Technical next steps

McGuiness wrote: Besides, Cayleb and Sharleyan have both promised to send the fleet sailing into Temple Bay and to start unloading the troops. The Haarahld VIIs were designed with that mission in mind, although they're certainly going to be useful in the Gulf of Dohlar and Gorath Bay.

For which they are going to need landing craft (preferably armored). A steam powered tracked craft would be an interesting development.

AirTech wrote:For which they are going to need landing craft (preferably armored). A steam powered tracked craft would be an interesting development.

For what reason?

In this case? Direct application of the Rule of Cool.

[IOW, AirTech figures they'd be nifty. Given the threat environment likely to obtain, I can't imagine any real use for them.]

Dilandu wrote:

AirTech wrote:For which they are going to need landing craft (preferably armored). A steam powered tracked craft would be an interesting development.

For what reason?

Louis R wrote:In this case? Direct application of the Rule of Cool.

[IOW, AirTech figures they'd be nifty. Given the threat environment likely to obtain, I can't imagine any real use for them.]

Dilandu wrote:
For what reason?

And a Landing Vehicle, Tracked (Buffalo) will:
a) Scare the crap out of guys who haven't even seen a steam powered boat and still getting their heads around why massed infantry are a bad idea when the opposition has rifles (and why swords are now decorative rather than functional weapons).
b) Get a large number of troops off the beach fast.
c) The turret equipped versions can take out the strong points along the way.

The US Marines found they were a very good idea under similar circumstances along the way to Tokyo, and flooded / snowy / icy / muddy roads are no obstruction. (Tarmac takes a hammering from them though).
Finally - they are fun to drive....(although a steam powered BMP would work too).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landing_Vehicle_Tracked

Louis R wrote:In this case? Direct application of the Rule of Cool.

[IOW, AirTech figures they'd be nifty. Given the threat environment likely to obtain, I can't imagine any real use for them.]

I'm fairly sure that the Temple Guard and any Inquisition troops would scatter rather quickly under the bombardment of the King Haarahld VII's guns. Not to mention that those guns probably have the range to hit the Temple itself - and certainly the Plaza of Martyrs, where enemy troops could be expected to assemble in an attempt to retake the temple.

Oh, did I forget to mention that by the time the fleet arrives, a large contingent of burly "pilgrims" will have seized the temple, barred the doors, captured the vicars who didn't lock themselves inside their suites, and "convinced" the Temple Guard to show them how the fancy override tools that can open any door in the temple work so they could drag Clyntahn out of his hidey-hole?

McGuiness wrote:

Louis R wrote:In this case? Direct application of the Rule of Cool.

[IOW, AirTech figures they'd be nifty. Given the threat environment likely to obtain, I can't imagine any real use for them.]

I'm fairly sure that the Temple Guard and any Inquisition troops would scatter rather quickly under the bombardment of the King Haarahld VII's guns. Not to mention that those guns probably have the range to hit the Temple itself - and certainly the Plaza of Martyrs, where enemy troops could be expected to assemble in an attempt to retake the temple.

Oh, did I forget to mention that by the time the fleet arrives, a large contingent of burly "pilgrims" will have seized the temple, barred the doors, captured the vicars who didn't lock themselves inside their suites, and "convinced" the Temple Guard to show them how the fancy override tools that can open any door in the temple work so they could drag Clyntahn out of his hidey-hole?

Do you think that Clyntahn will be in his hidey hole? My own favorite image of this is that as allied troops approach the front door of the temple, Duchairn steps out holding Clyntahn's head which he offers as a token of surrender!

Don

I am wondering how hard it would be to start welding
http://www.madehow.com/Volume-4/Acetylene.html
Can't do the chemical production because the calcium carbide requires an electric arc furnace but the thermal cracking looks doable although it would take a lot of work

McGuiness wrote:

Louis R wrote:In this case? Direct application of the Rule of Cool.

[IOW, AirTech figures they'd be nifty. Given the threat environment likely to obtain, I can't imagine any real use for them.]

I'm fairly sure that the Temple Guard and any Inquisition troops would scatter rather quickly under the bombardment of the King Haarahld VII's guns. Not to mention that those guns probably have the range to hit the Temple itself - and certainly the Plaza of Martyrs, where enemy troops could be expected to assemble in an attempt to retake the temple.

Oh, did I forget to mention that by the time the fleet arrives, a large contingent of burly "pilgrims" will have seized the temple, barred the doors, captured the vicars who didn't lock themselves inside their suites, and "convinced" the Temple Guard to show them how the fancy override tools that can open any door in the temple work so they could drag Clyntahn out of his hidey-hole?

The Haraahlds would be effective except for two things. The Temple can resist Iowa and Yamato class shells let alone a KH5 and the Temple is on shore shores of Lake Pei, not the the Passage, so would be out of range.

I personally look forward to Clytahn dying of natural causes(perhaps an apoplectic fit), suicide(Hitler's honeymoon) or in some jail somewhere. I don't think he should be executed. However evil he is he does have a fanatical following within the inquisition and denying martyrdom to him strikes me as a good idea.

On the subject of steam powered land vehicles I must caution against believing any speculation(not the speculation itself though, I enjoy reading that). The problem with steam land vehicles is they are not needed and would represent a massive drain on resources, naval expansion and industrial/economic expansion.

Resource wise, steam engines are expensive, as is the armor, fuel(logistically) and the training to maintain and use such devices.

Naval expansion, because any steam engine diverted to a tank of some sort could have been used in a much more useful warship, which could be many times more effective in hunting down privateers and raiders than conventional ships.

With regards to industry I would point out that steam engines are desperately needed in new factories to provide power. Also economy both benefits from the increased output in factories and mines provided by steam engines and also from other uses. Most notable tug boats. If you recall, the first ironclads were conversions of barges. Which required the diversion of steam engines from the production of tug boats to outfit them. So even non-industrial purposes could use steam engines.

Further where tanks and armored cars really excel is in massed deployment. Ten tanks(or some other small number since it would be impossible to manufacture to many) even if they were deployed together would simply make a good target for the Temple artillery. Which would have little trouble penetrating them as any land tank simply could carry enough armor at this point stop solid shot. I would also like to point out that outside of a pitched battle tanks would be worse than useless as they couldn't contribute much to skirmishes or scouting and would be particularly vulnerable in such positions and would be loud easy to spot targets.

Highjohn wrote:

Further where tanks and armored cars really excel is in massed deployment. Ten tanks(or some other small number since it would be impossible to manufacture to many) even if they were deployed together would simply make a good target for the Temple artillery. Which would have little trouble penetrating them as any land tank simply could carry enough armor at this point stop solid shot. I would also like to point out that outside of a pitched battle tanks would be worse than useless as they couldn't contribute much to skirmishes or scouting and would be particularly vulnerable in such positions and would be loud easy to spot targets.

The advantage of speed should not be ignored. If you have a vehicle that can move faster than the sustained speed of a horse (round 10 mph) then you can get behind the oppositions defensive lines, and overrun the artillery before it can reload or escape.

The advantage of an armored landing craft is that your troops don't drown with the first hit on their timber oar driven long boats, and it doesn't take much armor (particularly if it is decently angled) to stop a low velocity round shot from a small field gun. (A high velocity spin stabilized cylindrical round, driven by smokeless powder - that's an entirely different animal, much higher sectional density, much higher velocity , and an explosive filling as an option, just what you want a tank firing back.)

Standardized engines would be a big boon to industry. If you can thump out a couple of dozen a day, prices drop rapidly and if you build modular so you have a family of engines where you add cylinders to step up the power, ditto for the boilers.