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Author Topic: Enioch's naval shenanigans - RTW as Germany - [Image Heavy!]  (Read 136641 times)

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Offline Enioch

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  • Alternative History Word Writer



"When the Russian fleet sortied to meet us, I knew that this was the opportunity we were expecting. My battle-line was not ready, because the Mecklenburg was still on her shakedown cruise; but I could not let this chance at destroying the enemy pass. Konteradmiral Galster only had the Hertha on station, but we had a good screening force of Zerstörer and light cruisers, so I decided to engage with my four battleships against their expected two and, hopefully, win this day for my Kaiser and my Vaterland.

-Vizeadm. Büchsel W 1926, The Baltic Campaign: Commentary on Naval Tactics, Valkyria Verlag: Dresden




It is dawn, of the 21st of November 1901. The Hochseeflotte is sailing north into the Baltic, the coast of Finland to their east.



The German fleet consists of the four active-service Schwabens, all veterans by now. They are closely escorted by three Zerstörer and the Nymphe as a screening element. Far ahead of the fleet, from his flagship on the Hertha, Galster is leading the scouting cruisers Hela and Frauenlob.



07:50 - Contact! At least two capital ships and their escort. The German fleet beats to quarters and the battlewagons accellerate to flank. Galster orders his light cruisers to fall back and takes the Hertha closer, for a detailed assessment of the enemy squadron strength. He identifies two light cruisers and confirms that the capitals are, in fact, the Russian battleships.



He closes in further and opens fire at long range at the leading, Diana-class light cruiser. His lookouts also spot a destroyer flotilla escorting the battlewagons and identify the latter: the Pavel is leading and the Pamyat Azova is following in her wake.



08:26 - Both Hertha and the Diana-class disengage and fall back to their battle-lines; the German battleships are closing the range, with Zähringen leading the charge this time around.



Büchsel forms his battle-line to the west of the Russians, to take advantage of the wind. The Russians hesitate - and then turn in to engage. The Pavel is almost immediately hit by one of the Braunschweig's shells.



09:11 - The two fleets are sailing in parallel, exchanging fire.



Zähringen has received some hits and her forward turret is jammed, but she's still in the fight and leading the battle-line. Her armor is reliably bouncing shells from the Pavel's secondaries.



The Russians keep turning away from the German battle-line, but the Germans are faster and maneuver to follow. The result is an ever-narrowing spiral, with the Russians at the centre.



11:19 - The Russians turn to flee. The Germans have closed the range and are scoring repeated hits; the light cruisers are now engaging the Russian destroyer escort.



It doesn't take long for the German battle-line to catch up. The stokers of both fleets are exhausted, after almost three hours of flank speed, but the Germans are still faster and they smoothly slot onto the Russians' side once more.



Then - the lookouts report a fire on the Pavel's deck. The Russian battle-wagon burns quite well and she seeks refuge behind her destroyers. Ideally, the Russian commander would be retreating to a harbor by now.



However, the Germans have maneuvered to cut off his escape into the gulf of Finland.



The Russian turns away toward the west, to escape the German guns; the German battleships follow in close pursuit. Büchsel splits up his forces: Wettin, Braunschweig and Hertha flank the Russians from the south, while Zähringen and Schwaben close in from the north.



However, dusk is falling. It is, after all, late November in the North. After more than six hours, Büchsel has failed to sink any of the precious Russian capital ships. Fearing that he would lose them in the dark, he orders his Zerstörer to attack.



V6 leads the charge, but it is V3 that finds a firing solution on the Pamyat Azova. At 600 yards, she drops her single fish into the water and sprints away, under the fire of the Russian's secondaries.





14:45 - The torpedo hits! The Russian ship slows and lists.



And less than a minute later, a second torpedo (this one launched by V4) also makes contact.



The Russian is done.



Night falls; and visibility drops sharply to less than 3,000 yards. The Germans lose contact with the Pavel; Büchsel decides to risk a night-time pursuit. He orders the light cruisers out on scouting runs.



15:47 - The Hela and Frauenlob spot the Pavel! She's making full speed toward the north. They close in but, in the darkness and light snowfall, they do not dare launch any torpedoes.



