Not entirely true, certainly very unlikely at the moment. But the Indian Dominions have a culture of corruption and nepotism. As they move further up the command chain it's quite likely it will creep in to a degree
Why the Chinese play cricket (The Pax Imperialis)
- Thread starter Miss Construction
- Start date
Not entirely true, certainly very unlikely at the moment. But the Indian Dominions have a culture of corruption and nepotism. As they move further up the command chain it's quite likely it will creep in to a degree
The interesting bit is going to be the relationship between Military Industrial Complex and the Monarch, there are no election campaigns to fund, no opponents which can be funded, no election base which are employed by the MIC and no favours which could be offered which the Monarch already has or can have with little.
The Monarch also has a interesting relationship with the military as the Commander in Chief, the military loyalty is to the crown not parliament and that loyalty is returned by the Monarch.
If the MIC tries to give subpar equipment or charge too much then the Monarch will step in with the full might of the military behind them. The MIC must remember they cannot cross the monarch while the monarch do not use a lot their power they can and will use it if needed.
The monarch in the British system (which the CW has inherited) is interesting. The circumstances where they would directly interfere are unimaginable, a republic would follow shortly if they did. But what they do is express their opinion based on years of training to be non political ears hearing what is going on. I imagine that if evidence of corruption came to light they would express their opinion that it might be wise to do something about it. And the government would probably listen.
Depends on the situation, a major government scandal which has a lot Ministers arrested causing the Monarch to temporarily take power who not causes a republic.
Other situations wouldn’t cause the monarchy to be abolished immediately which would allow the situation to died down.
Also the unimaginable Directly interference position is more a late 20th to 21st century position. Edward VII did it was needed to as did George V. K-E George VI was heavily involved with the military in WW2 so much so that it helped kill him. Direct Interference did happen but not offen, it wasn’t very public and only in the needed situations.
In terms of the military, they can make sure that the money is going to right places being the CoC without the political problem the OTL US has when it comes to the MIC.
I’m getting the impression that this war is going to be decided in East Asia. The America’s are more or less a forgone conclusion at this point. By the end of ‘42 the US is going to have conquered (in the east and prairies) or besieging (in BC) all of Canada but has lost everything South of Cuba and even Cuba might be a battleground. At that point the CW can’t advance (since the only place to go is the mainland US and they will want to avoid that meat grinder at all costs; and neither will the US be able to.
So it all comes down to can Japan with the Yao and any US supplies and men that can be shipped across the Pacific hold off the CW throwing everything at them hard enough that it becomes more advantageous for peace to be hatched. Because Japan is the only major power in this conflict who could realistically be wiped out at the end of 1941. And if they go down the PAs hopes of ever rivalling the CW go down with them.
So it all comes down to can Japan with the Yao and any US supplies and men that can be shipped across the Pacific hold off the CW throwing everything at them hard enough that it becomes more advantageous for peace to be hatched. Because Japan is the only major power in this conflict who could realistically be wiped out at the end of 1941. And if they go down the PAs hopes of ever rivalling the CW go down with them.
Well first off all the Canadian prairies are really no more conquerable than they are defensible. You could throw dozens of divisions in there and they'd be swallowed up. The US holds the major population centres and important transport links but only venture outside them in large armed groups. And even then they can run into problems. Stillwell's decision to reduce the prairie garrison from five to three divisions was probably a bad one.
BC will be besieged and the troop densities in the east will be so high advancing will be frighteningly costly for either side. You may see minor gains. The CW may take northern Maine, the US may push through to the St Lawrence in places. Crossing the St Lawrence however is probably beyond them.
The US will have to do something in the Caribbean, taking Jamaica is an achievable goal. By the same token so is taking Cuba.
But yes the Far East and Pacific will be the theatre where the war will be decided. And that will be a naval campaign. At the moment the CW ability to interdict shipping in the northern Pacific is seriously limited by the US possession of the south Pacific islands. CW submarines have to pass through them to get to the north Pacific and the PA has packed them with ASW assets. The CW's technological edge in submarines doesn't make it any easier to transit those islands. They didn't take those islands so they could bomb Australia and New Zealand, that was just a bonus. They took them to protect the north Pacific. This area will turn into its own kind of meat grinder as the CW tries to isolate Islands and pick them off one by one.
