The Whale has Wings

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perfectgeneral

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Meanwhile Canadian strength in thetre is up to an army? OTL I know, but it is surprising me what a difference two and a quarter years* makes in preparedness.

*difference in entry dates into the war.
 
Yes, it will.

I'm currently working on turning the first parts into a book. Its quite a bit of work, as I have to remove inconsistences and add some stuff, as well as do things like maps I didnt do for this TL. I also want to make it a little more coherent as a story.

Hopefully this will improve the quality.:eek:
Maps would be amazing, plus if possible having pictures of ATL planes, ships etc. That and removing the occasional spelling errors, pairing up parentheses etc. I know I'd be happy to throw money at you for a well-polished book like that!
 
Maps would be amazing, plus if possible having pictures of ATL planes, ships etc. That and removing the occasional spelling errors, pairing up parentheses etc. I know I'd be happy to throw money at you for a well-polished book like that!

Pics of ATL stuff is going to be impossible, I'm afraid, although I am planning on putting data on tehm in the Appendices.
Maps for all the important actions, yes.
Not just tidying up the text, I want to make it flow better as a story.
Book 1 (there is NO way its all fitting on one book!!) will probably be 1932 to just before Taranto.
 
Yes, it will.

I'm currently working on turning the first parts into a book. Its quite a bit of work, as I have to remove inconsistences and add some stuff, as well as do things like maps I didnt do for this TL. I also want to make it a little more coherent as a story.

Hopefully this will improve the quality.:eek:
That sounds sweet.
 
Pics of ATL stuff is going to be impossible, I'm afraid, although I am planning on putting data on tehm in the Appendices.
Maps for all the important actions, yes.
Not just tidying up the text, I want to make it flow better as a story.
Book 1 (there is NO way its all fitting on one book!!) will probably be 1932 to just before Taranto.
Fair enough, just knowing you're planning on having Appendices is good though. :)
 
Paulo the Limey

You have a very good reputation on AH.com for clear levelheadedness, and not prone to strident nationalism. As to the use of Limey? It DEPENDS ON WHO USES IT! You, sir, are a proud Englishman. You may call yourself, or any other Englishman or woman "Limey", and there's no problem. What if a Frenchman, whether in chiding or all the way up to an angry rant uses the word?
I thought that the French called us 'rosbifs' rather than 'limeys'?
 
Book 1 (there is NO way its all fitting on one book!!) will probably be 1932 to just before Taranto.

Ending at Wilhelmshaven would be a heckuva high note.

So if the bombing campaign is just kicking into high gear, has German production been higher up to this point than OTL? Has that been factored in?

And one important thing I just realized: Timor was attacked. What did Portugal do? Any chance of them joining the festivities?
 

Sandman396

Banned
Pics of ATL stuff is going to be impossible, I'm afraid, although I am planning on putting data on tehm in the Appendices.
Maps for all the important actions, yes.
Not just tidying up the text, I want to make it flow better as a story.
Book 1 (there is NO way its all fitting on one book!!) will probably be 1932 to just before Taranto.

Astro,

Have you thought about publishing it for Kindle on Amazon?

Even a small amount 99p (or cents) could earn you a nice little bonus.

With the quality you have shown so far I would be willing to pay up to £4.99 for a 500+ page book.

There seems to be a lot of self-publishing going on for Kindle and of the stuff I have looked at none come up to your calibre.
 
Astro,

Have you thought about publishing it for Kindle on Amazon?

Even a small amount 99p (or cents) could earn you a nice little bonus.

With the quality you have shown so far I would be willing to pay up to £4.99 for a 500+ page book.

There seems to be a lot of self-publishing going on for Kindle and of the stuff I have looked at none come up to your calibre.
I'll second this. I'd gladly throw down a couple bucks or more for a Kindle version, espceially one with the extra content you seem to be promising.
 
OK, As a few people seem interested..:eek:

I intend to e-pub it (thats kindle as well as other non-DRMd e-formats).
Currently it looks like coming in roughly as 3 novel-sized books (thats around 100-120k words, 300+ pages).
My current thinking it to do the individual books at $2.99/£1.99 (this is due to amazons rather odd pricing strategy!), and possibly the combined 3 at around $8/£5.

The main story will be a tidied-up version of the TL (still written as a history, the scope is too broad for other options to work well), and hopefully more readable. Maps will be added for the major actions and war areas. Tech stuff will be in Appendix (some AH readers love this stuff, some hate it, so putting it in as an appendix seems best).

