[TML] Molding Ships

[Charles Prevatte]

Doubtfull.

I was assuming a helecopter closer to the Vetnam era Huey's armed with
gatlin guns on the skid and in the doors.

The tracking speed of a flank panzer was not all that great even for it's
time and against pop up attacks with 6000 RPM cyclic rate 7.62 MM rounds
that open turret would quickly become a coffin.  The Flack panzer was not
very effective even against contemporary aircraft and tactic.  Also, such a
helecopter could carry combat teams with snipers, bazzookas, and demolition
teams to ruin an enemies day from behind the lines.  Helecopters unlike WW2
gliders and paratroopers can move after they land, and provide their troops
a lot of close support firepower even inside towns.  It would also not have
taken much to adapt the recoilless rifles of that day for use on these
Helecopters for anti tank work.

As for the nepalm idea, bomb sites would not have been all that necessary in
WW1.  A low pass with a single large bomb, that spread on impact like modern
naplam dropped weapons would open a large whole in the lines.

You would only need a few such surprises to gain a tactical advantage that
you could turn into a strategic victory.  And remember that the "space men"
would have all of history including what we would consider the furture to
use for reference.

Think about operation Market Garden.  What would a dozen Huey's gunships
with gatlin guns have done to hold the "bridge to far"?  Each helecopter
could have brought in 12 new soilders and equipment per trip and provided
close air support on the way out.  Add to this that they could have deployed
combat engineers behind the enemy to take out bridges that allowed
reinforcement to reach the bridge and overwhelm the partroopers trying to
hold it.

To tell the truth Market Garden could have used a good deal more air
support, even for it's time and with what they had. If the allies could had
put enough fire power on the east side of that bridge the paratroopers would
have had a lot easier time of it.  Or if their had been a second wave of
paratroopers in reserve to support the first, or if the relief force had
been able to move a little faster (fat chance on that road), things might
have been different.  Like the general said at the time, they went a bridge
to far.  They just did not have enough, to hold that bridge.

Charles L.



> -----Original Message-----
> From: tml-bounces at travellercentral.com
> [mailto:tml-bounces at travellercentral.com]On Behalf Of Bruce Johnson
> Sent: Monday, October 01, 2007 7:25 PM
> To: The Traveller Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [TML] Molding Ships
>
>
>
> On Oct 1, 2007, at 2:21 PM, Charles Prevatte wrote:
>
> > What would air dropped nepalm done to the trench warfare of WW1?
>
> Turned it into 'Not Trench Warfare anymore'.
>
> >  Or the
> > Gatlin gun and helecopter to WW2?
>
> Meant lots more of these <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wirbelwind>
> and lots of blown-up helicopters.
>
> --
> Bruce Johnson
> University of Arizona
> College of Pharmacy
> Information Technology Group
>
> Institutions do not have opinions, merely customs
>
>
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