There's also a wild card in there which isn't fully apparent yet. I'm six months ahead now and can see the war developing. It's probably not what people expect.
Finally we have tube alloys. The threat of US cities disappearing in an instant fireball will have all sorts of effects. Depends very much how the CW use the genie
I always see it more as a psychological thing. Yes gas and thousand plane fire bombing can do more damage but there’s just something terrifying that a single plane carrying a single bomb could now gut a city. Suddenly in the populations mind those 1000 planes aren’t going to hit 1 city a week but potentially 1000.
Of course that wouldn’t actually happen but it’s the sudden potential that it might that will do all the harm to morale. It also forces the US to treat every single radar contact as a potential city destroying raid.
Right now if you have 3 bombers going to New Orleans and 497 going to Houston than you ignore the 3 since they are just recon and concentrate everything on the 497. But what happens the first time those 3 drop an a-bomb. Now suddenly that one bomber flying near the border close to Boston needs aircraft sent to it. That radar contact off the coast of New York needs a squadron sent up. There’s a carrier 300km off the coast of Washington....can carrier planes carry an a-bomb. The US doesn’t know so now holy shit that one ship could wreck the seat of US government.
The power of the A-bomb will not be in the CW wiping 20 cities off the planet. It will be in the CW using it once or twice and than the PA THINKING that the CW can wipe out 200 cities.
I’d hit Houston first. A single nuke and you wipe out a huge percentage of US refining capacity. In a modern war at that point the US loses the ability to wage a modern war. IF a second is even needed at that point hit the Yao capital. I’m going to go out on a limb and say the Yao is EXTREMELY top down centralization with not a whole lot of loyalty beyond fear of lower level officials. Take out the centre and Yao descends into a warlord era and their manpower is neutralized as they start to fight amongst themselves.
The issue is that by the time nukes come along most of the US East Coast will have been fairly heavily bombed already (as will virtually every Canadian city). Also the needs to make it a 'legal' target with significant military, industrial or strategic value. New York, Boston and Philadelphia would be ideal targets. Philadelphia especially since its where the DoI was signed. The liberty bell melted to slag is a powerful message.
Very valid point. At the start of this I researched how long it takes to build a refinery from breaking ground to cracking crude. With modern technology three to five years. I'm assuming with 40s technology four to six. Any new US refineries won't be coming online before at least 45.
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The more I think about it the more I think the Yao capital (Beijing?) is the perfect spot for the 1st bomb. Unlike any US city it will likely have a far more primitive and rudimentary air defence network. It will also avoid the mass death of PA people’s. Since this is still considered a “gentleman’s” war though obviously far larger and more brutal than previous ones avoiding that deliberate mass death would be crucial.
The target would still stand as a perfect demonstration of the bomb. It also has the benefits of completely destabilizing Yao China and essentially guaranteeing a CW victory in East Asia which is after all going to be the decisive theatre.
If the PA still says no than hit Houston 2 days later and point out they could’ve surrendered. It’s a fast enough turn around that the US won’t be able to make any but the most minor changes to their air defences and even what they can do will most likely be concentrated in the northeast and east coast.
It’s a small thing but it lets the CW say we tried to avoid US deaths but they just wouldn’t listen.
And really Yao China has shown in their prisoner executions that they are not worthy of the same gentlemen’s agreements that have been made between the US Japan and CW which gives that tiny fig leaf for the CW to use when someone asks why they gutted a city with no warning.
1941d Transpacific North American Theatre
~October to December 1941 (Transpacific War, North American Theatre): Autumn leaves fall
October 1941: The first RDF stations are established to protect the east coast cities. They immediately become a priority target for CW aircraft and regardless the Aircraft Observation Corps remains a far more effective early warning system.
October 1941: Having successfully pushed US forces back beyond their start points, even penetrating into New York state, and with casualties mounting, General Cook ends his counter offensive bring the Battle of Montreal to a close. The battle has resulted in 140,000 US and 100,000 CW casualties. With winter setting in, both sides begin shelling the St Lawrence with heavy railway guns to prevent attempts to cross the ice.
October 1941: The first Sikorsky Hummingbird helicopters are delivered to Canada. They will prove to be far more effective than the gyrodynes previously employed.