The system does allow me the option of offering in dead tree format, but this is a lot more expensive - preliminiary guesstimates are around £8/9 per book, but it would be doable on demand, so I may make it available for anyone who wants that.

Depending on how much free time I get, Book 1 will be out November-ish. At the moment it looks like covering from 1932 up until just before Taranto (thus hopefully sucking new readers into Book 2;))
 
OK, As a few people seem interested..:eek:

I intend to e-pub it (thats kindle as well as other non-DRMd e-formats).
Currently it looks like coming in roughly as 3 novel-sized books (thats around 100-120k words, 300+ pages).
My current thinking it to do the individual books at $2.99/£1.99 (this is due to amazons rather odd pricing strategy!), and possibly the combined 3 at around $8/£5.

The main story will be a tidied-up version of the TL (still written as a history, the scope is too broad for other options to work well), and hopefully more readable. Maps will be added for the major actions and war areas. Tech stuff will be in Appendix (some AH readers love this stuff, some hate it, so putting it in as an appendix seems best).

The system does allow me the option of offering in dead tree format, but this is a lot more expensive - preliminiary guesstimates are around £8/9 per book, but it would be doable on demand, so I may make it available for anyone who wants that.

Depending on how much free time I get, Book 1 will be out November-ish. At the moment it looks like covering from 1932 up until just before Taranto (thus hopefully sucking new readers into Book 2;))

Astrodragon

That sounds great, with only one concern. What, only 3 books!;):D Definitely be interested in getting a copy, especially with some maps and appendices to go with it.

With garrison needs in N Africa and the ME I was thinking less of against Axis attacks than in maintaining order and protecting interests against unrest. While the greater success of the allies and especially the Brits will deter some actions there have been unrest in Iraq and earlier in Palestine and Egypt was less than content so there will be a need to maintain some forces in the region. However should have enough to fight for Sicily and possibly the other islands but for the moment would be doubtful about getting on the mainland until you have more forces in theatre.

Steve
 
You can add sick.:( AIUI, American medical supplies for combatting tropical diseases were all but exhausted by this time.

Good point on that. We often forget the influence of disease, which caused a lot of deaths and illnesses especially in the east. By this time, coupled with lack of food and the sheer stress would make them very vulnerable to illness and infection.:(


I just worry that this is all too much, too soon.:( The Japanese have all the vulnerabilities displayed ITTL. But if we start seeing an early collapse with the Germans I'd have to call foul. OTOH, I haven't seen anyone, especially Astrodragon, claim that Germany's fall was going to be very much sooner than OTL, anyways. But that must mean that at some point Hitler is going to be forced to redeploy major levels of troops to the West and Med. Stalin is going to get his Western Front a whole lot sooner than OTL. But maybe not quite in the manner he may have wished...

I have some concerns as well. Think we can take Sicily but it could be close and doubt with the other commitments we can go any further until a lot more forces are available.

Getting Yamashita will be almost as good as nailing his army, IMVHO. Does anyone agree? Disagree?

From my less than massive knowledge of the Japanese army during this period he does seem to be one of their better and more intelligent generals.

Uh, Mein Fuhrer, has anyone made you aware of how HIGH the Caucasus mountains are?:eek: Or how far it is from Rostov to Baku, from Baku to Tehran, from Tehran to Baghdad, from Baghdad to Damascus, from Damascus to the Suez Canal?:eek:

Details, mere details man. Don't bother me with facts when I can fantasise. :p:p I wonder, even if they had no opposition, they could make it simply due to lack of supply and wear and tear on equipment.

Steve
 
Getting Yamashita will be almost as good as nailing his army, IMVHO. Does anyone agree? Disagree?
Depends on whether he sticks around or retreats if his forces are routed, that or if he's relieved for failing to show true Bushido spirit as Astro mentioned earlier and sent back before the Allies can capture or kill him. Either way he's safely out of the picture and the Japanese are denied a man who seems to of been one of their better ground commanders.
 

Sandman396

Banned
OK, As a few people seem interested..:eek:

I intend to e-pub it (thats kindle as well as other non-DRMd e-formats).
Currently it looks like coming in roughly as 3 novel-sized books (thats around 100-120k words, 300+ pages).
My current thinking it to do the individual books at $2.99/£1.99 (this is due to amazons rather odd pricing strategy!), and possibly the combined 3 at around $8/£5.

