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  1. Shimbo

    AHQ: Could a US 'Los Angeles' class SSN trail a British Vanguard class SSBN?

    Given that the submarine crew in Vigil are the least competent and least disciplined in history, the captain appears to be barely in command, and the sonar operator didn't spot a supertanker, the entire 2nd Fleet could be following them and they still wouldn't have a clue. From what I've seen...
  2. Shimbo

    how to prevent the united states from becoming a superpower?

    Well, the "insurgency" in Ireland lasted for hundreds of years, and was fed not suppressed by atrocities like burning. Tales of atrocities by the evil oppressors become legends that inspire future generations to hatred and conflict. For example, when I lived in Ireland in the early 2000s I was...
  3. Shimbo

    Consequences of a Nazi victory in colonialism

    At the height of the Fall of France, even Churchill said he'd be prepared to throw Germany some colonies if it would get Britain out of the "mess" it was in. His resolve hardened as it became clear that the Royal Navy would rescue most of the BEF from Dunkirk, the RAF and RN could almost...
  4. Shimbo

    how to prevent the united states from becoming a superpower?

    How about the Confederacy refusing to surrender as it did in OTL but instead going underground and continuing guerrilla warfare? A long running insurgency lasting from that day to this (think of Ireland and its moto of "A rising in every generation" against the British) would keep the USA...
  5. Shimbo

    Germany discovers Ultra and Enigma hack

    All cyphers other than those using one-time pads are theoretically crackable. There's nothing idiotic or naive about the B-Dienst knowing that. They proposed attacking the British code machine, Typex, (which was literally an improved version of Enigma) but were not given the resources, so it's...
  6. Shimbo

    D-Day failure: what was Plan B?

    I imagine we'd be writing something like "What if Montgomery wasn't such a pussy-footing old woman, always flapping about 'logistics' and instead he'd given hard-charging generals like Patton some freedom to blitzkrieg their way across France and Germany - would the Allies have liberated Paris...
  7. Shimbo

    D-Day failure: what was Plan B?

    Yes, just checked Decision in Normandy. Agreed then that the pre-D-Day plan included a crossing of the Seine using British 1st Airborne and a Canadian division. Also, Hyperwar says this: The question is though, does this make any difference to my original point? It's not clear when AXEHEAD was...
  8. Shimbo

    D-Day failure: what was Plan B?

    The "phase lines" plan I showed was British 21st Army Group's pre-invasion plan. 21st Army Group controlled all ground forces in France until 1st September 1944, when Eisenhower took over as ground forces commander. If their plan was for the British forces to be over the Seine by D+90 then...
  9. Shimbo

    D-Day failure: what was Plan B?

    One of the plans for Overlord was to construct a huge harbour in Quiberon Bay. In a 'stalled invasion' or 'partially successful invasion' scenario, this would have gone ahead. In fact, with hindsight, it seems like a 'stalled/partially successful' invasion was the plan (compared to OTL)...
  10. Shimbo

    Was Anti-Morale Bombing Actually Effective?

    I get what you're saying, but I think there's little of the strategic bombing campaign that can be said to have seriously impeded the growth German industry. I'm sure it had some effect, but not the kind of dramatic, war-winning effect they were looking for. As it says on wiki: "Despite its...
  11. Shimbo

    Was Anti-Morale Bombing Actually Effective?

    The point I think that's glossed over a little is that untill Big Week (which was as late as January 1944) the Germans were winning the air war. Whether the bomber loss rate was 15% or 30% isn't that important - even losing 15% of your force every mission is not survivable for very long (five...
  12. Shimbo

    Was Anti-Morale Bombing Actually Effective?

    The RAF's area bombing had a military effect, though whether it was cost-effective is more questionable. Albert Speer, pointed out after the war that the thousands of AA guns and night-fighters and hundreds of thousands of troops forced to defend German airspace could instead have been deployed...
  13. Shimbo

    Hey, thanks. Glad you liked it. Of course it's fine to post a thread about AKITM. It'll be...

    Hey, thanks. Glad you liked it. Of course it's fine to post a thread about AKITM. It'll be interesting to see what people think would happen next. I may even chip in with a couple of my own ideas. :-)
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  14. Shimbo

    British Weapons Enter Service A Year Earlier

    It's not that unlikely - Handley Page redesigned the Halifax prototype from two Vultures to four Merlins in 1937 and it's first operational mission was on the night of 10–11 March 1941 almost exactly a year before the first Lancaster mission. Alternatively, how about Avro realise the Manchester...
  15. Shimbo

    Recommend me some AH Books.

    You're very kind. :) Funny, I was just looking through this thread and I hadn't even thought of mentioning my own book. For some recommendations from me: Fatherland is great. The Sound of his Horn is a weird novel but well worth reading. I finished Bring the Jubilee recently - that's worth...
  16. Shimbo

    WI Britain keeps the Treaty Ports?

    See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partition_of_Ireland#British_offer_of_unity_in_1940 It appears from that to be an genuine (if secret) offer, not a 'flight of fancy'.
  17. Shimbo

    WI Britain keeps the Treaty Ports?

    Both the British and US tried to persuade Ireland to join the war or allow use of the ports (even by the US but not the British IIRC). Britain even offered talks on ending partition as a quid pro quo, but all offers were rejected. Having said that, there was quite a lot of cooperation apart...
  18. Shimbo

    BBC Alternate History Series: SS:GB

    My thoughts exactly. I thought the lack of budget was painful in the last episode in a way that wasn't quite so obvious in the earlier ones. I was hoping they'd been saving the budget for the finale, but obviously not. There was much talk of a second series before the first even came out, so the...
  19. Shimbo

    BBC Alternate History Series: SS:GB

    Yes, 'Typical Deighton' or at least 'typical early Deighton' exactly what it is. The 'Harry Palmer novels are just the same. The level of cynicism/realism it depicts about both the British and German characters is unusual in a world where Nazi characters are almost always shown as...
  20. Shimbo

    BBC Alternate History Series: SS:GB

    IMO, the "sound issues" are nowhere near as bad as the bandwagon-jumpers would have you believe. I had no problem with the sound. Some of the male characters are a bit 'growly', but the idea that you "have to watch it with the subtitles on", as some people on Twitter have claimed, is ridiculous...
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