The Pavel is still terrified. She turns hard to port, trying to avoid them; and runs straight into Zähringen and Schwaben, at under 2,000 yards.





The following seconds are a mess of fire, smoke and thunder, as all ships maneuver frantically to avoid collisions and torpedoes. When it clears, the V4 is sinking, blown to Kingdom Come by the Pavel's secondaries; and the Pavel itself has slipped away.



Büchsel curses; and requests a sitrep from the remaining two Zerstörers. They have both expended their torpedoes; their anti-capital punch is spent. That settles the matter for Büchsel



He turns the fleet around and makes course for Germany. He will not risk his ships further in a night action and snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.



And it's a good victory - nobody can deny that. Büchsel's ships are damaged and he lost a Zerstörer, but he has sunk one of the two remaining Russian battleships and a destroyer for no caital losses of his own. .



Once again, many thanks to the Admiralitätsarchiv for their kind permission to reproduce the chart of the battle. Note the near-parallel running of the two fleets for its near-entirety: this was a textbook 'line' battle from both sides.





Truly, the Kaiser had nothing to reproach his sailors for. An honourable victory, if not as total as the Admiralität had hoped for.



« Last Edit: May 31, 2018, 10:26:52 am by Enioch »
'Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent'  -Salvor Hardin, "Foundation"

So don't take a hammer to your computer. ;-)

 

Offline StarSlayer

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    • Steam
Re: Enioch's naval shenanigans - RTW as Germany - [Image Heavy!]
 :( Oh no not the Azova.  If you let her live then the Russians would of assume it was a viable design. :drevil:
“Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world”

 

Offline Spoon

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Re: Enioch's naval shenanigans - RTW as Germany - [Image Heavy!]
Speaking of that silly Russian battleboat, how viable would a 'secondary' battleship actually be in the early stages? I'm thinking fast speed, good armor and then just a ****load of medium sized guns and some torptubes, save weight on the heavy main gunturrets. Close the distance and brawl like crazy.
Urutorahappī!!

[02:42] <@Axem> spoon somethings wrong
[02:42] <@Axem> critically wrong
[02:42] <@Axem> im happy with these missions now
[02:44] <@Axem> well
[02:44] <@Axem> with 2 of them

 

Offline Enioch

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Re: Enioch's naval shenanigans - RTW as Germany - [Image Heavy!]
Frankly, I don't know. Presumably, it could be a good cruiser-killer.

However, the thing about a secondary-based battleship is that, eventually, gradual improvements in AP projectiles and fire control make main batteries increasingly better by, say, 1905-1910. At which point, predreads remain relevant only if they have a good main battery, because any BB / BC has enough guns to solorape any one (or even two) predreads.

So, a secondary-based B should only remain relevant until 1905-ish. And why would you build anything like that?

Also, keep in mind that secondaries are aimed with iron sights until the discovery of 'secondary directors'. So, you may have the equivalent of a light cruiser strapped to each side of your BB, but you won't be hitting **** early on.
'Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent'  -Salvor Hardin, "Foundation"

So don't take a hammer to your computer. ;-)

 

Offline Enioch

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"It would be petty of me to not admit Vizeadmiral Büchsel's genius in not taking any chances and succeeding in not losing the war in a nighttime ambush. His handling of the German battle-line was exceptional in Gotland; and I have no doubts that his tactics won us the war.

"I am happy to say that, by the end of the battle, Herr Admiral Büchsel and I were in full accord regarding the future of the Hochseeflotte. The battleships were truly powerful weapons; but, for all their armor, they were surprisingly fragile against a single torpedo. If the German fleet were to take its place in the sun, we had to somehow address this matter - and we also had to make Herr von Tirpitz and His Majesty see that a radical redesign of our capitals was in order"

-Vizeadm. Galster K (post mort.) 1956, The Naval Question: Collected Papers and Letters, edited by Dr. Ernst Jablonka, Universitätsverlag Heidelberg.





