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  1. WI: Kido Butai sunk at Pearl Harbor

    The Japanese discovered early on that the success of a Zero against American aircraft was directly related to how much 20mm the pilot still had available. It wasn't impossible to kill the American aircraft with .30 cal (7.7mm), a lucky hit could still kill or disable the pilot or manage to...
  2. WI: Allies invade Denmark?

    You have hit the nail on the head. The Allies could have completed the landings, but at a murderous cost, far beyond that of the actual D-Day landing and the advance into Germany that ended the war less than a year later. I am appalled by some of the suggestions made here, that warships are...
  3. WI: Allies invade Denmark?

    The differences are incredible. Just the transit time alone reduces the availability of the gunline by 70-80%. The same is true, but even more severe in the lack of land based aircraft. You don't put carriers into that sort of a tactical situation. The carriers would be forced to stand off...
  4. WI: No "A People's history of the United States"

    Well, we lose a pretty decent line out of Good Will Hunting. That's about it.
  5. What if Barbarossa and Pearl Harbor are delayed a year or more?

    The Germans did have a serious advantage over the Soviet Air Force, but the pilots in La-5s will have a much better chance than the poor bastards they sent up in I-15s. The biggest difference will be the addtional Il-2.
  6. What if Barbarossa and Pearl Harbor are delayed a year or more?

    That is the remarkable thing about the 1940 Two Navy Act. virtually all of the hulls that hit the water before 1945 were approved before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor (obviously, the Independence class CL were not on order, but the Cleveland hulls were ordered, with many already laid down)...
  7. What if Barbarossa and Pearl Harbor are delayed a year or more?

    Ever day the Japanese delayed in attacking the USN they lost ground. Between 12/41 and 12/31/42 the U.S. launched or commissioned: Two Essex Class CV Three South Dakota Class BB Four Atlanta Class CLAA Seven Cleveland Class CL Twenty-Four Benson Class DD Forty-Three Greaves Class DD...
  8. WI: Allies invade Denmark?

    It is a disaster to even attempt. Here are just a few of the reasons 1. Distance. The closest usable beaches are 330+ miles from the UK. beaches closer than 330 miles are backed by not just a few marshes but by miles of wetlands where armor will be stuck on a few easily defended roads...
  9. WI: Kido Butai sunk at Pearl Harbor

    There is a lot of serious misunderstanding about the the TBD. While it is, understandablly, condemned based on the slaughter at Midway, the aircraft was, in mid-1941, an extremely capable aircraft, arguably better in many ways to the Japanese B5N and far superior in most ways to the Swordfish...
  10. WI: Kido Butai sunk at Pearl Harbor

    It is difficult to get the TBF in place. It is one of my all-time favorite bits of historic irony that Grumman called a big press gathering to unveil its spanking new factory, built specifically to produce the TBF, on DECEMBER 7, 1941 at 13:00 local time (08:00 Hawaii time).:eek: You can not...
  11. The Film "Taken" Actually Happened

    Of course not.:rolleyes: It would then be made of pure awesome. :p
  12. The Film "Taken" Actually Happened

    Pretty close to a movie from back in the 1970's called Trackdown. Change the Dad to Older Brother from a ranch somewhere and you are on the nose. Hell, leave it like it is, get Brad Pitt or another "name" actor to play the lead, add $80 million in production values, and we are talking Golden...
  13. WI: Kido Butai sunk at Pearl Harbor

    Hmmm... Must be Markus. It would be me if they had 14 Wildcats. ;)
  14. WI: Kido Butai sunk at Pearl Harbor

    All quite correct. However, the U.S. HAD a relief force within a few hours sailing of Wake on December 22 centered on the Saratoga. The carrier had VMF-221 (14 Brewster Buffaloes) ready to fly off and reinforce VMF -211 and the seaplane tender Tangier had a second Marine defense battalion...
  15. WI: Kido Butai sunk at Pearl Harbor

    The F2A-3 is a touchstone between Markus & me. In any early Pacific War thread it is REQUIRED that one of us bring it up. (Page 476 Section 84.2.C AH.com SOP) :D
  16. WI: Comanche not scrapped?

    So we have a blogger, who was, it appears, discussing a very limited scenario where virtually all of the F-22's advantages were set aside (the combat was all in "furballs" and well inside visual range). F-22s surrender almost all of their advantage if the fight closes to less than BVR range...
  17. WI: Kido Butai sunk at Pearl Harbor

    Yet they hated the BUFFALO too. :p:D:p:D I think it had something to do with the fact that it was mainly assembled by howler monkeys. They moved to the monkeys in an effort to improve quality control. (They actually liked how the aircraft flew, except it was way underpowered, same as the...
  18. The Japanese Invade and Occupy Australia In WW2

    Not sure I would agree with the well supplied part. They were low on chow most of the time in the early days, to the point that they were eating the Japanese rations they had captured. They always had plenty of ammo, and barely enough avgas, but to call them well supplied, especially by U.S. or...
  19. The Film "Taken" Actually Happened

    Gee, hostile much?
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