Official HFQ Snippet #10

I did notice that there was no mention of face protection from the cold such as balaclavas or eye protection since sun bouncing of snow can cause snow blindness.

Also enjoy your trip.

Steelpoodle wrote:Great snippet. Thank you so very much! I agree that some form of bullet resistance is possible with the uniforms as posted, perhaps a multi-weave at various angles and layers would serve as bullet resistant without undue bulkiness but I think most soldiers would take the bulkiness in exchange for the protection. I wonder if the heat buildup under such a vest would become prohibitive as summer comes along.

I am not sure that the clothing would be very protective against rifle bullets. It might help some against musket balls fired at their extreme range. It would be more meaningful against sword and sabre cuts and even more meaningful agaist low velocity weapons such as Harchongese rock slings.

Don

I believe the Chinese uniforms for winter offered some resistance to rifles as mentioned in an earlier post and with the tighter, tougher steel thistle nsilk it MAY be slightly better but I certainly could be wrong.☺

PeterZ wrote:
Once Green Valley gets to St. Zhans to Ohlahrn, it is only slightly farther to Ice Lizard lake than it is to Guarnak.
Why wouldn't you go straight to Guarnak? Doesn't that cut them off completely- given the weather? Not suggesting -just asking.
My thought was to force an unprepared army into a winter march. (Absolutely agree)

I almost think Guarnak is too far for Church forces to march to in winter. And if BGV took it -they'd have to try. That is their supply center. So not only does BVG prevent resupply, but his folks now have all the church supplies and a (partially burned) town to live in while the Army of God tries to get there and then tries to take the supply center back- said supplies being destroyed if need be.
So depending on the supply situation where that army is camped-they might just starve period...because that army can't walk to any source of supply.

Am I missing something about Ice Lizard lake?

I am not sure I follow you, tootall. Guarnak is close to the end of the CoGA supply chain. The broken canals have turned Lake City into a massive supply depot.

Lake City and Ice Lizard Lake connect to the Hsing-wu passage via navigable water ways not canals. Locks might not be required to navigate that stretch. During the summer river class boats wouldn't risk getting stranded making that run, so supplies can come either from the North or the South during the summer.

If BGV takes Lake City, he takes the resources the MHoGaA require to launch into Siddermark. BGV also takes resources Wyrshym needs to replenish after the winter of supporting refugees. Lake City also doesn't have much in the way of combat forces. Recall the caliber of troops guarding the rear during the canal raid. Not so good, they were.

So by attacking Lake City BGV takes the AoG's stock pile of supplies and hits a location that has relatively weak defenses. The towns along the way will provide supplies during the march. If he attacks Guarnak, he hits the headquarters of the Army of the Sylmahn. BGV will have the tactical offensive attacking heavily fortified positions.

Why would Guarnak be a better place to attack the AoG than Lake City?

Keith_w wrote
Private message
"I did notice that there was no mention of face protection from the cold such as balaclavas or eye protection since sun bouncing of snow can cause snow blindness".

They would not need real life sunglasses, they could make those face masks that the eskimoes wear with the slits in them.

="PeterZ"---I am not sure I follow you, tootall. Guarnak is close to the end of the CoGA supply chain. The broken canals have turned Lake City into a massive supply depot.
Why would Guarnak be a better place to attack the AoG
than Lake City?

Maybe because I'm thinking too small?
There's a bit (Oct part VI) Where Bishop Wyrshym is in Guarnak considering the state of things. I read that as he had managed to make Guarnak his forward supply base for the the Sylmahn Gap army. I thought that taking that base would doom the Gap army. If BGV when farther west-that Gap army would still be supplied by Guarnak (until those supplies ran out). And given supplies, our good Bishop might figure out an escape route.
Your Lake City "plan" casts a much larger net. One which I did not consider because I'd want to "kill" Wyrshym's army for sure. It's a battle experienced AoG trained and officered army. I... would want it gone. Taking Guarnak surrounds it- in winter.
And as soon as it is gone, my supplies can come up the Gap.

And I suppose that I'd not be bold enough to put myself so far west- where I might be cut off myself.

AirTech wrote:

BobG wrote:I wonder: with the steel thistle silk layered with wool, will that significantly slow incoming shrapnel or even bullets? Has anyone figured out that a vest of 6-12 layers of steel thistle silk will stop rifle fire from gunpowder-propelled weapons?

I certainly don't expect the development of ceramic body armor plates anytime soon.

And how about layering the inside of a galleon with layers of steel thistle silk to reduce splinters?

-- Bob G

The quilted cotton parka's of the Chinese army certainly stopped the M-1's 0.3" round in the Korean War...

Wasnt that the M1 Carbine round, not he full sized M1 battle rifle round?

Thanks for the birthday present RFC

Enjoy your trip to Europe.

tootall wrote:="PeterZ"---I am not sure I follow you, tootall. Guarnak is close to the end of the CoGA supply chain. The broken canals have turned Lake City into a massive supply depot.
Why would Guarnak be a better place to attack the AoG
than Lake City?

Maybe because I'm thinking too small?
There's a bit (Oct part VI) Where Bishop Wyrshym is in Guarnak considering the state of things. I read that as he had managed to make Guarnak his forward supply base for the the Sylmahn Gap army. I thought that taking that base would doom the Gap army. If BGV when farther west-that Gap army would still be supplied by Guarnak (until those supplies ran out). And given supplies, our good Bishop might figure out an escape route.
Your Lake City "plan" casts a much larger net. One which I did not consider because I'd want to "kill" Wyrshym's army for sure. It's a battle experienced AoG trained and officered army. I... would want it gone. Taking Guarnak surrounds it- in winter.
And as soon as it is gone, my supplies can come up the Gap.

And I suppose that I'd not be bold enough to put myself so far west- where I might be cut off myself.

Also in LAMA, BGV's last comment to the inner circle on the night before leaving, was

'if we're really lucky and the weather holds' we might actually reach Guarnak before the spring thaw turns everything to mud on us'

So I'd say that gives a very clear indication of his plans. Lake View is clearly not in mind - at last not in this winter campaign.

It would also give some insight into his marching speed, if we could guess how long that might be before thaw starts.

BTW He also mentions Fairkyn as an objective just before, so St Zahns - Farikyn - Olarahn - Guarnak