October 1941: As US submarine losses have been mounting, considerable numbers of submarines from the Caribbean are redeployed to the Atlantic. This new deployment will actually increase the US submarine strength in the Atlantic above its pre war level. However, even with this increase in strength, US submarines are still unable to inflict appreciable losses on the CW convoys.
October 1941: With bomber losses to CW fighters continuing to mount, the USAF calls for the design of an airlaunched cruise missile to allow stand off attacks.
October 1941: US and CW clash on Lake Ontario as the US attempts to gain naval superiority for an amphibious assault on Toronto. The Battle of the Bass Islands is inconclusive with neither side gaining control of the lake.
November 1942: While the M3 General Lee has proved an effective tank, operations have highlighted numerous problems, noticably its high silhouette and inability to take a hull down position. With it clear a new generation of CW tanks are under design, the US and Japanese begin the development of a new tank to replace it.
November 1941: The escort carrier Laconia covering the CW convoy HC33 is sunk by the US submarine Tuna, allowing US submarines to cause appreciable losses on the convoy. This victory causes a considerable rise in the morale of the US submarine force.
November 1941: The USAF finally diverts aircraft from the strategic bombing role to attack CW airfields. However the airfields now feature considerable anti aircraft defences and losses are heavy.
November 1941: With production of the Panzer IV for the Warsaw Pact starting and their own Crusader still at least a year from production, the CW abandon work on the Crusader, adopting the Panzer IV as the Cavalier. With work on the Crusader halted, the development of a new tank based on the Crusader but armed with a reduced charge version of the 17pdr anti tank gun as the Comet is begun.
November 1941: Relentless pressure finally allows Bradley's forces to secure Squamish, finally isolating the British Colombian interior. However with winter beginning to set in, Bradley calls a halt to operations until spring. Despite the limited nature of Bradley's success, the victory provides the US with a considerable morale boost. Bradley also begins training his remaining divisions in mountain warfare.
December 1941: The CW begins developing new armoured assault vehicles based on the Churchill chassis to replace the existing vehicles based on the Matilda. While the 5.3" conventional mortar is retained on some vehicles, a larger 6.5" petard mortar is also introduced. While a new bridgelayer based on the Churchill is to be developed, the existing Coventeer bridgelayer is to be retained by cruiser armoured units.
December 1941: Nimitz reviews his submarine strategy. With it clearly evident the CW Atlantic convoys escort screens are too strong to be penetrated, he prepares to withdraw the bulk of his submarine force to instead concentrate on CW shipping in South Atlantic and on the Gibraltar to Southampton route. As the vast majority of long range US boats are in the Pacific the US begins planning Operation Youngman to bring 60 long range boats from the Pacific to the Atlantic through the CW dominated South Atlantic.
December 1941: A CW Beaufighter night fighter crash lands over US held territory. The US are able to recover its AI Mk IV airborne RDF set. The capture of this set will lead to a major improvement in US RDF technology.
December 1941: With the situation in Canada stable but aware the US is raising a large number of new formations, 36 extra divisions are allocated to its defence. These divisions begin arriving in Canada at the rate of one division per week.
December 1941: With the need for light automatic weapons growing and the existing M1928A1 Thompson SMG proving prohibitively expensive and still using the old 0.45" ACP, the US begins production of an unlicensed copy of the CW Sten SMG in 9mm Parabellum as the M1 SMG.
December 1941: The Bell P-59 Aerocomet, the first operational jet fighter enters service with the USAF. Its performance will prove disappointing, outmatched by CW Mustangs and Whirlwind. As result only 600 out of the order for 2,000 will be produced.
October 1941: The first RDF stations are established to protect the east coast cities. They immediately become a priority target for CW aircraft and regardless the Aircraft Observation Corps remains a far more effective early warning system.
October 1941: Having successfully pushed US forces back beyond their start points, even penetrating into New York state, and with casualties mounting, General Cook ends his counter offensive bring the Battle of Montreal to a close. The battle has resulted in 140,000 US and 100,000 CW casualties. With winter setting in, both sides begin shelling the St Lawrence with heavy railway guns to prevent attempts to cross the ice.
October 1941: The first Sikorsky Hummingbird helicopters are delivered to Canada. They will prove to be far more effective than the gyrodynes previously employed.
