- Location
- Seattle, Washington
Considerable tech variation means there will be a random divergence from real life tech, right? Any idea what divergence has happened?
Angry Imperialist Spreadsheet Hell: Let's Play Rule The Waves 3
- Thread starter Jenny
- Start date
- Let's Play
Century of Hell IV, 1923-1933: Field Trials
Jenny
anonymous user
- Location
- maryland
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Initial moves: deploy a sizable force to the North Sea to protect Norway and Iceland, while also deploying a squadron in Southeast Asia to protect American holdings there and seize French holdings there. The first action of the war, though, involves a coastal raid in the Bay of Biscay, which doesn't quite go as planned:
Japan joining the war on our side is nice, admittedly. A month later, off the North American West Coast, USS Bismarck sinks the French raider Isly:
By February, Britain has joined the war, and with the strongest neutral power pitted against us, I unleash the subs. In the Southeast Asian theater, the invasion of northern Vietnam fails, despite a successful bombardment mission:
So instead, I shift focus to an invasion of British-occupied Jamaica. Japan, our old rival, now offers an alliance, which I accept... but just a month later, the British and French offer peace, and our governments agree to it. At least the initial postwar budget cuts aren't too bad, and are quickly reversed. With Japan as my ally, I design a new heavy cruiser in their shipyards, the fast Rochester class:
I also order a new destroyer design, named after a Filipino sailor who won the Medal of Honor in 1915:
In 1925, Italy goes fascist, leading me to reject the sale of an obsolete USN battleship to them. Spain, however, buys my old cruiser Gettysburg. 1926 also sees me plan a true fleet carrier, the USS Langley... in Austro-Hungarian yards, of all places:
The Italian fascists ally with Russia, pushing me to more strongly align with Japan, and to prepare for a future war by initiating special damage control training. The year also sees me reject the Naval Secretary's latest 'suggestion'... but not a further suggestion to build new destroyers:
Nor a 1928 suggestion to lay down new battleships (the Oregon class, laid down in Japanese yards). Japanese-Russian relations continue to decline, and by the end of the year, this leads to war; the US Congress agrees to join the war soon after:
Total tonnage: 848,100 tons (including 30 subs of different types) [+130,300 tons building]
Foreign-built USN tonnage: 520,300 tons [+127,300 tons building]
Curse: met for 1928
Dock size lost from lack of orders: 2,500 tons
My first move of this new war is to blockade Russian waters via the approaches from the Baltic and Archangelsk, while sending a squadron to support the IJN in the Sea of Japan. Yet the first USN battle of the war is fought by the US Navy alone, with no support from the Japanese:
Russian torpedoes prove dangerous, and with our forces outnumbered and with the weather not the least bit conducive to flight operations, we withdraw towards Korea. At least the Army is doing better. We attempt to open a second front at Shanghai, and with the IJN still unwilling or unable to support us, we find our squadron outnumbered... though not outmatched, despite more Russian torpedoes, in part thanks to airpower and in part thanks to my battleline shooting every main-battery shell they had:
Still, the invasion fails, and Italy joins the war.
January 1930, time for math again:
Total tonnage: 837,800 tons (including 19 subs of different types) [+92,900 tons building]
Foreign-built USN tonnage: 509,000 tons [+85,700 tons building]
Curse: met for 1930
Dock size lost from lack of orders: 2,500 tons
Not long after, Austria-Hungary joins the war on our side, and after a few months, we agree to a formal alliance. A small USN squadron enters the Mediterranean to support the Austro-Hungarian blockade of Italy, and three USN destroyers join two Austro-Hungarian ones in a raid on Italian shipping in Dalmatia:
A month later, my small Moroccan squadron desperately attempts to disrupt an Italian attack on a convoy to America's African protectorate:
While my outmatched and obsolete ships don't manage to do much to the Italian battlecruisers and battleships, they do distract them long enough for the convoy to get away. Back off Hainan, the USN intercepts and damages Russian destroyers:
And back home, I plan a new US-built fleet carrier, with a potent flak armament and a fairly large airgroup. Soon after, Russia and Italy sue for peace; America establishes a protectorate over the Tsarist territory of Kamchatka, in the North Pacific, and we secure reparations from the Fascists and Tsarists. Japan ends their alliance with us in response.
While the American public remains broadly favorable towards Japan, we still design an American-built version of the Japanese-built Lingayen-class light cruiser... but as the early 1930s move forward, and as German-American relations decline, we go to Austria-Hungary for our new battleship:
Airpower remains America's strength, and to preserve that strength, we invest in an air-sea rescue service, as well as in a new light carrier for 1933:
***
A decade in the books; I think I can call this an update.
