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  1. WI: America backs Britain in the Suez Crisis?

    The Soviets also had a serious issue with force corelation. They had a saber handle, but the blade was more like a pocket knife. By this point in the 50's American & NATO forces had established the qualitative superiority that they maintained through most of the Cold War. The Soviets also had...
  2. With out the war in the Pacific would Carriers still become the queens of the sea

    Good point. The Des Moines & her sisters could really lay down fire. They were also cheaper to build and required smaller crews (1800 vs. 2300 for a BB), although the BB Crew was later much reduced, not sure if the same reduction would be possible for the cruisers. I have also seen and read...
  3. With out the war in the Pacific would Carriers still become the queens of the sea

    True. But the carrier, on a per capita basis, has a far greater ROI. Battleship complements were, by the mid-80's down to about 1,600 (from the 2,300 or so during WW II) while a carrier hovers around 5,000 (3,000 crew & 2,000 for the Air wing). The Air wing can destroy anything the enemy...
  4. With out the war in the Pacific would Carriers still become the queens of the sea

    Battleships would have endured, for a while, but their primacy would quickly be lost. Even without the Pacific War, the progress in the carrier borne aircraft would have continued. They are a very useful way to project power. As has already been pointed out, an Air Wing can do far more damage...
  5. The High Ground: Space Race meets Arms Race

    The FOBS system was only really useful to defeat a ABM system. If you can't detect a launch, it really doesn't matter how the weapon arrives, you've dropped warning time to almost nothing. The lack of detection capability will likely mean that the U.S. retains the old "Fail-Safe" patrols...
  6. The High Ground: Space Race meets Arms Race

    FOBS are not space based platforms, per say. They were designed to be launched, approach from a different direction and reenter before the completion of a full orbit. They did not have the capacity to retarget post launch. They are a logical step toward true orbital basing, but they are the...
  7. US Victory at Pearl Harbor

    Torpedo planes have a very specific design, once that enhances their low level, low speed performance. B-17's were designed for the exact opposite, high altitude performance, they tended to be a bit sloppy very low to the ground. You also need to look at the envelope for dropping the MK. 13...
  8. US Victory at Pearl Harbor

    Actually the B-17 was designed to attack enemy shipping. They were envisioned to be "Flying Fortress" that would fly out and destroy enemy fleets before they reached America's shores. The B-17 was a direct result of the Billy Mitchell wing of the AAF becoming dominant. The B-17 A - D were...
  9. The Japanese have Habbukuk

    ASB all the way. That being said... 10 knots isn't fast enough to launch most carrier borne aircraft, at least without a tropical storm strength gale coming over the bow. That's why the WW II escort carriers carried Avengers insted of Dauntlesses or Helldivers. The Avenger had so much wing...
  10. US Victory at Pearl Harbor

    The problem might be how much warning Pearl Harbor receives. If it's a little much, say 6-8 hours, Kidd will try to sortie his ships, if one of the battleship were to sink in the channel, that would put the base out of action for months. The Japanese also had a couple of subs on patrol just...
  11. No American Civil War

    All of the things mentioned above are true, There is also the difference in culture. The South had, to a large degree, stopped the wheels of progress at around 1810. The gentry had the newest toys, but the culture itself was, quite intentionally held itself back from the Industrial Revolution...
  12. Japan vs. Communist China in WWII

    Ummm.... What Russian Navy? What Chinese Navy? A force a quarter the size of the OTL IJN could have confronted the USSR & Chinese Fleets and crushed them in an afternoon. Attacking the British and/or the Dutch would be foolish as it would force the American's to put embargo's in...
  13. Japan vs. Communist China in WWII

    As was mentioned, the U.S. would not be protective of a PRC, complete with Five Year Plans & the rest. That means Japan vs. China straight up. No war with the U.S. or Europe (no need to invade to get resources when the West will sell it to you for less than the war cost). That would be a...
  14. Promotion and relegation in American sports

    The biggest problem with this kind of movement is the difference in Quality that you have in the top professional sports in America. There simply is insufficient talent to have a second tier league in Football or Basketball, while baseball & hockey have, arguably, already overextended...
  15. Could the Cuban Exiles Reclaim Cuba?

    That is on the button. The 1st generation wanted nothing more than to go home. Later generations are mostly economic and are more or less just saying the words.
  16. Could the Cuban Exiles Reclaim Cuba?

    You exactly right. When the first McDonald's opens in Havana, the Castro Era willbe a memory. When uncensored Internet becomes available, the remnents of Communisim on the Island will wither. Cuba is co close to the U.S. that anything short of total isolation will quickly result in an...
  17. Alternate world Propaganda

    Does that mean that Romeo & Juliet were actually First Cousins?:p
  18. AH Challenge: Poorly-timed Soviet collapse

    If there is any justice he is sentenced to life in prison while being kicked in the groin four times an hour. (I was going to go for more often, but I was afraid that he would numb up & miss out on the total experience.):D
  19. The Effects on North America of a Non-Pandemic Columbian Exchange

    I didn't mention the Spanish because you specified North America. But, as you would expect, I have a theory on that too. :p Spain gets the islands off the Americas, the populations there are too small to oppose effectively even without the die-off. They get stuffed on the mainland, even if...
  20. The Effects on North America of a Non-Pandemic Columbian Exchange

    No major die off? Okay, we have already acknowledged this to be as ASB as it comes, so I can just answer the WI. The British, French, & Dutch will be completely shut out of North America, except as traders and part time visitors (e.g. fisherman drying their catch). No serious...
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