Past, Present and Future

Timeline 191 - what a ride!

That's it! I'm finally done with it. Mr. Turtledove's epic tale of an alternative United States based on the now infamous order 191 that was lost by the Confederates and found by the Union forces before the epic battle of Antietam/Sharpsburg. Here, the divergence from our history is that this order is not lost and the battle becomes the deciding factor in foreign support for the CSA. It's been a very long and strange journey through a libraries worth of books. Overall, I've enjoyed the time I've spent with his characters and even the annoying repetitions seem to just be a minor annoyance now. I certainly do recommend the series for those that have an interest in the period and are prepared for a major investment in book costs and time.

On another note, my son went to see Avatar on it's opening and his response to this blockbuster seems quite typical of others. Visually, it's a benchmark for others to match and creates an immersive and believable alien world that is above and beyond anything yet seen. This worries me as I remember being awed by the visual effects in Jurassic Park and now they just seem so ordinary and quite poor when compared to newer techniques. On the down side, Avatar's acting is nothing wonderful and the script and storyline is poor and nothing special or new. Do I want to see it? Of course I do, but I will have to wait for a home release as getting into and out of a theatre is very difficult for me.

You had me at 'hello'

Sometimes just the basic description of a books contents can 'sell' me. After reading the brief background on-line, I was determined to find this book. 'Leviathan' by Scott Westerfeld is a terrific read and, although aimed at the teen and young adult market, is damn good for us older types. From the brilliant cover art and the maps on the end-pages, this is a beautifully presented product and the inclusion of illustrations throughout hearken back to the classic stories and books of the past. I like alternative histories where you're not presented with a history lesson throughout and you have to rely on your wits and a good writer to lead you along. I always got fed up with the techno-babble as found in Star Trek - people don't dwell on the technology around them - they just use it. To be honest, do YOU know or care how the gearbox in your car works or how a TV picks up it's signals? The alternative world we are presented with is lush and rich and we are rushed along with the main characters while coming to grips with the technology and biology used. This is a book that rewards careful reading and, although a sequel is obvious, we are not disappointed at the end of the book. This is the first of Westerfelds' books I have read and I will look at the other titles he has published.

Taking Command

In The Darkness

We now come to the world of the early 1940’s and the possibility of total war and never-ending conflict. The near invulnerability of covered cities means that the endless cycle of attack and defence carries on with more destructive weapons being developed to counter heavier and more durable defences. There have been minor victories countered by minor defeats, but no decisive breakthrough has been made. The only hope of breaking the deadlock and finally coming out of the gloom of the domes is in the development of so-called ‘wonder weapons’ or ‘V’ weapons as the Germans call them.

Your Choice?

It is now 1941 and you are in command of a small striking force of infantry and dreadnoughts charged with prosecuting the war and hastening final victory.

Will you, as commander of forces loyal to the socialist ideas of Lenin, Marx and Engels deliver the killing blow to the corrupt Imperial and fascist regimes around you?

Or, as a loyal subject of the King, will you lead your forces against the evil of the oppressive socialist horror of the Axis powers and restore freedom to a darkened Europe?

‘The Land Dreadnoughts’ is a 2-player tactical game representing small unit actions in Spain and France. You are given your objectives and spend ‘points’ to create your small force. Simple rules and quick play are the hallmarks of the game and the use of a ‘reaction’ phase can cause even the most careful plans to unravel.

Breaking Point

Lightning Strikes

The first clashes in Spain between the Spanish armies of the left and right supported by small forces from the Russians and the Axis powers (mainly German) appeared to be fairly inconclusive as the terrain suited infantry rather than the cumbersome dreadnoughts, although the smaller carriers proved their worth being able to get troops in and out of combat quickly. On reflection, it is certain that Germany had sent a minimum force and was forcing the Russians to send more and more equipment to Spain and to concentrate their attention on this ‘side show’. The storm was about to break over Europe.

The German plan to extend their revolution to the rest of the world and especially Europe didn’t seem to include the ultra right wing regime in Russia but certainly included the virulently anti-German French. The plans for renewed war were the most closely kept secrets in history. The brilliance of the German Operation Barbarossa was due to the absolute surprise that their opening attacks caused, not only in Europe but worldwide. As the Axis forces were too small to take on Russia AND the rest of Europe at the same time, it was determined to keep the Russians at bay with major defensive formations of artillery and the unprecedented use of area-denial weapons developed by the best minds of the German socialist universities.  

