Miscellaneous >1900 (Alternate) History Thread

Ogrebear

Ogrebear

McPherson said:
Ground flotation along the Belgian border is a huge problem. The good firm ground able to float the weight for all that concrete is INSIDE Belgium. it was not just politics and economics that caused the line to sort of fade north of the Ardennes.
Click to expand...

Yeah but I’m sure the engineers could crack it- good Depression era work for the French workforce?
 
McPherson

McPherson

Banned
Ogrebear said:
Yeah but I’m sure the engineers could crack it- good Depression era work for the French workforce?
Click to expand...

Maybe, but by 1935, France is in political free-fall and it is hard to see the consensus forming. Besides, like de Gaulle, I don't believe in fortifications other than field expedients to get a dumb enemy to move into a prepared kill zone.
 

roachbeef

Was TNT prohibitively more expensive than Lyddite for the purposes of explosive filler in WW1 Royal Navy battleships? I've been told part of the reason the RN did not use them, unlike the Germans, was that it was difficult to get them to detonate reliably, but I'm wondering if cost played a factor.

https://imgur.com/a/NT5XQ4B
 
McPherson

McPherson

Banned
roachbeef said:
Was TNT prohibitively more expensive than Lyddite for the purposes of explosive filler in WW1 Royal Navy battleships? I've been told part of the reason the RN did not use them, unlike the Germans, was that it was difficult to get them to detonate reliably, but I'm wondering if cost played a factor.

https://imgur.com/a/NT5XQ4B
Click to expand...

TNT requires a booster charge and a different fusing (clock gate type) regime. Lyddite will sometimes NOT go off on impact at the onset of massive deceleration.

A bit of the central argument here.

Battle Range and Shell Effectiveness

In October 1910 Jellicoe requested that the Ordnance Board “produce designs of AP shells for guns 12 inches and above which at oblique angle would perforate thick armour plate in a fit state for bursting”.[1] His request came on the back of disturbingly unsuccessful gunnery trials using HMS Edinburgh as a test target. Lyddite AP shells broke up on the belt armour at angles greater than 20 degrees. Meanwhile, reports from French gunnery trials were showing that their nickel-chrome steel AP shell was successfully breaking through the armour layer and bursting inside.

Two months later, in December 1910, Jellicoe was posted to the Atlantic Fleet on the Prince of Wales. His successor, Admiral Sir Charles Briggs, “the old sheep farmer” as Fisher called him, did not pursue the issue with any great sense of urgency.[1] Iain McCallum’s point of view, however, is that the Ordnance Board’s decision to stay with Lyddite rather than use TNT meant that a superior shell solution was impossible; furthermore, orders for Lyddite HE and AP had already been placed. With the likely cost of AP being three times that of Common (a designation used for shell with a low explosive mixture), the board was even more inclined to try to improve the existing shell rather than design a completely new one.
Click to expand...
 
Zyobot

Zyobot

‘Technocratic US’. And no, the fact that Silicon Valley has vast influence on contemporary American life and culture doesn’t quite count.

Maybe the Technocracy movement gains way more steam in the midst of the Great Depression. But aside from making scientists, engineers and other technical professionals prominent members of the political class, I’m unsure how a government of that nature would function. Economically speaking, I’d guess that a form of “technocratic capitalism” would take hold of the country, rather than downright socialism.
 

RanulfC

Zyobot said:
‘Technocratic US’. And no, the fact that Silicon Valley has vast influence on contemporary American life and culture doesn’t quite count.

Maybe the Technocracy movement gains way more steam in the midst of the Great Depression. But aside from making scientists, engineers and other technical professionals prominent members of the political class, I’m unsure how a government of that nature would function. Economically speaking, I’d guess that a form of “technocratic capitalism” would take hold of the country, rather than downright socialism.
Click to expand...

Get rid of Scott FAST and Technocracy 'might' have a chance to go somewhere... The other fact was that Technocracy never was able to articulate WHO would be "in charge" since it wasn't even clear how the organization itself was 'run' in a day-to-day basis. Next, get the "techs" of the day on-board early and keep them interested. There's a reason few actual engineers and scientist were at all interested in "Technocracy" since it in fact had little to do with science and technology. Worse it didn't even TRY to court those in power who were technically inclined like Patton, or Spatzz, etc.

Lastly, jump on-board some of the more successful public programs during the Depression and keep the name and concept in play. This actually goes back to the first point in that had they had a clear progression from "where-we-are" to "where-we-want-to-be" and an ability to incrementally institute some of the changes they wanted instead of openly "hoping" the system would self destruct and somehow leave them in charge, (much like the Libertarian movment never had a 'plan' for acutally getting anywhere) they might have managed a wider and more supportive 'base' to work with.

Fuhdamentally lacking all the above along with Scott activily sabatoging what they DID get accomplished meant Technocracy wasn't going anywhere...

Randy
 

roachbeef

I've read this alternate history webnovel where these
Francesco Caracciolo-class
battleships make 30 knots when their historical max speed is 28 knots after being hit with two aerial torpedoes on the torpedo bulge from a squadron of 12
Hawker Ospreys
. Everybody is confused in the story itself, and I'm wondering if there is any historical precedent in which battleships go over the max speed in their specifications.
 
McPherson

McPherson

Banned
roachbeef said:
I've read this alternate history webnovel where these
Francesco Caracciolo-class
battleships make 30 knots when their historical max speed is 28 knots after being hit with two aerial torpedoes on the torpedo bulge from a squadron of 12
Hawker Ospreys
. Everybody is confused in the story itself, and I'm wondering if there is any historical precedent in which battleships go over the max speed in their specifications.
Click to expand...

Iowas. I would think the KGVs did, too.
 

Partisantheory

Ataturk Survives Until 1978
When Marshall Never Arrives To Europe...
When Johnny Shots The Dixie...
Dritte Weltkrieg:Reich Falls
2009:A Liberation Story on Middle Of Reich
1985-99: Darkest Era For Turks

these are my althistory scenarios in my mind.
 

Thanosaekk

Southeren Legion said:
Something I have been wondering about is the needed PODS for there to be a Norwegian front during the Second World War?
Cheers
Click to expand...
Perhaps an idea to achieve that is for Norway and Sweden to welcome the British "aid for helping Finland", resulting in the British gaining an early foothold and the Germans having to invade more quickly. Something like that could create a bigger and more important front in Scandinavia.
 
Waltzing Brunhilda

Waltzing Brunhilda

Thanosaekk said:
Perhaps an idea to achieve that is for Norway and Sweden to welcome the British "aid for helping Finland", resulting in the British gaining an early foothold and the Germans having to invade more quickly. Something like that could create a bigger and more important front in Scandinavia.
Click to expand...
Thanks I was thinking something like the British French arguments over mining Norway not happen but your suggestion is probably better.
 
RMcD94

RMcD94

Japan ignores Philippines and declares war on just Britian and Netherlands.

1 year later (or even 6 months since without PH (Philippines) and PH (Pearl Harbour) they have way more resources, they sue for reasonable peace (few islands to Japan, oil and material concessions, acknowledgment of Japanese gains in China, gains for Thailand).

Does Britain accept?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top
Top