The main story will be a tidied-up version of the TL (still written as a history, the scope is too broad for other options to work well), and hopefully more readable. Maps will be added for the major actions and war areas. Tech stuff will be in Appendix (some AH readers love this stuff, some hate it, so putting it in as an appendix seems best).
Y
The system does allow me the option of offering in dead tree format, but this is a lot more expensive - preliminiary guesstimates are around £8/9 per book, but it would be doable on demand, so I may make it available for anyone who wants that.

Depending on how much free time I get, Book 1 will be out November-ish. At the moment it looks like covering from 1932 up until just before Taranto (thus hopefully sucking new readers into Book 2;))

Excellent news Astro
 
Pics of ATL stuff is going to be impossible, I'm afraid, although I am planning on putting data on tehm in the Appendices.
Maps for all the important actions, yes.
Not just tidying up the text, I want to make it flow better as a story.
Book 1 (there is NO way its all fitting on one book!!) will probably be 1932 to just before Taranto.

If you added more little personal scenes like the one you had right back at the beginning when they were about to attack Wilhelmshaven that would probably improve the flow, say put them at the beginning of each chapter.
 
A lot depends on dates of alt Husky.

The timing problem is that early in the year the Germans are involved in large battles against Soviet Offensives on the Crimea and Kharkov Blue only coming on from late June onwards. The entire Luftwaffe only has 3500 a/c to deploy and Blue demands most of them - in fact Blue is probably not feasible ( and the prequels - Friderikus and Trappenjagd certainly are not) without the bulk of the Luftwaffe in AGS area.

So first point is that the defence against a 1942 invasion is by the Regia Aeronautica not the Luftwaffe. Reinforce the Luftwaffe tell me where you take the planes from, and Hanover has just been bombed a bit so my guess is Italy will be low on the priority list.

Your logic is impeccable. For any mind save that of Adolph Hitler. I can easily see Case Blue's air support being at least partially denuded and the RAF bomber streams being left to AA fire, the best FW-190s, and night fighters. After all, he has no way to engage the highest flying RAF heavy bombers yet, yes? BTW, why can't FW-190s take them on? I thought they were pretty high flyers themselves? Or is it that the current models aren't up to scratch?


Gannt the radical said:
OTL 1942 RAF strength in the Med was 48 sqdn plus 6 at Malta for a total of 54 which is short. That could be made up from one of three sources and in fact probably a combination of all three, UK based RAF (80 odd fighter squadron alone) US, which OTL only start coming in later but now might possibly be deployable via French North Africa. The Armee de l’Air. The OTL Torch AdA had 28 sqdn and appalling serviceability. The basic infrastructure is there, these could be reequipped and if the air and ground crew are available you could be looking at a marginally better allied situation in the air in 42 vs. 43. A lot of the French squadrons are multi engine and they already fly Bostons.

AIUI, a lot of American L-L was still in the pipeline at this time. And didn't a lot of it stop cold for a time following Pearl Harbor? Like, now, ITTL? So while the British are OK for fighters (too OK, really, regarding the UK), what about squadron strength ITTL regarding the Med?

Gannt the rebel said:
So overall the allies could I think establish air supremacy in mid 42 and mount a successful invasion of Sicily. I would tend to agree that Hitler would react as OTL because the threat of massive highly mobile allied forces on the mainland of Europe is so great. If Blue in full swing the air reaction could be swift and given the success of the early part of Blue probably feasible - but ground forces less so - see what happened at Torch OTL But if Blue has not started - Hitler could call it off or modify the objectives - not that I expect Astro to try and rewrite the eastern front as well.

Agree with all.

Gannt the revolutionary said:
Oh and I would expect the US to push for a full division commitment or none at all no matter what. The RCT concept is I think a bit early and 1/3 of a division is just that one third of something, organisationally they would want a division, or maybe a non divisional unit Rangerish type, ? Marines from Iceland. Personally I think the US would go for a full division with a second following on quickly and bugger the consequences for the guys on the ground or training programme.

Early 1942 would really be pushing it for the US Army. Just consider the status of the US National Guard troops sent to garrison Northern Ireland.:( Plus what divisions the US had that were usable (a very questionable phrase here) were being rushed to Oahu, New Caledonia, and Australia. Though ITTL I can see deployments to Oz being delayed in favor of ETO operations.

Marines to Europe? Both the Army in general and the US Navy, plus the Commandant of the US Marine Corps, would have conniptions.:mad::p
 
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