Japan joining the war on our side is nice, admittedly. A month later, off the North American West Coast, USS Bismarck sinks the French raider Isly:
By February, Britain has joined the war, and with the strongest neutral power pitted against us, I unleash the subs. In the Southeast Asian theater, the invasion of northern Vietnam fails, despite a successful bombardment mission:
So instead, I shift focus to an invasion of British-occupied Jamaica. Japan, our old rival, now offers an alliance, which I accept... but just a month later, the British and French offer peace, and our governments agree to it. At least the initial postwar budget cuts aren't too bad, and are quickly reversed. With Japan as my ally, I design a new heavy cruiser in their shipyards, the fast Rochester class:
I also order a new destroyer design, named after a Filipino sailor who won the Medal of Honor in 1915:
In 1925, Italy goes fascist, leading me to reject the sale of an obsolete USN battleship to them. Spain, however, buys my old cruiser Gettysburg. 1926 also sees me plan a true fleet carrier, the USS Langley... in Austro-Hungarian yards, of all places:
The Italian fascists ally with Russia, pushing me to more strongly align with Japan, and to prepare for a future war by initiating special damage control training. The year also sees me reject the Naval Secretary's latest 'suggestion'... but not a further suggestion to build new destroyers:
Nor a 1928 suggestion to lay down new battleships (the Oregon class, laid down in Japanese yards). Japanese-Russian relations continue to decline, and by the end of the year, this leads to war; the US Congress agrees to join the war soon after:
Total tonnage: 848,100 tons (including 30 subs of different types) [+130,300 tons building]
Foreign-built USN tonnage: 520,300 tons [+127,300 tons building]
Curse: met for 1928
Dock size lost from lack of orders: 2,500 tons
My first move of this new war is to blockade Russian waters via the approaches from the Baltic and Archangelsk, while sending a squadron to support the IJN in the Sea of Japan. Yet the first USN battle of the war is fought by the US Navy alone, with no support from the Japanese:
Russian torpedoes prove dangerous, and with our forces outnumbered and with the weather not the least bit conducive to flight operations, we withdraw towards Korea. At least the Army is doing better. We attempt to open a second front at Shanghai, and with the IJN still unwilling or unable to support us, we find our squadron outnumbered... though not outmatched, despite more Russian torpedoes, in part thanks to airpower and in part thanks to my battleline shooting every main-battery shell they had:
Still, the invasion fails, and Italy joins the war.
January 1930, time for math again:
Total tonnage: 837,800 tons (including 19 subs of different types) [+92,900 tons building]
Foreign-built USN tonnage: 509,000 tons [+85,700 tons building]
Curse: met for 1930
Dock size lost from lack of orders: 2,500 tons
Not long after, Austria-Hungary joins the war on our side, and after a few months, we agree to a formal alliance. A small USN squadron enters the Mediterranean to support the Austro-Hungarian blockade of Italy, and three USN destroyers join two Austro-Hungarian ones in a raid on Italian shipping in Dalmatia:
A month later, my small Moroccan squadron desperately attempts to disrupt an Italian attack on a convoy to America's African protectorate:
While my outmatched and obsolete ships don't manage to do much to the Italian battlecruisers and battleships, they do distract them long enough for the convoy to get away. Back off Hainan, the USN intercepts and damages Russian destroyers:
And back home, I plan a new US-built fleet carrier, with a potent flak armament and a fairly large airgroup. Soon after, Russia and Italy sue for peace; America establishes a protectorate over the Tsarist territory of Kamchatka, in the North Pacific, and we secure reparations from the Fascists and Tsarists. Japan ends their alliance with us in response.
While the American public remains broadly favorable towards Japan, we still design an American-built version of the Japanese-built Lingayen-class light cruiser... but as the early 1930s move forward, and as German-American relations decline, we go to Austria-Hungary for our new battleship:
Airpower remains America's strength, and to preserve that strength, we invest in an air-sea rescue service, as well as in a new light carrier for 1933:
***
A decade in the books; I think I can call this an update.
Technically, it means tech can arrive sooner or later than IRL, with varying effectiveness; I'm not sure exactly what divergences have happened, but airpower seems a touch more effective than IRL, and ASW warfare may well be progressing faster than submarine warfare -- my sub force suffered brutal losses during my recent wars.
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- Location
- Seattle, Washington
There is also tech quirks, which is what I meant. I couldn't find much information on all the possible quirks, but there will only be 1 quirk active in a game, and here is a partial list of possible quirks that I was able to find:
TechQuirk=0 = nothing (normal tech)
TechQuirk=1 =
TechQuirk=2 = torpedos suck
TechQuirk=3 = double and triple turrets bad
TechQuirk=4 = low penetration
TechQuirk=5 = engines suck
TechQuirk=6 =
TechQuirk=7 =
TechQuirk=8 =
TechQuirk=9 =
TechQuirk=1 =
TechQuirk=2 = torpedos suck
TechQuirk=3 = double and triple turrets bad
TechQuirk=4 = low penetration
TechQuirk=5 = engines suck
TechQuirk=6 =
TechQuirk=7 =
TechQuirk=8 =
TechQuirk=9 =
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Jenny
anonymous user
- Location
- maryland
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Ah! I did not know about that term for it (I've seen 'double/triple turrets suck' before). Haven't seen any yet at the moment!
