Drake's Drum

[Nick Sumner]

To mark the release of the third book in the Drake’s Drum series, several new appendices have been posted on the website. These include those for the Indian Army, the Army of Pakistan, a Naval Losses appendix and an updated Order of Battle appendix.

In addition, there is an Annex on the TTL North African Campaign which expands on the details given in Drake’s Drum: Currents of Fate.

For a bit of eye candy we have pictures of TTL's HMS Anson, USS New Hampshire and the reconstructed HMS Hood. These pictures are photoshopped

And on an unrelated note, happy thanksgiving to Canadians everywhere!

 

[Nick Sumner]

A lot of questions left on the state of the post war world that will hopefully be answered in the next book!

It will be called Drake's Drum: The Horizon of our Hopes . There will be eleven chapters and six Annexes taking the story to 2007. Seven of the chapters and two of the annexes are complete; I hope to have the first draft ready by the spring and hopefully a release this time next year.

 

[Nick Sumner]

On Sunday 25th April 1948, Boston, Massachusetts, became the first city in the world to be attacked with an atomic weapon.

The Shawmut penninsular in central Boston, the aiming point for the attack.

The Ta 400 V5 prototype being prepared for 'Fall Pfingsten' (Operation Pentecost).

Arado Ar. 340s of the Kreigsmarine's Seeluftstreitkraft, approach the American coast. Part of Gruppe Hector (Force Hector), their mission was to distract the formidable air defences of the continental United States.

A captured B29 bomber of Gruppe Priamos (Force Priam). Operated by KG200, Grupe Priamos was also part of the deception operation. This aircraft was rebuilt by the Germans after belly landing in Holland during a raid in November 1947. The two lower turrets are missing because they were damaged beyond repair in the crash.

The Ta 400 V5 in flight.

The empty casing of Beirfas zwei (Beer Barrel Two), the second German atomic weapon was abandoned on a Luftwaffe base postwar. Its inner mechanism was found in a mine some distance away.

 

[Dannyboy]

Is there a reason why the Germans didn't attempt to use their second atomic bomb?

 

[Bernard Woolley]

Is there a reason why the Germans didn't attempt to use their second atomic bomb?

Yes, but you’ll need to read the book. 😉

 

[kelgar04]

Well I just picked up the 3rd book and I have to say it was a good read and has left me wanting more.

I have to say I’m looking forward to the post war and seeing how things progress especially with India and Italy. One to see if the get the seat at the table they want and the other since I want to see how the post war changes the nation.

Also I really want to see the UK but its boot on Spains throat, but thats just me.

 

[Dannyboy]

Yes, but you’ll need to read the book. 😉

I have and understand what happened with the 1st bomb.

Rereading it I think I have mistaken what happen. I thought the 2nd bomb was ready to go like the 1st one was but I presume now that work on the 2nd bomb hadn't started?

 

[Nick Sumner]

The ‘Beta’ version of the Luftwaffe appendix has been added to the Drakes Drum website. It is unfinished, but the sections for the issues and aircraft that are most integral to the Drake’s Drum timeline are complete. This includes the most important German strategic bombers, the Messerschmitt Me 364, Heinkel He 274 and the Tank Ta 400. The sections for the Junkers 338 transport aircraft and the DFS 346 supersonic research aircraft are also complete. Updated versions of the Heer, Kriegsmarine and Seeluftsteitkraft appendices have also been uploaded.

This image is Photoshopped

The DFS 346 mounted on its He 274 carrier aircraft. "It is now universally acknowledged that although Commander Eric Brown of the Royal Navy was the first man to break the sound barrier, he was not the first human being to exceed the speed of sound in controlled flight."

 

[Nick Sumner]

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to one and all!

There are minor updates to the, USN, USAAF, US Naval Aviation, Italian Naval Aviation, Regia Marina and Order of Battle appendices at the Drake's Drum website if anyone is interested over the Christmas holidays.

Back in the New Year!

 

[Nick Sumner]

Pleased to announce some updates to the website.

The Beta version of the Imperial Japanese Army Air Arm appendix has been uploaded while Version 1.0 of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Arm appendix has replaced the Beta version previously posted.

Updates, revisions and corrections to the Royal Navy Air Arm, Kriegsmarine, Italian Army, Marine National and Spanish Armada appendices have also been made.

In other news, Part 4 of the Drake’s Drum series Drake’s Drum: The Horizon of Our Hopes will soon have reached the first draft stage and I’m hoping it will be ready for Beta readers by December. It will complete the story, bringing it up to the first decade of the 21st Century.