October 1941: As US submarine losses have been mounting, considerable numbers of submarines from the Caribbean are redeployed to the Atlantic. This new deployment will actually increase the US submarine strength in the Atlantic above its pre war level. However, even with this increase in strength, US submarines are still unable to inflict appreciable losses on the CW convoys.
October 1941: With bomber losses to CW fighters continuing to mount, the USAF calls for the design of an airlaunched cruise missile to allow stand off attacks.
October 1941: US and CW clash on Lake Ontario as the US attempts to gain naval superiority for an amphibious assault on Toronto. The Battle of the Bass Islands is inconclusive with neither side gaining control of the lake.
November 1942: While the M3 General Lee has proved an effective tank, operations have highlighted numerous problems, noticably its high silhouette and inability to take a hull down position. With it clear a new generation of CW tanks are under design, the US and Japanese begin the development of a new tank to replace it.
November 1941: The escort carrier Laconia covering the CW convoy HC33 is sunk by the US submarine Tuna, allowing US submarines to cause appreciable losses on the convoy. This victory causes a considerable rise in the morale of the US submarine force.
November 1941: The USAF finally diverts aircraft from the strategic bombing role to attack CW airfields. However the airfields now feature considerable anti aircraft defences and losses are heavy.
November 1941: With production of the Panzer IV for the Warsaw Pact starting and their own Crusader still at least a year from production, the CW abandon work on the Crusader, adopting the Panzer IV as the Cavalier. With work on the Crusader halted, the development of a new tank based on the Crusader but armed with a reduced charge version of the 17pdr anti tank gun as the Comet is begun.
November 1941: Relentless pressure finally allows Bradley's forces to secure Squamish, finally isolating the British Colombian interior. However with winter beginning to set in, Bradley calls a halt to operations until spring. Despite the limited nature of Bradley's success, the victory provides the US with a considerable morale boost. Bradley also begins training his remaining divisions in mountain warfare.
December 1941: The CW begins developing new armoured assault vehicles based on the Churchill chassis to replace the existing vehicles based on the Matilda. While the 5.3" conventional mortar is retained on some vehicles, a larger 6.5" petard mortar is also introduced. While a new bridgelayer based on the Churchill is to be developed, the existing Coventeer bridgelayer is to be retained by cruiser armoured units.
December 1941: Nimitz reviews his submarine strategy. With it clearly evident the CW Atlantic convoys escort screens are too strong to be penetrated, he prepares to withdraw the bulk of his submarine force to instead concentrate on CW shipping in South Atlantic and on the Gibraltar to Southampton route. As the vast majority of long range US boats are in the Pacific the US begins planning Operation Youngman to bring 60 long range boats from the Pacific to the Atlantic through the CW dominated South Atlantic.
December 1941: A CW Beaufighter night fighter crash lands over US held territory. The US are able to recover its AI Mk IV airborne RDF set. The capture of this set will lead to a major improvement in US RDF technology.
December 1941: With the situation in Canada stable but aware the US is raising a large number of new formations, 36 extra divisions are allocated to its defence. These divisions begin arriving in Canada at the rate of one division per week.
December 1941: With the need for light automatic weapons growing and the existing M1928A1 Thompson SMG proving prohibitively expensive and still using the old 0.45" ACP, the US begins production of an unlicensed copy of the CW Sten SMG in 9mm Parabellum as the M1 SMG.
December 1941: The Bell P-59 Aerocomet, the first operational jet fighter enters service with the USAF. Its performance will prove disappointing, outmatched by CW Mustangs and Whirlwind. As result only 600 out of the order for 2,000 will be produced.
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Ming777
Monthly Donor
In this war, I would agree that Yao China would be the logical target for a tube alloy.
Much like OTL's Imperial Japan, they started the first conflict of this Second Great War with their invasion of Gauge China, and their atrocities are also rather known. Thus, either Beijing or another major city of Yao China may have the dubious distinction of being the first destroyed by an atomic bomb.
Much like OTL's Imperial Japan, they started the first conflict of this Second Great War with their invasion of Gauge China, and their atrocities are also rather known. Thus, either Beijing or another major city of Yao China may have the dubious distinction of being the first destroyed by an atomic bomb.
Sadly yes, Beijing is the perfect target. It's a decapitation strike against the Yao. Even if Chaing survives somehow the disruption to command and control, loss of lieutenants and damage to his prestige will do him in. And it's a powerful demonstration without hitting the major PA members