Century of Hell V, 1933-1944: Contract Negotiations
Jenny
anonymous user
- Location
- maryland
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Not long into 1934, the RAF shows that airpower is a strength of theirs, as well. The resulting budget increase sees me go to my ally for a new cruiser design, based on the Rochester class:
Rather awkwardly, Naval Intelligence determines that Austria-Hungary has been spying on us around the same time. In October, the French fascists seize control of Greece... but news headlines shift focus to lighter topics not too long after... like air racing! And less light topics, like America being up to our usual bullshit south of Panama!
Intelligence reveals that Tsarist light cruisers have gotten rather fast:
A third Russo-Japanese war breaks out, and the Japanese get off to a hot start. Meanwhile, back in the US, the economy of the mid-1930s is booming, but popular unrest is growing at the USN's outsized budget, leading to social welfare programs... but also to a new large USN carrier class:
and to an Austrian-built large light cruiser class, funded in part by the shuttering of the airship corps:
Intelligence gathers info on the RN this time, while radio direction finding is all the rage in the headlines of Popular Mechanics... but it's not until August 1937 that the first practical ship-based radar is available to the US Navy, putting us behind the British. Just a month later, I advise that we ease tensions with Britain, as I have no interest in an Anglo-American war at present. I do, however, have a great deal of interest in fighting fascist Italy, and force them to back down from an attempt to seize Rhodes.
By the fall, tensions continue to rise, in part thanks to us assuring the Austrians that we will back them against the Italians; sure enough, in November, my ally goes to war, and the US goes along with it.
Stop! Math time:
Total tonnage: 1,088,400 tons (including 31 subs of different types) [+138,700 tons building]
Foreign-built USN tonnage: 662,200 tons [+47,500 tons building]
Curse: met for 1937
Dock size lost from lack of orders: 3,000 tons
The opening engagement of the war sees a capital ship lost by each side; a raider battle in January sees USS Gary explode in a flash fire while fighting an Italian heavy cruiser:
The US Navy arrives in force in the Mediterranean in February; our plan is to invade Sardinia from our Moroccan bases while the Hapsburg fleet keeps the Italians tied up. As we prepare for the invasion, the USN distracts a portion of the Regia Marina, allowing the Austro-Hungarians to take advantage:
And with another capital ship down for the count, the Italians are unable to contest the landings in April; the same month, USS Utica avenges the Gary:
The invasion bogs down in the Sardinian countryside, and the Army takes a larger share of the budget. Another attempt by the Italians to run the blockade fails, and in July, the USN has our first fleet action of this war:
Radar allowed me to organize a concerted destroyer ambush, and when daylight came, my modern battleships came in to finish off the Italian capitals. The next month sees even closer Austro-American cooperation, with a bloody action against Italy's Italia-class BCs (at one point the largest in the world) distracting the RM long enough for the Hapsburgs to sink another battleship:
And in October, Italy sues for peace. Austria-Hungary retakes control of Dalmatia... and we force the fascists to concede control of Sardinia to a new Republic under our protection.
As we approach 1940, I decide to order a British light destroyer, fast to build and relatively speedy on the high seas:
And with the Austrians ending their alliance, I order a German heavy cruiser design:
But only the lead Conyngham-class destroyer commissions by January 1940. Math time again!
Total tonnage: 1,137,800 tons (including 23 subs of different types) [+101,900 tons building]
Foreign-built USN tonnage: 669,000 tons [+27,900 tons building]
Curse: met for 1940
Dock size lost from lack of orders: 3,000 tons
As technology marches onward, I order a destroyer class ready for fitting-out with more advanced radar:
And in March 1941, I push for even more funding to the Navy, in part so I can order three German-built large battleships and fulfill a Presidential 'request' for more BBs:
A year later, I tweak the San Francisco into the smaller, slower, but better-protected and locally-built Galveston-class CL:
And in 1943, I find time for a top priority of the USN: the Army-Navy football game, of course! (And yet another destroyer design, with even better radar):
In August, the US Navy starts down a path of operating anti-ship missiles, even as we still find time for air racing... but all the money Congress has been tossing our way (instead of actually helping the average citizen) leads to civil unrest and protests by early 1944. Still, we begin adapting the emerging technology of the turbojet engine to naval aviation, and turn the aging battlecruiser USS Constitution into a gunnery target. Our spies in fascist France come back with the plans for the latest French heavy cruiser...
But in June, with protests against naval expenditures continuing to mount at home and with the three South Dakotas commissioning that month, I take a soft stance at the latest disarmament treaty talks (which amount to nothing... yet). And just a few months later, the ruinous arms race between Germany, Britain, and the US comes to a close... for now, at least.