Upon the return of the fleet, the Kaiser was quick to go public with statements regarding the "final destruction of the Russian fleet" and the "unquestioned supremacy of the Kaiserliche Marine". Most of the officers were glad for the praise; but they also were grimly aware of the fact that the latest sinking of the Pamyat Azova, which the Kaiser was eager to attribute to his battleships, was, in fact, once again, the work of Galster's Zerstörer.

For once, von Mecklenburg did not have to bring the two Admiralität factions together. Both Tirpitz (under the strong prompting of Büchsel) and Galster had learned their lesson. Galster made the first move, approaching Tirpitz with his concerns regarding "the survivability of battleships in the modern battlefield against light forces and torpedo warfare" and with a detailed list of how Tirpitz' behemoths might be better fortified against torpedo attacks; Tirpitz, in turn, was quick to release further funds for the expansion of colonial harbors in Africa and the Pacific. Finally the two admiralty factions were working to complement instead of undermine each other.



He also agreed on the need for new screening cruisers and authorised the accellerated completion of the light cruiser Ariadne. The ship was commissioned on the 30th of November and Galster was very appreciative of the reinforcement of his cruiser forces. In collaboration with von Holtzendorff, he began drawing up a detailed, statistics-based plan for the interception of Russian raiders in the upcoming weeks.



Fortunately, it never became necessary to put their plan into action. On the 29th of November, Russia sued for peace: their ports blockaded and their armies in full retreat. The Kaiser requested the Navy's input and the Admiralität was quick to proclaim that, with a few more months, they could park their ships in Finnish and Russian ports unopposed. The Kaiser was at the verge of demanding Russia's unconditional surrender, encouraged to no small degree by von Bülow - but then, von Mecklenburg pushed, and pushed hard.



He arranged for the Kaiser to be invited to Mecklenburg, where the Herzog's nephew, Großherzog Friedrich Franz IV von Mecklenburg-Schwerin had recently come of age and assumed his ruling duties. He also arranged for the Kaiser to participate in one of the greatest deer-culling hunts of the last decade. Wilhelm, being a self-professed hunting enthusiast and constantly pampered by the von Meklenburg family, became particularly susceptible to the Herzog's influence. By the end of the hunt, Wilhelm was perceiving the emissaries of von Bülow as constant annoyances; and was becoming increasingly receptive to von Mecklenburg's ideas.

The latter informed the Kaiser of 'conspiracies' in western Europe; of French and British plans to undermine German power, if the Russian bear were to collapse. The apparent balance of power in Europe had to be maintained, von Mecklenburg claimed, or France would come to Russia's aid, no matter their previous statements. Not to mention the danger of British involvement...

The Kaiser was incensed: both at the implication that German policies should be suggested by the approval or disapproval of the 'old enemies' and at the fact that von Bülow had failed to bring this to his attention. "If all of my victories should be rendered void by a word of the British," he is said to have exclaimed, "then should I mail my crown to Buckingham Palace and be done with it?"

Von Mecklenburg's strength of personality once again saved the day. He opened up with a barrage of encouragement, declarations of fealty and appeal to sentimentality that would have made Bismarck blush; and followed with a proposed plan that seized the Kaiser's fancy. Once again, the Kaiser overruled his Chancellor's emissaries by appointing von Mecklenburg as his own personal representative to the peace talks; von Bülow could no longer ignore the increasingly relevant Herzog. A silent war was to begin between the two; a war that would rage behind the scenes for the following year.



But for now, von Mecklenburg revealed his master plan. A peace was signed; a very generous peace, the purpose of which was to, primarily, reassure the French and British and, secondly, lay the foundations of Germany's rise.



The Russians came to the table prepared to reluctantly yield some of their territories in the Far East - perhaps Sakhalin? They were stunned when von Mecklenburg informed them that Germany was completely uninterested in any sort of territorial annexation. Instead, he negotiated for trading deals and resource exploitation. For the next ten years Germany would receive tribute in the form of raw resources: coil, oil and ores from the massive stores of the Russian hinterland. No tolls would be in effect. German industrialists would be given access and the rights to select mining zones in Siberia - zones that the Russians were barely utilising anyway.

