HFQ Official Snippet #19 (I think)

n7axw wrote:Your premise here does make some sense. However I believe that Desnsair just lost their main army, or at least what army they had armed with modern weapons. However you would be right to point out that the Harchongians could move in from the rear while the allies were preoccupied with Dohlar, especially if the timeframe were to be extended.

If Dohlar can be contained with light forces, I agree that it makes sense to go after the Harchongians and let the navy do the heavy lifting with Dohlar once the Haarahlds and the ironclads are in place.

Don

anwi wrote:

n7axw wrote:Just looking at the map, it seems to me that the allies are too spread out and still have too many other challenges [SNIP]
An alternate plan might be to take advantage of how ponderously slow the Harchongese are going to be once they do start to move. Think Harless and the AOS. Then arrange for flanking attacks. Then too, having them on the move can be taken advantage of because the longer their supply lines, the easier they will be to interdict.

Yes, the Allies having too many fronts and too few frontline troops (i.e. ICA units) is a major issue. However, I fully expect to learn somewhere in HFQ that there are quite significant numbers of rifle regiments and new artillery regiments for the SRA.
I would assume that offensive operations are best made having one or two of the ICA corps at your disposal; in addition you'll have good support from SRA units. Consequently, you need to select the offensive campaigns you want to pursue; and for HFQ it should be the campaign in the North against Wyrshym and Kaitswyth which are to be beefed up with the Harchongians.

As to the speed with which the "mighty host" will move: I'm not convinced that they would move as slow as the AoJ. Maigwair has instilled some military competence into the units, and their logistics is effectively run by Duchairn. He should be able to move them up to Lake City (where a stack of provisions is waiting) without too many problems and in time for the campaigning season in Tarikah. (Of course, Maigwair would only move up as many troops as he can supply at a given time, but that number could well be in excess of 500k at the start of spring.)

Where and how fast the Harchongians go from Lake City is another issue. Maigwair probably intends to reinvigorate the two attack columns of LAMA. In any case, the advancing Harchongians should meet the retreating CoGA troops under Wyrshym and Kaitswyrth somewhere around the Hildermoss.
And here is the interesting thought: Get some river class ironclads (where is Hador?) on the Hildermoss and negate it to Duchairn as a transport route. If a large part of CoGA troops is bottled upon around e.g. Lake Isyk, the Allies might have a good catch in their nets...

Castenea wrote:

n7axw wrote:Your premise here does make some sense. However I believe that Desnsair just lost their main army, or at least what army they had armed with modern weapons. However you would be right to point out that the Harchongians could move in from the rear while the allies were preoccupied with Dohlar, especially if the timeframe were to be extended.

If Dohlar can be contained with light forces, I agree that it makes sense to go after the Harchongians and let the navy do the heavy lifting with Dohlar once the Haarahlds and the ironclads are in place.

Don

A couple of points here. Ahlverez is heading for Dohlar exact route to be determined. He has ~40K troops ~10K of which are Desnarians. He will either get trapped against the river with the bulk of his army captured, or find a bridge (either high level (able to sail ships under) or drawbridge) in which case he will make for a border town where he believes he can supply his forces and fort up. That army will be useless for offensive operations for at least 3 weeks, and quite possibly 3+ months.

The Mighty Host will suffer the main problem of very large armies, it's very size will make nimble operations impossible. It will be unable to move beyond secured high volume logistics without starving.

n7axw wrote:I agree that the Harchongians will be better trained than the Desnairans...but not by that much. However competent the AOG trainers might be, the numbers of people they have to deal with in the limited time they have before things get under way; all they will be able to do is make a dent in the job before the time for action gets under way.

Finally, your comment about reinforcing Kaitwryth and Wyrshym with Harchonese is probably spot on. That is why it is vital to the allies to deal with those armies before the Harchongese can arrive so that they are not there to be reinforced.

Don

n7axw wrote: SNIP

I did a bit of research on this and concluded that Lyonheart is probably right. Armies have building bridges since antiquity in our timeline. There is no reason to believe that is not also true for Safehold. Ahlverez probably has engineers with ability to do that, maybe pontoon bridges rather than rafts lashed together.

Wouldn't it be a hoot if Ahlverez got his bridge built and Delthak shows up to crash the party during the crossing?

Don

JeffEngel wrote:They will have over the Desnairians officers without silliness to get out of their heads, and troops and non-coms utterly used to field conditions, with the serf backgrounds they've got. They'll go in knowing this is an infantry and artillery war, that they've got plenty of infantry and not enough artillery, and will likely be paying some sort of planning to how to minimize the effect of artillery while making their own numbers work for them and not against them.

Louis R wrote:Are you saying that the Harchongian officer corps comes without the aristocratic fluff the Desnairians suffered from?
In that case, I would beg to differ!

Louis R wrote:I'm having a little trouble parsing this one

Are you saying that the Harchongian officer corps comes without the aristocratic fluff the Desnairians suffered from?

In that case, I would beg to differ! The one MHOGATA - and I admit to not being clear on his exact position - regimental[?] commander we've met was regarded by his AoG keeper as remarkable for the fact that he not only was prepared to learn anything but actually gave a s**t about his troops even if he was dubious about their true biological status. That speaks volumes for his colleagues and, especially, superiors, who are, after all, drawn largely from the same pool that supplied the officers in the Harchong contingent of the NoG. Remember them?

n7axw wrote:Just looking at the map, it seems to me that the allies are too spread out and still have too many other challenges to execute your strategy successfully before the Harchonese begin to move. Kaiswryth and Wyrshym need to be dealt with for one thing. Then too, Hanth and DE still need to finish off or contain Dohlar.

Weird Harold wrote:

n7axw wrote:Just looking at the map, it seems to me that the allies are too spread out and still have too many other challenges to execute your strategy successfully before the Harchonese begin to move. Kaiswryth and Wyrshym need to be dealt with for one thing. Then too, Hanth and DE still need to finish off or contain Dohlar.

The key is Guarnak.

As long as the CoGA controls Guarnak, they have the inside position on Heretic Forces in Glacierheart, Old Province, and Northland. As soon as BGV takes Guarnak, the blocking forces in Hildermoss/Green Cove Trace, The Syhlmann Gap, and Northland are effectively flanked and have to retreat or die where they stand.

If I recall the timing correctly, BGV should own Guarnak before "mud season" in early to mid april and the Harchongese can't begin consolidating until eraly May, when Duchairn expects the canal to be operational again.

Once BGV holds Guarnak, the Heretic forces will be able to consolidate before the Harchongese do, as BGV is reinforced and resupplied for the spring and summer campaigns.