Some eye candy…

The following pictures are Photoshopped

The Q2M Taiyo was a Mitsubishi design for a patrol bomber for the IJN to replace the Kyushu Q1W in that role and the Mitsubishi G4M in the torpedo attack role.. In OTL it never got off the drawing board. In Drake’s Drum, it does…

The Ki-97 was another OTL Mitsubishi design that didn’t get off the drawing board, this time for a transport aircraft. It was based on the wings, engines and tail surfaces of the Japanese Army’s Ki-67 Hiryu bomber.

A flight of fancy… In the Drake’s Drum timeline the onset of the Second World War is delayed and so the development of civil aviation advances more rapidly in the early 1940s than it did in OTL. Consequently Mitsubishi develop a new transport aircraft and like the Ki-97 and the Ki-57 of OTL they use their latest bomber design (in this case the G4M ‘Betty’) as a basis.

 

[Dannyboy]

Always a pleasant surprise to see the appendices updated and looking forward to book 4.

 

[Nick Sumner]

Very proud to announce the impending release of my new book Drake’s Drum: Horizon of Our Hopes. The fourth and final part of the series brings the story to a conclusion. It is published by Sea Lion Press and should be available by Christmas.

The image is the cover artwork. 'A Prayer From the Ocean of Storms.'

 

[Dannyboy]

Looking forward to the release of the final volume.

 

[Nick Sumner]

This first image in this post is photoshopped.

This is a Japanese aircraft that never flew in our time line. It is based on the Plan VIII reconnaissance aircraft designed by the Rikugun Kokugijutsu Kenkūjo in 1941 and finalised by 1943/4. An example is depicted here as it might be after capture by American forces.

As can be seen from the drawings, Plan VIII was a four engine designs meant to use Ha-211 Ru engines. It must be noted that the aircraft seems too small for the planned four engines. It’s possible that the correct dimensions of the design have not been found or that different engines were planned and this version has Mitsubishi Ha-53 engines. The Ha-53 was a 28-cylinder supercharged four-row, seven-bank, radial that was designed, but never built.

Works consulted include: All the Experimental Aircraft in Japanese Army by Minoru Akimoto; Japanese Secret Projects Volume 1 by Edwin M. Dyer III, Illustrated Warplane History Number 8: The X-Planes of Imperial Japanese Army and Navy by Nohara Shigeru, Japanese Aero Engines 1910 to 1945 by Mike Godwin and Peter Starkings, 陸海軍試作戦闘機 (1) 太平洋戦史シリーズ (Army and Navy prototype fighter Part 1: Pacific War History Series, Gakken 31) and 三菱航空エンジン史―大正六年より終戦まで 1915‐1945 (History of Mitsubishi Aero Engines 1915 to 1945) by Matsuoka Hisamitsu and Nakanishi Masayoshi.

This aircraft would have entered service in the Drake's Drum timeline and I'm happy to announce that Drake's Drum: Horizon of Our Hopes has just been released as an e-book and the paperback version will be released shortly. The finished versions of both the IJA Air Arm and Ejercito del Aire Appendices are now up at the Drake’s Drum website. The new book covers the period 1948-2015 and I hope to post pictures of ships and aircraft from that period in the coming weeks.

 

[Dannyboy]

Just to let you know the hard work you have put into those appendices is really appreciated.

 

[kelgar04]

Damn not going to lie I love the detail you go into in your books its always nice to get a throughly researched piece.

 

[Nick Sumner]

Three British prime ministers from Drake's Drum: Horizon of Our Hopes.
L to R
Archibald Sinclair (Liberal) in office 20/2/41-15/5/52
Rupert Brabner (Conservative) in office 24/6/56–31/3/67

Harold Wilson (Liberal) in office 31/3/67–5/4/1976

 

[Nick Sumner]

Some Presidents of the United States in the Drake's Drum timeline.

Top left: Adalai Stevenson (Democrat) 20/1/53-20/1/57
Top right: Earl Warren (Republican) 20/1/57-20/1/61
Lower left: Joseph P Kennedy (Democrat) 20/1/61-20/1/65
Lower right: Barry Goldwater (Republican) 20/1/65-20/1/73

 

[Nick Sumner]

The Bucharest Pact of 1952 united Korea, Bulgaria, the USSR, Romania and Mongolia in a military alliance to counter the Treaty of Warsaw nations. The TOW’s motto was ‘Ever Vigilant’

БУХАРЕСТ ДОГОВОР – Bucharest Agreement

СОЮЗ МИРА И СОЦИАЛИЗМА = Union of Peace and Socialism

 

[Unknown]

One question: when does the paperback version of your latest book come out, @Nick Sumner?