By mid-December, von Mecklenburg had the Russians tripping over themselves to sign the proposed peace; an arrangement that they considered a bargain compared to what they had been expecting. What they failed to realise was that "Johnny's Danegeld", as the British press came to call the peace, would fuel a massive wave of German industrialisation over the upcoming years.

The Kaiser sang von Mecklenburg's praise from the rooftops; von Bülow seethed.



Sadly, any profits for the Germans were still in the not-so-near future. For now, the Admiralität had to suffer a significant curtailing of their budget. Thankfully, they had been aware of that possibility and had accordingly limited their expenses: even after the signing of the peace treaty, they were still saving more than a million Goldmarken monthly, for the time when they would be needed.



And, after all, their budget was nothing to be scoffed at. True, it was less than half of what the damned British spent on their ships, but it was more than the French! Or any other European power!



Christmas 1901: and there was much rejoicing! The new docks in Emden and Wilhelmshaven were completed and a massive victory celebration took place, with an impressive fireworks display organised by the Admiralität. The Kaiser was throughly gejubelt by the attending crowds, to his immense satisfaction.



Also - research! Finally fuelled by a joint Tirpitz - Galster push, the R & D department delivered to the grim satisfaction of both parties. First - the promised safety valves were rushed into production, ensuring that German machinery would be lighter and more reliable.



Then - to the palm-rubbing glee of Galster, a working prototype of a military submarine vessel, armed with torpedoes, was submitted for consideration of the admiralty.



And, following that, improved, more destructive shells were introduced.



Finally, by February, designs for improved compartmentalisation were submitted. Both Tirpitz and Galster received those with barely-suppressed glee. Plans were drawn for the installation of 'bulges' and double bottoms on all German warships; the docks in the Baltic worked around the clock.



And the docks themselves were further expanded. Tirpitz expected to be able to lay down 22k-ton capital ships by March 1903.







Meanwhile, Galster was busy with reworking his cruiser fleet. Bremen and Ariadne were commissioned and completed their shakedown cruises in early 1902.



So, when the Kaiser 'suggested' that a world cruise of a few German ships was in order, the Admiralität was not averse to sending their newest ships out. The Mecklenburg, escorted by the Bremen and Ariadne circumnavigated the world, in a mission to display the power of the Kaiserliche Marine to all!



In May, Tirpitz unveiled the new R & D breakthrough that would make his giants more effective: massive, 6-ft rangefinders on their superstructures. Galster approved: anything to make the battleship more effective at keeping enemy cruisers away from the battle-line was a good thing.

Also, to keep Galster happy...



Ohoho. Hohoho.



Hohohohoho.



But the laying down of the first German Unterseeboote did not monopolise the Admiralität's time in June. For von Bülow saw a great opportunity to strike back against von Mecklenburg in the home front. The administration of northern Korea collapsed in bloody revolution - and von Bülow knew that German forces were standing by in Tsingtao and Kiautchou bay. In what he perceived to be a daring move, von Bülow approached the Kaiser with a plan for the annexation of northern Korea; and Tirpitz, unfamiliar with the tangled diplomatic web of colonial politics saw no reason not to commit his forces. Von Mecklenburg, in a short family trip to a Swiss Alpine resort didn't find out about this until the orders had been sent out.

It is said that when news reached him, he was having dinner with friends; he paled and near-collapsed. "In a few words," he is reported to have said, "the Kaiser has undone all of my work of peace. There will be war again in less than a year and there is nothing I can do to stop it."



Meanwhile, the German expedition was successful; northern Korea quickly fell into German hands and one more Far Eastern base was secured. Of course, what von Bülow failed to realise was that Germany was not the only player in the international game; and that his little stunt had stirred a hornet's nest.





