1 or 2 a day?
5 a day?
10 a day?
The 150 mortars were a very big item in the arms convoy yet they represented less than 4% of the mortars the ICN needed if it then had ~360,000 in combat units, assuming the scout sniper regiments don't have any and not counting the Corisande garrison; nor was there any mention of giving them to the RSA at that point, so yes I think they were for the ICA, specifically DE's first 80,000+ men who may have been trained on mortars, but not yet dully equipped since they were so far away from Maikelberg.
I wouldn't be surprised production was at the low end of that range a year ago or when the SoS attacked, given Howsmyn didn't have an assembly line to produce them in such numbers.
We don't know the ratio of mortars the RSA will have but even if only half that of the ICA, they would still need 2250 for the RSA's 30 divisions in service or training, plus their artillery, which the empire must mainly supply, and at 1 battalion per brigade or equivalent, that's 1500 12 pounders, with out getting into 4" rifles and 6" angles.
The quickest and simplest way may be for the ICA to turn over their current inventory as its artillery is upgraded, but that could be slow, perhaps too slow to adequately fight the IHA etc.
While we haven't any textev of bottleneck's in mortar or artillery production for the ICA yet, we also haven't had any about supplying the RSA on top of that.
Hopefully HFQ will resolve these questions or the book after that, apparently the last for this bridge of the story.
Regarding Corisande saving Chisholm, Windshare may figuratively rescue Empress Sharleyan (who's safe in Cherayth, far away), and die charging doing it, but until RFC sheds some further light, we can only speculate.
Personally, I suspect Gahrvai will be there too, since the window for the traitors will be narrowing by the end of summer, but don't forget Chermyn is closer in Zebediah with his own garrison and lots of eager volunteers.
PeterZ wrote:Well, Lyonheart, the convoy was primarily sent to arm the Siddermarkians. I suspect those 150 mortars are in excess of ICA needs. If the ICA mortars had already been sent to Chisholm, there might well be very few to send with the convoy. All that is indeed supposition until HFQ.
What isn't supposition is that Charis will have had time to ramp up production by the time the KH VIIs sail for Corisande. Ramp up production not only from Delthak, but from all the steel works of Charis. I am sure whatever force gets sent to Dohlar will have plenty of infantry toys and a cadre to train that force in their use.
I had a thought recently. Suppose Koryn Gahrvai takes his Corisandian infatry to Dohlar. They decide to keep Windshare at home. Then the Chisholm aristos show signs of becoming restless and Windshare comes to the rescue. I recall speculation that Corisande and Zebediah would save Sharley's bacon in Chisholm. It would be nice if the dashing Windshare would be a key instrument of that salvation.
lyonheart wrote:Hi PeterZ,
Maybe you're right, but given how few mortars there were being produced when the SoS struck the republic, ie only 150 in all of Charis for the arms convoy, I strongly doubt the Corisande garrison was the ICA's top priority given how closely OWL and everybody were monitoring things there.
Getting the ICA up to speed, NTM it was BGV's idea, leads me to think Maikelberg had first call on all production, just to get the training and doctrine down.
Again since the TO&E provides a mortar for almost every 90 soldiers in a battalion, the ICA if up to 450,000 combat troops requires 5,000 just for itself before we get into how many the SRA needs.
Then again, since DE had twice that ratio, the ICA could need 10,000 itself.
L