We shed one ancient carrier, two larger carriers under construction, both battlecruisers, and three battleships, plus aging 3 heavy cruisers, an old light cruiser, 20 submarines, two colonial corvettes, and no less than 26 destroyers. But we "won" the arms race, and hopefully the public will calm down.
Who knows, we might even see peace in our time.
Rather awkwardly, Naval Intelligence determines that Austria-Hungary has been spying on us around the same time. In October, the French fascists seize control of Greece... but news headlines shift focus to lighter topics not too long after... like air racing! And less light topics, like America being up to our usual bullshit south of Panama!
Intelligence reveals that Tsarist light cruisers have gotten rather fast:
A third Russo-Japanese war breaks out, and the Japanese get off to a hot start. Meanwhile, back in the US, the economy of the mid-1930s is booming, but popular unrest is growing at the USN's outsized budget, leading to social welfare programs... but also to a new large USN carrier class:
and to an Austrian-built large light cruiser class, funded in part by the shuttering of the airship corps:
Intelligence gathers info on the RN this time, while radio direction finding is all the rage in the headlines of Popular Mechanics... but it's not until August 1937 that the first practical ship-based radar is available to the US Navy, putting us behind the British. Just a month later, I advise that we ease tensions with Britain, as I have no interest in an Anglo-American war at present. I do, however, have a great deal of interest in fighting fascist Italy, and force them to back down from an attempt to seize Rhodes.
By the fall, tensions continue to rise, in part thanks to us assuring the Austrians that we will back them against the Italians; sure enough, in November, my ally goes to war, and the US goes along with it.
Stop! Math time:
Total tonnage: 1,088,400 tons (including 31 subs of different types) [+138,700 tons building]
Foreign-built USN tonnage: 662,200 tons [+47,500 tons building]
Curse: met for 1937
Dock size lost from lack of orders: 3,000 tons
The opening engagement of the war sees a capital ship lost by each side; a raider battle in January sees USS Gary explode in a flash fire while fighting an Italian heavy cruiser:
The US Navy arrives in force in the Mediterranean in February; our plan is to invade Sardinia from our Moroccan bases while the Hapsburg fleet keeps the Italians tied up. As we prepare for the invasion, the USN distracts a portion of the Regia Marina, allowing the Austro-Hungarians to take advantage:
And with another capital ship down for the count, the Italians are unable to contest the landings in April; the same month, USS Utica avenges the Gary:
The invasion bogs down in the Sardinian countryside, and the Army takes a larger share of the budget. Another attempt by the Italians to run the blockade fails, and in July, the USN has our first fleet action of this war:
Radar allowed me to organize a concerted destroyer ambush, and when daylight came, my modern battleships came in to finish off the Italian capitals. The next month sees even closer Austro-American cooperation, with a bloody action against Italy's Italia-class BCs (at one point the largest in the world) distracting the RM long enough for the Hapsburgs to sink another battleship:
And in October, Italy sues for peace. Austria-Hungary retakes control of Dalmatia... and we force the fascists to concede control of Sardinia to a new Republic under our protection.
As we approach 1940, I decide to order a British light destroyer, fast to build and relatively speedy on the high seas:
And with the Austrians ending their alliance, I order a German heavy cruiser design:
But only the lead Conyngham-class destroyer commissions by January 1940. Math time again!
Total tonnage: 1,137,800 tons (including 23 subs of different types) [+101,900 tons building]
Foreign-built USN tonnage: 669,000 tons [+27,900 tons building]
Curse: met for 1940
Dock size lost from lack of orders: 3,000 tons
As technology marches onward, I order a destroyer class ready for fitting-out with more advanced radar:
And in March 1941, I push for even more funding to the Navy, in part so I can order three German-built large battleships and fulfill a Presidential 'request' for more BBs:
A year later, I tweak the San Francisco into the smaller, slower, but better-protected and locally-built Galveston-class CL:
And in 1943, I find time for a top priority of the USN: the Army-Navy football game, of course! (And yet another destroyer design, with even better radar):
In August, the US Navy starts down a path of operating anti-ship missiles, even as we still find time for air racing... but all the money Congress has been tossing our way (instead of actually helping the average citizen) leads to civil unrest and protests by early 1944. Still, we begin adapting the emerging technology of the turbojet engine to naval aviation, and turn the aging battlecruiser USS Constitution into a gunnery target. Our spies in fascist France come back with the plans for the latest French heavy cruiser...
But in June, with protests against naval expenditures continuing to mount at home and with the three South Dakotas commissioning that month, I take a soft stance at the latest disarmament treaty talks (which amount to nothing... yet). And just a few months later, the ruinous arms race between Germany, Britain, and the US comes to a close... for now, at least.