« Last Edit: May 31, 2018, 10:26:16 am by Enioch »
'Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent'  -Salvor Hardin, "Foundation"

So don't take a hammer to your computer. ;-)

 
Re: Enioch's naval shenanigans - RTW as Germany - [Image Heavy!]
« Last Edit: March 06, 2017, 06:51:49 pm by SpardaSon21 »
17:37:02   Quanto: I want to have sexual intercourse with every space elf in existence
17:37:11   SpardaSon21: even the males?
17:37:22   Quanto: its not gay if its an elf

[21:51] <@Droid803> I now realize
[21:51] <@Droid803> this will be SLIIIIIGHTLY awkward
[21:51] <@Droid803> as this rich psychic girl will now be tsundere for a loli.
[21:51] <@Droid803> OH WELLL.

See what you're missing in #WoD and #Fsquest?

[07:57:32] <Caiaphas> inspired by HerraTohtori i built a supermaneuverable plane in ksp
[07:57:43] <Caiaphas> i just killed my pilots with a high-g maneuver
[07:58:19] <Caiaphas> apparently people can't take 20 gees for 5 continuous seconds
[08:00:11] <Caiaphas> the plane however performed admirably, and only crashed because it no longer had any guidance systems

 

Offline StarSlayer

  • 211
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    • Steam
Re: Enioch's naval shenanigans - RTW as Germany - [Image Heavy!]
Realpolitik? Try ReallyBadpolitik.



Take mein helmet and sit on it...

Dummkopf.
“Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world”

 

Offline Enioch

  • 210
  • Alternative History Word Writer

- PART 2 -
The Long War


Gefion arriving in Gensan

"The confusion in the Admiralität was palpable. At first, we were celebrating a new success of the Navy; for our part in the annexation of Northern Korea was critical. But then we received news of how our intervention had been received among the foreign powers and a cold dread seized us. For, by obeying the orders of the "Eel" and of His Majesty, we had unwittingly dramatically upset the international balance.

"The next months were, in short, terrifying. The Admiralität had always functioned under the supposition that we would know who our enemy was and that we would have the time to adjust our doctrine and strategy to best counter them. Suddenly, the entire world was a potential enemy and we had to plan without knowing what the future would hold."

-Vizeadm. Galster K (post mort.) 1956, The Naval Question: Collected Papers and Letters, edited by Dr. Ernst Jablonka, Universitätsverlag Heidelberg.



What followed the occupation of northern Korea was one of the most constantly tense situations in modern history. Within days, von Bülow's cabinet was overwhelmed by the collective pressure from the governments of Great Britain and Japan - even crippled Russia jumped on the bandwagon and, although her fleet was still a non-entity, her armies were still formidable. International press raged.

In this situation, with a three-front war a very real possibility, von Mecklenburg arrived in Berlin - and sought an immediate audience with the Kaiser. The meeting lasted several hours, with von Mecklenburg adopting - for the first time - a nearly aggressive tone in his address towards the Kaiser. In a thundering j' accuse of von Bülow's policies, he painted a terrible image of defeat and loss; and he directly compared Wilhelm's support of the Russian peace treaty with von Bülow's reckless Korean adventures.

"Your Majesty has suffered the presence of this man because he claims to be Your Majesty's servant and his words speak loyalty," the Herzog thundered, "but look at where his actions have brought us! Left on the wheel of Your Majesty's Government he will have us at war with the English and the Russians in a month. All that Your Majesty has achieved, lost, lost because Herr von Bülow wants his place in the history books as the conqueror of Korea?"

The Kaiser did not require much convincing. He had supported von Bülow because of the latter's adherence to the Kaiser's policies; but the Foreign Policy gaffe that was the Korean crisis handling was impossible to overlook. On the 20th of July 1902, von Bülow's cabinet resigned; and Wilhelm appointed von Mecklenburg as the new Chancellor, in a desperate bid to avoid (or at least delay) a war.

Von Mecklenburg had an...unorthodox plan.



First things first: the new Chancellor had not forgotten his friends in the Navy. Funds were immediately poured into a rearmament program. "However," von Mecklenburg demanded, "not a single Goldmark is to be employed for the construction of capital ships, until I give the word. Improve the fleet as you see fit; build support vessels, thicken your armor, make better shells, but I want no more battleships in the slipways for the next five months."

"Your Excellency need not fear," was the response of Tirpitz. "We have plans for the fleet and they do not involve new capital ships for the conceivable future."

