[TML] Molding Ships

Tue Oct 2 14:35:17 MDT 2007

> -----Original Message-----
> From: tml-bounces at travellercentral.com
> [mailto:tml-bounces at travellercentral.com]On Behalf Of Tom Cusworth
> Sent: Tuesday, October 02, 2007 1:57 PM
> To: The Traveller Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [TML] Molding Ships
>
>
> On 02/10/2007, James Ramsay <quakers_united at yahoo.com.au> wrote:
> >
> >
> > If they had enough transport aircraft Market Garden would have been a
> > lot closer to success. The main issue was lack of momentum early in the
> > battle due to low numbers of troops (of course if the game _Close
> > Combat: A bridge to far_ is to be believed, I can hold off whole
> > companies with two MG-42's). But I don't think a dozen helo's would cut
> > it.
> >
> > In a situation like WWII when you generally need things *now*, would it
> > be worthwhile to make high tech boondoggles, or increase the manufacture
> > of already proven (though sub-par) equipment? Especially when plain bad
> > luck (rifle fire, engine failure etc) could take out a rare high tech
> > toy.  The Soviets won WWII with masses of cheap weapons and simplistic
> > tactics. Making the T-34/85 a few years earlier would achieve more then
> > a few super tanks.
> >
> > The best use of high tech to improve WWII would be satellites (or high
> > orbit UAV's)  and networked logistics. Market Garden failure was down to
> > poor logistics.
> >

Sorry, you missed the point.  I was mainly talking about what a very small
group of "space men" and their ship could have done reasonably in that
situation.  Even a very few spy or comunications sats would have taken more
tech than could be cobbled together from one small space ship.  While
upgradeing a factory, or even several, to produce year 2000+ engines for
helecopters would have been trivial.  Boot straping the electronics era in
the WW1 era would have been nearly imposible due to the ammount of
supporting technologies that would have to also be boot strapped.  But high
grade light engines for choppers and/or aircraft is mostly limited by
tollerences in the machine processes available at that time.  The best use
of the available computing power would be to improve a factory to produce a
product that could tip the balence of the war.  By your own statement above
you yourself say as much.  But satalites are not simple easy to produce
things, and they take a lot more than just improved machining.  The same
would apply to SAMs, to much electronics to boot strap.  You could manage a
LAWs rocket factory, an engine factory for helecopters, Jets, or better prop
engines.  And Gatling guns would be very easy if you already had the plans
on file.

You could also just give your side the modern tank tread clutch (it took a
long time to get that one right) or the design for the M1A1 engine.  It
could not be built properly without modern machining, but then you would be
helping there as well.

Boot strapping the micro electronics industry would take advances in 100s of
support technologies.  It would take longer than the war would last.

A simpler solution would be to use the ships systems to build a very small
number of A-bombs, to remove key targets.  Even one such weapon could tip
the balence.  Think of how things might have turned out if the attack on
Perl Habor had been made with a high megaton nuke, particularly a dirty one
that would have denighed the US the use of Perl and it's facilaties for the
rest of the War.

Charles L.

> > --
> > the_raptor
> > "As for sniping... Dude, I was a freaking sniper!
> > It's what I do!" - Doug Berry
> >
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> >
>
> Erm,
>
> I thought the failure of Market Garden was due to a number of factors, not
> least of which was the terrible prevalence of fog in the South of England
> after the initial drop of the British 1st Airborne. This prevented
> reinforcement by the Polish until Thursday, September 21st
> (IIRC). The other
> main factor in the faiure of the assault was, as correctly
> pointed out, the
> inadequacy of the Dutch road system, which prevented XXX Corps
> moving up to
> Arnhem swiftly enough to intevene in the battle for the bridge across the
> Rhine.
>
> It's an interesting thought to imagine what difference helicopters would
> have made, though. What about 60 or 70 ATGMs? Or man-portable integrated
> radio system, allowing integrated command & control of dispersed units? Or
> even a NAW capability for aircraft?
>
> -Tom
>
> --
> Blessed are the cheapskates, for they shall see god and still
> have change of
> a fiver - Tom Holt, Valhalla.
>
> Want Googlemail? Ask me & I'll invite you!
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