Or, as OTL, give the Cruiser Tanks 'C' Names. Covenanter, Crusader, Cromwell, Chariot... Centurion, Chieftain, Challenger...
The Forge of Weyland
- Thread starter Astrodragon
- Start date
Would they? There would be the construction of sites and buildings domestically but a lot of the technical machinery will likely have to be imported, and then what? After the initial set-up it only adds to the local economy if the Dominion governments are spending on defence – something which they were fairly disinclined, or in Australia's case highly resistant, to doing in our timeline.
Well that's the justification for the Mobile force in Egypt, not sure it stretches to an expansion of Indian industrial capability as well.
Stick them in the back of lorries and job done. Since standard organisation seems to be an armoured division alongside two infantry divisions to form a corps even if it's assumed the India will be providing troops as per usual I doubt anyone is going to consider it necessary to look at mechanising them en masse.
Indeed. Frustratingly I can't remember the source but book I read mentioned one of the German generals or field marshals being fairly stunned at the amount of equipment and number of vehicles the BEF had and was forced to leave behind when shown them in the aftermath of the Dunkirk evacuation.
That seems very out of character, I mean just look at the names they used in our timeline. If you want something a bit more martial how about the earlier use of general's names?
No, I specifically don't want to use an OTL tank name, if you do people assume its the same tank even when it isn't. New names reduce this confusion
Of course, one other possibility is after famous battles.. Agincourt, Crecy, Waterloo.. 
At which point the French introduce the new Hastings tank.Of course, one other possibility is after famous battles.. Agincourt, Crecy, Waterloo..
Types of dogs? After all, fast WW1 tank was a Whippet.
Nuffield Newfoundland, Morris Malamute, Mastiff, Leyland Labrador, Lurcher ...
You just know troops are going to call broken down tanks "This useless F-ing mutt".
They will anyway, so might as well make it official.
And for TTL covanenter ...
The tank the troops don't swear about or at because there are no words vile enough to fully express their feelings about it.
"She took an 88 through the engine block Corporal Smith, we had to put her down." - Every tank engineer ITTL ever.
Considering how many tankers in the war ended up naming their tank, setting the precedent of dog names is only going to encourage your crews to give a personalized moniker to 'Fido'.
I approve wholeheartedly.
1938 Czech crisis 1
The Spring Czech crisis
In March 1938, on Hitler’s orders, the Sudeten German Party began to make demands on the Czech Government which were totally unacceptable to the latter. Both France and Britain at this stage failed entirely to grasp the real significance behind this move, which was to undermine the authority of the central government and provide a pretext for eventual German intervention. In fact, both London and Paris went out of their way to advise the Czech Government to provide concessions for the Sudeten Germans, being apparently convinced that Hitler wanted only justice for them. The German propaganda machine had done its work well.
This hadn't affected the Army and it's plans directly, as at this time there was no suggestion of a continental intervention.
In May, however, the situation changed dramatically. The principal cause was a major German security leak, picked up by British and French Intelligence, which indicated that the Germans were about to launch an attack on Czechoslovakia. Europe was immediately plunged into crisis; the Czechs began to mobilize, and for once Britain, France and Soviet Union showed signs of making a firm stand against the threat. The tension increased with a report — which later turned out to be false — that the Wehrmacht was massing its divisions in Saxony for a drive against the Czechs; diplomatic exchanges reached fever pitch, while in the background Dr Goebbels’s Propaganda Ministry stepped up its wild stories of Czech atrocities against the Sudeten Germans. The diplomatic activity during what was to become known as the May Crisis left the Germans in no doubt that France was prepared to go to the aid of Czechoslovakia in the event of war. The attitude of Chamberlain’s government in Britain, however, was very different; there was no firm commitment to support the Czechs from this direction, only a vague threat that ‘in the event of a European conflict, it was impossible to foresee whether Britain would not be drawn into it’. To Hitler, such an attitude could be interpreted only as a sign of weakness.