And R & D turned up their sleeves. Before the end of the month, new shell designs, with improved penetrators started construction. Germany would build no more battleships - but the Schwabens would now hit like trucks.







Also, the Admiralität finally laid down twelve spanking new torpedo destroyers, named after the ill-fated V4. They were big, 600-ton ships, with four excellent 75mm guns and double the torpedo armament of the earlier V2s. They could even hit 29 knots, which was a very satisfactory speed for what Tirpitz had in mind. They would be complete in nine months; and they would be combat-ready within the year.



Also, in August, the last Victoria Louise-class cruiser, the Vineta was commissioned. The ceremony was a toned down affair; and the slipways was left empty, a testament to Germany's frozen capital ship production.



Meanwhile, von Mecklenburg had gotten busy. Germany needed allies; and she needed to keep her enemies busy. He began a two-pronged scheme: first, he approached France with overtures of peace; the 'old enemy' was, suprisingly, the most German-aligned Power in Europe. Then, he began a polemic against Japan, whom he perceived as the weakest enemy. Aided by saber-rattling from the Admiralität, he painted the Japanese as power-hungry easterners; imperialists of the worst caliber; a threat to European interests in the Far East. Was it not where they failed, that Germany had succeeded in keeping the peace?

This, of course, pissed the Japanese off to no end - but it brought the European powers to a cautious standstill. A war with Germany would, indeed, mean that the balance of power in the Far East would be shifted considerably - could they really risk the Japanese ending up dominating the South China Sea and the western Pacific?



Meanwhile, the Admiralität poured more money in their Pacific bases and stocked up on coal for her raiders. Discreetly. Carefully.



And in October - changes! Tensions rising! Arthur Balfour came to power in Great Britain and adopted a stern stance against Germany. He was also a supporter of the naval reforms promoted by the up-and-coming second sea lord "Jackie" Fisher and one of his earliest motions was a strengthening of the Grand Fleet.

Any other Chancellor would have tried to appease the Brits. Von Mecklenburg rubbed his hands in glee, lachte sich ins Fäustchen and approached the French again, pointing at the British rearmament. Did they feel...safe? Or concerned? And would they stand and watch as the Rosbifs established full and absolute control over the seas, the lifeblood of the French Empire? And would perhaps these concessions on behalf of Germany tempt the French into considering a defensive treaty?

No, of course they weren't. But they were enough for the French to deliver some sharply worded diplomatic missives to London. And tensions rose - but, interestingly, more between France and Great Britain than between the latter and Germany.



R & D submitted a design for power rammers in capital ship turrets; yet another improvement of Germany's existing battleship fleet. "Quality, quality, always the best in quality," as Tirpitz dictated.



And the shipyards went into overdrive, focusing hard on Zerstörer production. The dockyards in Wilhelmshaven even reported that they could repurpose capital ship slipways for faster (and cheaper) DD construction.



Simultaneously, the mass-production of multiple ships made the laborers develop new, faster riveting techniques.



January 1903 - and von Mecklenburg is cautiously optimistic. He has carefully balanced out tensions, in a way that would have made Bismarck twirl his mustache in approval. France and Britain are at each others' throats; Japan is too busy dealing with internal troubles to truly be a threat; Russia is slowly backing down, as no clear ally against Germany is evident. Things aren't calm, but they're manageable and nobody wants to really make the first move.

OK, OK. Germany may have gotten through this - and she's got a perfectly respectable light forces and submarine fleet out of the deal thanks to the increased budget von Mecklenburg managed to coax for the Navy.



And then, of course, in a time-honored tradition and in his eternal wisdom, His Majesty the Kaiser opens his big mouth and says something stupid for a good start of the New Year. [/kappa]



« Last Edit: May 31, 2018, 10:25:50 am by Enioch »
'Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent'  -Salvor Hardin, "Foundation"

So don't take a hammer to your computer. ;-)

 

Offline Spoon

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Re: Enioch's naval shenanigans - RTW as Germany - [Image Heavy!]
I like the Kaiser, he makes things very interesting  :lol:
Urutorahappī!!