We shed one ancient carrier, two larger carriers under construction, both battlecruisers, and three battleships, plus aging 3 heavy cruisers, an old light cruiser, 20 submarines, two colonial corvettes, and no less than 26 destroyers. But we "won" the arms race, and hopefully the public will calm down.
Who knows, we might even see peace in our time.
Century of Hell VI, 1944-1960: Renegotiation
Jenny
anonymous user
- Location
- maryland
- Pronouns
- She/Her
As the treaty era begins, I take steps to manage my unrest, even at the cost of my budget and perhaps my reputation. France fudges the numbers to keep building their Bearn-class carriers, fascist cheats that they are; I do not fudge the numbers on my newest jet-capable carrier:
Meanwhile, Sumatra liberates itself from the tyranny of... the US. Oh right. Villain protagonist tag. Still, I may be running the navy of an empire, but I won't tolerate absurdly harsh discipline within that navy. I've got other things in mind, including developing a jet-capable light carrier:
And also once again telling the government they can stop spending so much on us, and start spending more on the public welfare. They don't listen, until unrest forces them to. World politics continues along, with certain significant events leading to other events, and soon enough, it's January 1950.
Time for math!
Total tonnage: 1,079,600 tons (including 4 long-range and 12 minelaying subs) [+29,900 tons building]
Foreign-built USN tonnage: 595,700 tons [+14,000 tons building]
Curse: met for 1950
Dock size lost from lack of orders: 3,000 tons
A year later, and diplomacy with Spain leads to another round of arms limitation talks... that we deliberately sabotage, though it's ultimately the Soviets who get blamed for the treaty's collapse. In short order, I go to the Spanish to design a massive new dreadnought, bigger than anything the USN has:
And with worse radar and no autoloaders, awkwardly. Still, 18" shells are pretty deadly, so I feel happy about this... but the design study isn't even complete when Germany declares war. A convoy raid off Dakar goes badly, in part from none of my anti-ship missiles ever managing to get a lock before the enemy's battlecruiser opened up, but the Austro-Hungarians decide to fight Germany as well:
The war gives me the opportunity to start fitting angled flight decks to my largest carriers... and the next naval battle of the war, a cruiser battle near Norway, goes rather better for the USN:
But soon it comes time for the battleships to see action, with my South Dakotas and USS Colorado going up against five German capitals (including both treaty battleships and the massive Rheinland):
Another battle in the North Sea sees me cripple two German battleships, and a convoy battle off Iceland sees my light cruisers and destroyers sink a German heavy cruiser while (mostly) fending off the raid:
One last cruiser battle... and the war comes to an end, with America seizing several German holdings in West Africa and Southeast Asia. February 1953 sees the British grant independence to the Falkland Islands, of all places, and I continue to hold the line against domestic corruption. Still, I could use a new missile cruiser, so I develop the Tucson-class:
I also adapt the angled-deck, steam-catapult Franklin into a new design, the USS Enterprise:
But certain rumors in the summer of 1953 make me reassess my priorities, just in time for the Army-Navy Game of 1953! (Also, Austria-Hungary pulls out of the alliance they'd made with us during the war with Germany). Speaking of Germany, relations with the Kaiser's government have been surprisingly good, and so I decide to ally with them... not noticing until it was too late that they were allied with fascist Italy.
Ah well. I take advantage of the alliance to develop a new German-built destroyer class:
Speaking of not noticing things, I choose to not notice the possibility that one of my best officers shot another deliberately. I do, however, take notice when France tries to seize Cyprus, a nation that had gained independence from Britain in the 1940s... which starts a war.
Let's do a little math:
Total tonnage: 1,197,600 tons (including 12 long-range and 6 minelaying subs) [+108,600 tons building]
Foreign-built USN tonnage: 591,900 tons [+19,800 tons building]
Curse: not met for 1955
Dock size lost from lack of orders: 3,500 tons
Oops. As a consequence, I adapt the Chattanooga class CLG (which had added a second launch tube for each anti-ship missile launcher to the Tucson-class) into the Wilkes-Barre class, to be built in Germany:
While the USN moves into Northern European waters in force, our first action of the war is again a botched convoy raid:
Still, Germany is itching to fight France, and our war gives them the opportunity, with them joining in December, after another convoy battle:
A massive night-time carrier battle starts off the new year, ending with a bombing run on Brest's airbase:
An American escort corvette, armed with three 4" guns and a lot of ASW gear, somehow fends off a French raiding cruiser, while American troops seize control of Algeria. Back in the Gulf of Tonkin, obsolete USN destroyers utterly botch an attempt to ambush a French corvette in May... but June sees another massive carrier battle in the Bay of Biscay, while Germany loses Rheinland in action. Yet another carrier action starts up in September, but we never find the French fleet, settling for air attacks on Brest and St. Nazaire. In October, Japan joins in against France, while new long-ranged SAMs lead me to design a massive light cruiser:
A raid on Corsica goes south after one of my cruisers strikes a mine, but after one last carrier battle...