Nevertheless, as a result the Army was asked just what force it could send to the Continent 'in a short time'. The answer was not that much. As a result of arrangements made a few months ago, the Army was looking at preparing three divisions, including the Mobile Division, for such a deployment if necessary. The problem was that the divisions concerned were underequipped and not really prepared. It would be possible to send the two infantry divisions, and possibly a third if the remaining home-based forces were stripped to supply the necessary men and equipment, but the Mobile Force was no-where near ready. The available older medium tanks were considered worn out and unreliable. The initial orders of the new tanks had been arriving, but were as yet not in sufficient numbers to meet what was required.
70 Mk VID tanks were currently being used for training two cavalry regiments, and they were earmarked to be shipped to Egypt once that had been done. While the first few Dingos had arrived from the factories, these were all committed to training. The first of the new Daimler-designed heavy armoured car were still being built. While the delivery of the first A11's from Vickers was expected shortly, these would be needed for initial training and evaluation.
Between them, Vickers and Harland & Wolf had delivered 130 of the new A10* tanks, plus the first 10 of the Birch gun replacement. 30 of the tanks, and all of the guns, were being used for training. Of the other 100 tanks, most were available; some of the recent deliveries were having defects corrected, and some were waiting for their guns. But it should be possible to put together a single Armoured Brigade to go with the Infantry Divisions. Their supporting infantry could be made mobile, as long as carriers and Dragons were stripped from other units, although the artillery would still be pulled by Dragons. They emphasised that the men were busy training with the new tanks, and so far very little had been done to train them as a unit. This had been intended to take place over the next three months, in time for the autumn exercises.
The government were unhappy about this, even though the CIGS did point out that the Mobile Division had only been authorised some months ago, and it took time to train and build a division. He diplomatically didn't point out that if policy had remained the same as in earlier years, the situation would have been far better.
Fortunately the crisis calmed down, at last on the surface. As it was, on 28 May Hitler called a meeting of the General Staff and ordered preparations to be made for an attack on Czechoslovakia by 2 October 1938, with a planned mobilization of ninety-six divisions and an immediate strengthening of Germany’s western frontier. The new directive for Fall Grün caused immediate consternation among several of Hitler’s senior generals, who, unlike the Führer, were not convinced that Britain and France would not be prepared to risk all-out war in the event of an assault on Czechoslovakia. Their concern, in fact, was great enough to give birth to the nucleus of a conspiracy against Hitler, with Generals Haider and Beck as its prime movers. Haider secretly arranged with the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht that he be given at least forty-eight hours’ notice of an impending attack — a critical two days in which he would attempt to overthrow Hitler and withdraw the world from the brink of war. Sadly none of this was known to the intelligence agencies of Britain and France.
In March 1938, on Hitler’s orders, the Sudeten German Party began to make demands on the Czech Government which were totally unacceptable to the latter. Both France and Britain at this stage failed entirely to grasp the real significance behind this move, which was to undermine the authority of the central government and provide a pretext for eventual German intervention. In fact, both London and Paris went out of their way to advise the Czech Government to provide concessions for the Sudeten Germans, being apparently convinced that Hitler wanted only justice for them. The German propaganda machine had done its work well.
This hadn't affected the Army and it's plans directly, as at this time there was no suggestion of a continental intervention.
In May, however, the situation changed dramatically. The principal cause was a major German security leak, picked up by British and French Intelligence, which indicated that the Germans were about to launch an attack on Czechoslovakia. Europe was immediately plunged into crisis; the Czechs began to mobilize, and for once Britain, France and Soviet Union showed signs of making a firm stand against the threat. The tension increased with a report — which later turned out to be false — that the Wehrmacht was massing its divisions in Saxony for a drive against the Czechs; diplomatic exchanges reached fever pitch, while in the background Dr Goebbels’s Propaganda Ministry stepped up its wild stories of Czech atrocities against the Sudeten Germans. The diplomatic activity during what was to become known as the May Crisis left the Germans in no doubt that France was prepared to go to the aid of Czechoslovakia in the event of war. The attitude of Chamberlain’s government in Britain, however, was very different; there was no firm commitment to support the Czechs from this direction, only a vague threat that ‘in the event of a European conflict, it was impossible to foresee whether Britain would not be drawn into it’. To Hitler, such an attitude could be interpreted only as a sign of weakness.