[02:42] <@Axem> spoon somethings wrong
[02:42] <@Axem> critically wrong
[02:42] <@Axem> im happy with these missions now
[02:44] <@Axem> well
[02:44] <@Axem> with 2 of them

 

Offline Torchwood

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Re: Enioch's naval shenanigans - RTW as Germany - [Image Heavy!]
The only thing more hilarious then the Kaiser's antics is your current diplomatic situation. A pact with France, of all nations? FRANCE? From a historian's point of view, it's as if Hell has finally frozen over.
« Last Edit: March 10, 2017, 12:33:05 pm by Torchwood »

 
Re: Enioch's naval shenanigans - RTW as Germany - [Image Heavy!]
More like incompetent, Spoon.  The Kaiser has been wholly unable to antagonize the French and Italians so far, despite managing to get the rest of the world furious at him. :lol:
17:37:02   Quanto: I want to have sexual intercourse with every space elf in existence
17:37:11   SpardaSon21: even the males?
17:37:22   Quanto: its not gay if its an elf

[21:51] <@Droid803> I now realize
[21:51] <@Droid803> this will be SLIIIIIGHTLY awkward
[21:51] <@Droid803> as this rich psychic girl will now be tsundere for a loli.
[21:51] <@Droid803> OH WELLL.

See what you're missing in #WoD and #Fsquest?

[07:57:32] <Caiaphas> inspired by HerraTohtori i built a supermaneuverable plane in ksp
[07:57:43] <Caiaphas> i just killed my pilots with a high-g maneuver
[07:58:19] <Caiaphas> apparently people can't take 20 gees for 5 continuous seconds
[08:00:11] <Caiaphas> the plane however performed admirably, and only crashed because it no longer had any guidance systems

 

Offline StarSlayer

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Re: Enioch's naval shenanigans - RTW as Germany - [Image Heavy!]


Listen Willy, don't make me lean over and rough your **** up.
“Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world”

 

Offline Enioch

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  • Alternative History Word Writer
Nous sommes tous de bons amis



"His Majesty's unique talent to escalate all and every situation he was involved in rendered my service as His Majesty's Chancellor a period of unique excitement and interesting challenges. Admittedly, I found myself frequently wishing he lacked that particular talent."

-From the private writings of Herzog Johann Albrecht von Mecklenburg, Reichskanzler 1902-1920.

1903 started with von Mecklenburg scrambling for damage control. It was impossible to fully smooth over America's ruffled feathers after the Kaiser's condescending dismissal of their naval rearmament program (in all honesty, comparing the new American ships to the "undergunned, undermanned and underperforming garbage scows of the Russians" may not have been the most diplomatic of comments). However, the fact that the interests of Germany and the USA were not directly counter to each other helped von Mecklenburg prevent any...hasty action from both sides.



Meanwhile, the R & D department tested various ground-breaking options to improve the performance of German battleships. One proposal would completely remove the 6-inch secondary battery from the Schwabens and replace it with large 10-inch 'wing' turrets. (Un?)fortunately, the proposal was deemed impossible to implement, as it would place considerable stress on the battleship frames.





On the other hand, good, good news from France. The old enemy was acting considerably more friendly than usual, given the rising tensions with the Brits. Russia had proven to be a weaker ally than expected; therefore, the French were more and more receptive to overtures of peace from Germany. Possibly the most significant steps toward peace was the negotiated sale of French 13-inch gun designs to the Germans. The designs themselves had the German engineers shudder in horror at their inefficiency, but the diplomatic aspect of the deal was not to be underestimated and von Mecklenburg was very satisfied by the developments.



And, when the French destroyer Belier collided with Frauenlob during the 1903 coronation review in honour of King Edward, both parties were quick to offer profuse apologies. The event was nearly laughed over in both Admiralties and von Tirpitz even half-jokingly suggested "joint maneuvers with our French neighbours, so that such regrettable incidents might be avoided in the future". The British Foreign Ministry was both concerned and, frankly, flabbergasted by the developments.





April 1903: Great successes reported by the R & D department. Great improvements in machinery, for lighter and more reliable engines; and excellent, clear lenses for submarine periscopes. "Quality, quality, only the best in quality."