France sues for peace.
By the late 1950s, I design a new heavy cruiser, to be built in Japanese yards:
Locally built guided missile destroyers and large light cruisers also follow... as does the biggest ship ever designed for the USN in this game:
1960 rolls around, and it's time to do math:
Total tonnage: 1,369,800 tons (including 3 minelaying, 8 missile, and 9 long-range submarines) [+176,700 tons building]
Foreign-built USN tonnage: 705,400 tons [+106,500 tons building]
Curse: met for 1960
Dock size lost from lack of orders: 4,000 tons
But relations with the French fascists remain sour after they seize Java in April 1960... and then worsen further yet, when they invade Norway by surprise in May!
***
One update down, one more remains. I find carrier and missile warfare really interesting, even if the battles run much longer (both in-game and in playing them out, thanks to having to control carrier air strikes and being able to control missile salvos).
I kinda wish there was some kind of 1950 start option for RTW3, with some alternate-history shenanigans to make non-US powers actually interesting.
Meanwhile, Sumatra liberates itself from the tyranny of... the US. Oh right. Villain protagonist tag. Still, I may be running the navy of an empire, but I won't tolerate absurdly harsh discipline within that navy. I've got other things in mind, including developing a jet-capable light carrier:
And also once again telling the government they can stop spending so much on us, and start spending more on the public welfare. They don't listen, until unrest forces them to. World politics continues along, with certain significant events leading to other events, and soon enough, it's January 1950.
Time for math!
Total tonnage: 1,079,600 tons (including 4 long-range and 12 minelaying subs) [+29,900 tons building]
Foreign-built USN tonnage: 595,700 tons [+14,000 tons building]
Curse: met for 1950
Dock size lost from lack of orders: 3,000 tons
A year later, and diplomacy with Spain leads to another round of arms limitation talks... that we deliberately sabotage, though it's ultimately the Soviets who get blamed for the treaty's collapse. In short order, I go to the Spanish to design a massive new dreadnought, bigger than anything the USN has:
And with worse radar and no autoloaders, awkwardly. Still, 18" shells are pretty deadly, so I feel happy about this... but the design study isn't even complete when Germany declares war. A convoy raid off Dakar goes badly, in part from none of my anti-ship missiles ever managing to get a lock before the enemy's battlecruiser opened up, but the Austro-Hungarians decide to fight Germany as well:
The war gives me the opportunity to start fitting angled flight decks to my largest carriers... and the next naval battle of the war, a cruiser battle near Norway, goes rather better for the USN:
But soon it comes time for the battleships to see action, with my South Dakotas and USS Colorado going up against five German capitals (including both treaty battleships and the massive Rheinland):
Another battle in the North Sea sees me cripple two German battleships, and a convoy battle off Iceland sees my light cruisers and destroyers sink a German heavy cruiser while (mostly) fending off the raid:
One last cruiser battle... and the war comes to an end, with America seizing several German holdings in West Africa and Southeast Asia. February 1953 sees the British grant independence to the Falkland Islands, of all places, and I continue to hold the line against domestic corruption. Still, I could use a new missile cruiser, so I develop the Tucson-class:
I also adapt the angled-deck, steam-catapult Franklin into a new design, the USS Enterprise:
But certain rumors in the summer of 1953 make me reassess my priorities, just in time for the Army-Navy Game of 1953! (Also, Austria-Hungary pulls out of the alliance they'd made with us during the war with Germany). Speaking of Germany, relations with the Kaiser's government have been surprisingly good, and so I decide to ally with them... not noticing until it was too late that they were allied with fascist Italy.
Ah well. I take advantage of the alliance to develop a new German-built destroyer class:
Speaking of not noticing things, I choose to not notice the possibility that one of my best officers shot another deliberately. I do, however, take notice when France tries to seize Cyprus, a nation that had gained independence from Britain in the 1940s... which starts a war.
Let's do a little math:
Total tonnage: 1,197,600 tons (including 12 long-range and 6 minelaying subs) [+108,600 tons building]
Foreign-built USN tonnage: 591,900 tons [+19,800 tons building]
Curse: not met for 1955
Dock size lost from lack of orders: 3,500 tons
Oops. As a consequence, I adapt the Chattanooga class CLG (which had added a second launch tube for each anti-ship missile launcher to the Tucson-class) into the Wilkes-Barre class, to be built in Germany:
While the USN moves into Northern European waters in force, our first action of the war is again a botched convoy raid:
Still, Germany is itching to fight France, and our war gives them the opportunity, with them joining in December, after another convoy battle:
A massive night-time carrier battle starts off the new year, ending with a bombing run on Brest's airbase:
An American escort corvette, armed with three 4" guns and a lot of ASW gear, somehow fends off a French raiding cruiser, while American troops seize control of Algeria. Back in the Gulf of Tonkin, obsolete USN destroyers utterly botch an attempt to ambush a French corvette in May... but June sees another massive carrier battle in the Bay of Biscay, while Germany loses Rheinland in action. Yet another carrier action starts up in September, but we never find the French fleet, settling for air attacks on Brest and St. Nazaire. In October, Japan joins in against France, while new long-ranged SAMs lead me to design a massive light cruiser:
A raid on Corsica goes south after one of my cruisers strikes a mine, but after one last carrier battle...