The use of ‘belts’ of poison gas and newly developed nerve agents effectively closed the eastern borders to any Russian movement and the air attacks made were cut to pieces by the interlocking bands of anti-aircraft fire and marauding groups of fighter aircraft vectored to intercept by the radio-detection equipped Zeppelins of the Technical Service. When the Russian Mediterranean fleet attempted to leave their moorings in Constantinople they ran right into the largest minefield ever seen. The clever use of multiple types of mine meant that the Russian mine sweepers could not be sure they had really cleared a path for their big ship cousins. After the loss of several capital ships, the Admiral in charge refused to leave port and even after his hanging, his replacement made one more disastrous attempt to leave port before the government realized that it was hopeless. It was the same story when the Baltic fleet attempted to set sail. With the Russian behemoth stymied, it was now time for the German socialist revolution to take on the rest of Europe.

The sound of drums

Before the Thunder

The peace years saw differing levels of dreadnought development depending on national strategy and willingness to change. France, although woefully deficient in armoured warfare development before 1913, seemed to take more confidence in strong walls, strong allies and a highly developed air force. The British found little need to update their designs as they seemed to work quite well during the ’14–18’ war and the various colonial wars since. There were only minimal design changes giving greater speed and more effective anti-infantry weapons, but at the expense of armour protection. The mobile infantry, however, were superbly trained and easily the best troops in the world – at least until 1935. The German penchant for innovation and invention ensured that they went to war with some of the most effective dreadnoughts yet seen. However, their obsession with the offence meant that although their units were heavily armed and armoured, this was all at the expense of speed and manoeuvrability. They also made great strides in the field of infantry anti-dreadnought weapons. In general the dreadnoughts of other major nations copied the developments in Britain and Germany except for the US. In the USA, dreadnought development was slow mainly due to their lack of enemies to fight. It wasn’t until the Mexican revolution and the threats to the southern states that the government in Washington took steps. Taking the best of the European designs, the US Corps of Dreadnoughts featured powerful, well armed and fast dreadnoughts that easily fended off the rather slower German and Russian developed machines. The only design features that were of issue were the unreliable engines and poor aerial defences. There were rumours about the high quality of Japanese dreadnoughts, but no hard evidence was available.

The pressue is building

No War, No Peace (part 3)

There were two seemingly unrelated actions that made Europe a battleground again. The German political victory in Austria (as it was known after the revolution) and the joining of Italy and socialist Syria to the ‘Axis of Power’, as the Germans liked to call it, upset the delicate balance of power that had kept peace since 1918. The socialist revolution in the new Polish State almost ignited a war between the German led Axis and the Russian behemoth to the East. However, much to everyone’s surprise the Russians showed remarkable restraint and left Poland to the tender mercies of German Socialism. The Axis powers advised that they were only bound together by the anti-socialist policies and threats of the French and Russians and that the’ surrounding’ of the German and other European socialist states would not be tolerated. Most countries ignored the blustering that they had heard for years and the creation of this new ‘superpower’ went unhindered. In 1935, the beginning of the Spanish war caused by Russian plans to control Spain and Gibraltar allied with their fermenting of right-wing revolts in Egypt (the king was assassinated) aimed at controlling the canal made even distracted Britain sit up and take notice.

Flexing the muscles

No War, No Peace (part 2)

It was mainly the actions of the Russian Empire that determined the flow of European politics until the inevitable explosion in 1935. The closing of the borders and the hardening of international relations meant that Russia soon became a closed state and the rumours abounded about the direction and fervour of Russian imperial ambitions. It was thought that their gaining of Constantinople and their unhindered access to the Mediterranean would satisfy them, but it wasn’t enough. It rankled that they had to pay to use the Suez Canal and that they had to pass under British guns to transit Gibraltar. It was the military revolution of 1925 that finally started the world on its way to ruin. A right-wing revolt against the Tsar backed by the army deposed the Romanovs and installed a virulently anti-socialist and expansionist regime that was cruel and rapacious, not only to its enemies but also to its own people.  The figurehead leader of this repressive state was a little known (outside of Russia) minor functionary who took the name of Stalin -no one knew his real name, although the German adviser, Lenin, said he knew who he was.