And oh my, a breakthrough in fuze technology allowed for the packing of more explosives in individual shells. Again - the Schwabens were sure to hit like trucks now.



...And the first plates of hardened steel rolled off the German foundries in June. Tirpitz was honest-to-God skipping around the Admiralität with a grin on his face and his beard waggling all over the place.



He was even more happy when von Mecklenburg released the necessary funds for the extension of the military drydocks. The construction of capital ships was still a major no-no, but Germany could very well prepare for the inevitable time when she would reinforce her battle-line again.





And in early July, the first batch of submarines rolled off the slipways. Galster was as happy as Tirpitz.





Ha. Hahaha. HAHAHAHA.



**** YOU BRITS. GERMANY HAS THE BEST FRIENDS IN THE WORLD.

WHAT IS ALSACE-LORRAINE, I DON'T EVEN.

« Last Edit: May 31, 2018, 10:25:01 am by Enioch »
'Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent'  -Salvor Hardin, "Foundation"

So don't take a hammer to your computer. ;-)

 

Offline Thisisaverylongusername

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Re: Enioch's naval shenanigans - RTW as Germany - [Image Heavy!]
Well this was unexpected. :lol:
If the opposite of pro is con, then is the opposite of progress Congress?

 

Offline Torchwood

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Re: Enioch's naval shenanigans - RTW as Germany - [Image Heavy!]
Oh. Mein. Gott. I can hardly believe it. You've really done it today. You have made the impossible possible, Großadmiral Enioch.
« Last Edit: March 10, 2017, 12:41:23 pm by Torchwood »

 

Offline The E

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Re: Enioch's naval shenanigans - RTW as Germany - [Image Heavy!]
Amazing. So Bismarck spends years and years on building a network of alliances across Europe specifically to isolate France. Then all those nations decide that they don't much like Germany, kick them out, and now the two isolated nations have to band together.

How convenient.
If I'm just aching this can't go on
I came from chasing dreams to feel alone
There must be changes, miss to feel strong
I really need lifе to touch me
--Evergrey, Where August Mourns

 

Offline Enioch

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Re: Enioch's naval shenanigans - RTW as Germany - [Image Heavy!]
Amazing. So Bismarck spends years and years on building a network of alliances across Europe specifically to isolate France. Then all those nations decide that they don't much like Germany, kick them out, and now the two isolated nations have to band together.

How convenient.

Oh. Mein. Gott. I can hardly believe it. You've really done it today. You have made the impossible possible, Großadmiral Enioch.

 :lol:

All I can say is, I hope you're satisfied with this rather unorthodox retelling of 20th-century world history.

Looking at you, The E. :D
'Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent'  -Salvor Hardin, "Foundation"

So don't take a hammer to your computer. ;-)

 

Offline JSRNerdo

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Re: Enioch's naval shenanigans - RTW as Germany - [Image Heavy!]
You just KNOW Mister Fisher's response to this will be the HMS Dreadnought: A 30 knot battleship with 4 inches of belt armour. SPEED IS ARMOUR
Former Inferno lead, BTA fredder-ish and DE fredder. Driven out by ordinary fascists the_e, aesaar and general battuta. Will return if they're ever removed.

 
Re: Enioch's naval shenanigans - RTW as Germany - [Image Heavy!]
Did you just accidently made the EU happen? :P
And prevent the rape of Belgium?
And...
« Last Edit: March 10, 2017, 02:20:43 pm by -Joshua- »

 

Offline Enioch

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Re: Enioch's naval shenanigans - RTW as Germany - [Image Heavy!]
Did you just accidently made the EU happen? :P

For a while.

Quote
And prevent the rape of Belgium?

For a while.

Quote
And...

Yes. :P

You just KNOW Mister Fisher's response to this will be the HMS Dreadnought: A 30 knot battleship with 4 inches of belt armour. SPEED IS ARMOUR

If only he were this competent...
'Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent'  -Salvor Hardin, "Foundation"

So don't take a hammer to your computer. ;-)