France sues for peace.
By the late 1950s, I design a new heavy cruiser, to be built in Japanese yards:
Locally built guided missile destroyers and large light cruisers also follow... as does the biggest ship ever designed for the USN in this game:
1960 rolls around, and it's time to do math:
Total tonnage: 1,369,800 tons (including 3 minelaying, 8 missile, and 9 long-range submarines) [+176,700 tons building]
Foreign-built USN tonnage: 705,400 tons [+106,500 tons building]
Curse: met for 1960
Dock size lost from lack of orders: 4,000 tons
But relations with the French fascists remain sour after they seize Java in April 1960... and then worsen further yet, when they invade Norway by surprise in May!
***
One update down, one more remains. I find carrier and missile warfare really interesting, even if the battles run much longer (both in-game and in playing them out, thanks to having to control carrier air strikes and being able to control missile salvos).
I kinda wish there was some kind of 1950 start option for RTW3, with some alternate-history shenanigans to make non-US powers actually interesting.
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Century of Hell VII, 1960-1970: Delivery
Jenny
anonymous user
- Location
- maryland
- Pronouns
- She/Her
The first naval battle of the war is the now-traditional convoy raid... but for a change, this one goes well:
(albeit a bit buggy on the game side of things -- it somehow got labeled as a coastal raid despite being a convoy mission)
June sees yet another carrier battle off the Bay of Biscay:
Not long after, the French invasion of Norway collapses. Spain enters the war on our side in October, and the same month sees a one-sided cruiser action. France bows out of the war in short order.
And yet I get little peace, as in February 1962, we go to war with the USSR! Initially, the war is limited to mercantile raiding and the establishment of a blockade of Soviet maritime trade, and my spies decide to gather intelligence on the latest Japanese aircraft carrier (still dwarfed by Constitution, slowly being built the next yard over). The first real concerted action in northern waters turns deadly for the USN when Soviet naval aviation shows up:
In October, a massed carrier battle develops in the Arctic, which also sees the American battleship force engage the Soviet navy's own dreadnoughts near the end:
In 1963, Austria-Hungary joins the war... against the US, holding up their alliance with Russia and attempting to invade Algeria from their Dalmatian bases, supported by no less than 15 carriers (many fairly small, but still dangerous). In April, a sea battle develops in the waters between Algeria and Spain:
A win... but an ugly one, and we do lose USS Enterprise.
I reinforce the Mediterranean fleet with several light and medium carriers of my own, as well as multiple battleships, and the next air-sea battle goes rather better:
USS Michigan takes three missile hits, but survives, and we start to establish a blockade of the Adriatic, with the battleships making short work of a blockade runner. In August, we wreck the final Austrian attempt to supply their invasion force in Algeria, and the remaining Hapsburg troops surrender not long after... but the war drags on to 1964 before the Austro-Soviet alliance, under renewed blockade, sues for peace.
A new type of ship is developed for the US Navy -- a helicopter carrier, for ASW work and potentially also for fleet scouting:
As you can see, she's being built in a Japanese shipyard.
As the 1960s roll on, I find myself struggling with surprise budget cuts, forcing me to cut the research budget, delay my attempts to bring a new heavy missile cruiser into service, and send many ships into reserve fleet duty. A Congressional request for new destroyers does lead to the last ship design to commission before the end of my tenure in 1970:
The 1960s are also a time of rather limited decolonization, by Britain as well... but tensions between the US and UK mount yet again, leading to another large light cruiser and a missile corvette:
But soon enough, it's January 1970.
Time for math!
Total tonnage: 1,244,800 tons (including 1 minelaying, 2 missile, and 1 long-range submarines) [+37,400 tons building]
Foreign-built USN tonnage: 725,500 tons [+15,800 tons building]
Curse: met for 1970, and thus for the game
Dock size lost from lack of orders: 4,500 tons
And so Admiral Leonard retires, fat and rich, to a comfortable villa in a nation without an extradition treaty with the US, having built nearly three-fifths of their Navy outside of American shipyards for no good reason except his Swiss bank account.
The world situation in 1970:
***
This really was a century of hell... in-game, anyway, considering all the wars, and considering that decolonization had yet to really occur outside the fringes of the world's empires. The US, at one point or another, fought a war against every power but Spain in this game, and had every power except Britain and Italy as a co-belligerent or an outright ally.