Within a few years, the Russian regime had started revolts in Mexico, Panama and Egypt and even, it is said, started the Spanish revolutionary war by aiding General Franco in moving troops from Africa to Spain in 1935. The German state, for its part, did it’s best to ferment revolution in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the various still squabbling Balkan states. The military actions started by Russia provided excellent areas for the German socialist policies to take root and caused the creation of socialist regimes in Mexico, Italy and the remnants of the Ottoman Empire in the Middle East. Due to these actions, the USA once again withdrew into itself and tried to leave to world to itself and was totally taken by surprise when the Empire of Japan began to exert its political, financial and military muscles in China and throughout the Pacific.

Pause for Breath

No War, No Peace (part 1)

In the 17 years after the Truce of Amsterdam was signed there were no large scale military adventures anywhere within Europe or North America, but state sponsored conflicts kept Africa, Asia and South America ablaze. The main conflicts in Europe were more political than military but changed the face of the continent nevertheless. The German non-victory in the West brought the far-left and far-right of the political spectrum together and a nasty and brutal power struggle erupted between the socialist and nascent fascist groups mainly in Munich and Berlin. By 1922, the monarchy was overthrown (the Kaiser fleeing to Holland) and a new socialist German state emerged led by the National Socialist party of Soldiers and Workers led by Rosa Luxembourg and her cronies. It was said that the ‘power behind the throne’ was a fugitive Russian socialist agitator living in Switzerland by the name of Lenin. The emergence of a revolutionary state in the middle of Europe sent shudders though the spines of the Royalist states surrounding the new Germany.

Britain kept itself absorbed in various ‘bush fire’ wars within the Empire and thus kept out of European squabbles. The French – ever anti-German, turned towards right-wing policies and a succession of army-backed politicians kept the military spending high and the anti-socialist sentiment in its population constant. The building of the Maginot line opposite the main German positions across the French border and the expectation of a large British contingent with its land dreadnoughts able to provide a mobile striking force across Belgium gave them a sense of security.

An Ill Wind

1.  

The First Storm

The Great 20^th Century War began in late 1913 when the Russian Empire decided that NOW was the time to take control of the Dardanelles while Turkey was embroiled in the Balkan Wars that were slowing tearing its European empire apart. Unfortunately, this caused the entry of Austro-Hungary and Germany into a war with Russia and, as this triggered other alliances, the entry of France into the fray. Britain and its Empire stood aloof from this, as they saw it, European ‘fracas’, and issued various warnings to the Central Powers about widening the war. However, once Germany sent its fleet to sea and German submarines were spotted off Scapa Flow, it became more and more difficult for the British to stay out of the war. When proof was found of German interference in the Middle East threatening the Suez Canal, it was too much and Britain declared war in early 1914 – the Empire following suit within the next few days.

The easy German victories against the over-extended Russian armies made them over-confident and the high command decided to place the Schlieffen plan into effect and invaded Belgium and France in August 1914. The initial attacks were led by their new dreadnought units that sliced through the poorly defended French lines and appeared to be within an ace of securing Paris when the BEF counter-attacked with its superior dreadnoughts and more mobile infantry. The superior firepower of British units unnerved the Germans and caused them to retreat beyond the Marne and dig in. The next two years saw much attacking on both sides but no lasting advances. The Russian Empire withdrew back towards Moscow and concluded an armistice with their enemies but retained control of Constantinople while losing much of Poland and the Ukraine. Luckily, the allies had wind of the event and were well prepared for the huge German assault of March 1917 which broke against the massive concentrations of artillery and dreadnought units that seemed to be everywhere.  After another eighteen months of fruitless attacks, a truce was declared and Europe settled into an uneasy peace.

Ready for action

Here is part 2 of 'Land Dreadnoughts':

Development

Although the success of the Dreadnoughts was complete, there were worries about their deployment outside of South Africa. The wheeled foot design was certainly of benefit in dry and fairly gentle country, but suffered greatly in unstable or rough ground and in wet or poor weather conditions. It was the development of the ‘continuous track’ allied with the drive mechanism of Mr. Dunbridges’ idea that proved the saviour of the Land Dreadnought program. It was also found that better weapons would be needed, especially as other countries began their own developments and anti-dreadnought guns were developed. When the use of tracks became more prevalent, smaller ‘carrier’ vehicles were developed to give accompanying infantry and artillery the mobility to keep up with the dreadnoughts. By 1910, internal combustion engines replaced the unreliable, heavy and inefficient steam turbines and made the dreadnoughts a more mobile force.