Nevertheless, as a result the Army was asked just what force it could send to the Continent 'in a short time'. The answer was not that much. As a result of arrangements made a few months ago, the Army was looking at preparing three divisions, including the Mobile Division, for such a deployment if necessary. The problem was that the divisions concerned were underequipped and not really prepared. It would be possible to send the two infantry divisions, and possibly a third if the remaining home-based forces were stripped to supply the necessary men and equipment, but the Mobile Force was no-where near ready. The available older medium tanks were considered worn out and unreliable. The initial orders of the new tanks had been arriving, but were as yet not in sufficient numbers to meet what was required.
70 Mk VID tanks were currently being used for training two cavalry regiments, and they were earmarked to be shipped to Egypt once that had been done. While the first few Dingos had arrived from the factories, these were all committed to training. The first of the new Daimler-designed heavy armoured car were still being built. While the delivery of the first A11's from Vickers was expected shortly, these would be needed for initial training and evaluation.
Between them, Vickers and Harland & Wolf had delivered 130 of the new A10* tanks, plus the first 10 of the Birch gun replacement. 30 of the tanks, and all of the guns, were being used for training. Of the other 100 tanks, most were available; some of the recent deliveries were having defects corrected, and some were waiting for their guns. But it should be possible to put together a single Armoured Brigade to go with the Infantry Divisions. Their supporting infantry could be made mobile, as long as carriers and Dragons were stripped from other units, although the artillery would still be pulled by Dragons. They emphasised that the men were busy training with the new tanks, and so far very little had been done to train them as a unit. This had been intended to take place over the next three months, in time for the autumn exercises.
The government were unhappy about this, even though the CIGS did point out that the Mobile Division had only been authorised some months ago, and it took time to train and build a division. He diplomatically didn't point out that if policy had remained the same as in earlier years, the situation would have been far better.
Fortunately the crisis calmed down, at last on the surface. As it was, on 28 May Hitler called a meeting of the General Staff and ordered preparations to be made for an attack on Czechoslovakia by 2 October 1938, with a planned mobilization of ninety-six divisions and an immediate strengthening of Germany’s western frontier. The new directive for Fall Grün caused immediate consternation among several of Hitler’s senior generals, who, unlike the Führer, were not convinced that Britain and France would not be prepared to risk all-out war in the event of an assault on Czechoslovakia. Their concern, in fact, was great enough to give birth to the nucleus of a conspiracy against Hitler, with Generals Haider and Beck as its prime movers. Haider secretly arranged with the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht that he be given at least forty-eight hours’ notice of an impending attack — a critical two days in which he would attempt to overthrow Hitler and withdraw the world from the brink of war. Sadly none of this was known to the intelligence agencies of Britain and France.
I was thinking the other night about how - with my rudimentary but likely still better than the average person understanding - perhaps Chamberlain's appeasement approach was at least in part driven by the fact Britain just wasn't prepared for war. And if you look at the actions that followed, efforts were made, were they not, to correct this?
Of course, one other possibility is after famous battles.. Agincourt, Crecy, Waterloo..
I think your naming choices are down to 4
Designation - A whatever which has the same problem as OTL names
Food related names as this is an Astrodragon timeline.
Initial letter - in which case pick one and ha done. I would suggest U for a Universal Tank (not cruiser or I or Light ) and that gives the U class sub names to look at (And V a Varangian spitting Greek fire) but avoiding A and S as well as C.
Theme ( reptile sounds wrong) but non religious dignitaries not clerics for the Arty - Mayor, Alderman, Sheriff, Nawab. PMs for the tanks ( dead ones), I would say small rat like creatures for the scout vehicles but we have already used PMs.
As its the British Army it does not have to be consistent.
Asian Jumbo
Monthly Donor
For the Cavalry's usage the "Spaniel" would fit best - races around barking brainlessly and then jumps into the nearest fetid pond...
That's entirely what it was driven by. He knew full well that radar wasn't ready, Fighter Command wasn't ready and the Army wasn't ready.