As a player, the procurement nightmares weren't that difficult to deal with, ultimately -- perhaps in part because I was playing the USN, perhaps because I made a point of building most of my battleships and battlecruisers in foreign yards, and perhaps because I occasionally preferentially refitted foreign-built cruisers over American ones. A USA game is still a USA game, and my habit of overbuilding airbases and maintaining a massive air arm at those bases wasn't enough to overcome Congress frequently throwing money at me.
***
It seems Hell wishes to make my next run more... participatory.
[ ][RUN] Curse of the Oncoming Storms: 1890 USA start, considerable tech variation, large fleets -- every ten in-game years, I update, and my readers vote to either unleash the storm (affecting a certain percentage of my fleet, which must be refit or scrapped over the next four years, regardless of in-game situation) or let it gather strength, up to a point. There will be a minimum of two storms in this run.
[ ][RUN] Curse of Riding the Lightning: 1900 Germany start, considerable tech variation, auto-build legacy fleet, large fleets -- every time a war starts in-game, I update, and my readers vote on invasion targets (where applicable) that I must invade.
[ ][RUN] Curse of the Five-Year Plan: 1920 USSR start, Treaty of Versailles in effect, randomized treaty, slight tech variation, large fleets -- every five in-game years, I update, and my readers vote on a directive I must follow for the next five years.
[ ][RUN] Curse of the Popular Front: 1935 France start, slight tech variation, large fleets -- every time the Naval Secretary 'requests' that I lay down some number of new destroyers, cruisers, or battleships, I must agree, and then I update, and my readers vote on which designs to build from a set of options.
(albeit a bit buggy on the game side of things -- it somehow got labeled as a coastal raid despite being a convoy mission)
June sees yet another carrier battle off the Bay of Biscay:
Not long after, the French invasion of Norway collapses. Spain enters the war on our side in October, and the same month sees a one-sided cruiser action. France bows out of the war in short order.
And yet I get little peace, as in February 1962, we go to war with the USSR! Initially, the war is limited to mercantile raiding and the establishment of a blockade of Soviet maritime trade, and my spies decide to gather intelligence on the latest Japanese aircraft carrier (still dwarfed by Constitution, slowly being built the next yard over). The first real concerted action in northern waters turns deadly for the USN when Soviet naval aviation shows up:
In October, a massed carrier battle develops in the Arctic, which also sees the American battleship force engage the Soviet navy's own dreadnoughts near the end:
In 1963, Austria-Hungary joins the war... against the US, holding up their alliance with Russia and attempting to invade Algeria from their Dalmatian bases, supported by no less than 15 carriers (many fairly small, but still dangerous). In April, a sea battle develops in the waters between Algeria and Spain:
A win... but an ugly one, and we do lose USS Enterprise.
I reinforce the Mediterranean fleet with several light and medium carriers of my own, as well as multiple battleships, and the next air-sea battle goes rather better:
USS Michigan takes three missile hits, but survives, and we start to establish a blockade of the Adriatic, with the battleships making short work of a blockade runner. In August, we wreck the final Austrian attempt to supply their invasion force in Algeria, and the remaining Hapsburg troops surrender not long after... but the war drags on to 1964 before the Austro-Soviet alliance, under renewed blockade, sues for peace.
A new type of ship is developed for the US Navy -- a helicopter carrier, for ASW work and potentially also for fleet scouting:
As you can see, she's being built in a Japanese shipyard.
As the 1960s roll on, I find myself struggling with surprise budget cuts, forcing me to cut the research budget, delay my attempts to bring a new heavy missile cruiser into service, and send many ships into reserve fleet duty. A Congressional request for new destroyers does lead to the last ship design to commission before the end of my tenure in 1970:
The 1960s are also a time of rather limited decolonization, by Britain as well... but tensions between the US and UK mount yet again, leading to another large light cruiser and a missile corvette:
But soon enough, it's January 1970.
Time for math!
Total tonnage: 1,244,800 tons (including 1 minelaying, 2 missile, and 1 long-range submarines) [+37,400 tons building]
Foreign-built USN tonnage: 725,500 tons [+15,800 tons building]
Curse: met for 1970, and thus for the game
Dock size lost from lack of orders: 4,500 tons
And so Admiral Leonard retires, fat and rich, to a comfortable villa in a nation without an extradition treaty with the US, having built nearly three-fifths of their Navy outside of American shipyards for no good reason except his Swiss bank account.
The world situation in 1970:
***
This really was a century of hell... in-game, anyway, considering all the wars, and considering that decolonization had yet to really occur outside the fringes of the world's empires. The US, at one point or another, fought a war against every power but Spain in this game, and had every power except Britain and Italy as a co-belligerent or an outright ally.
As a player, the procurement nightmares weren't that difficult to deal with, ultimately -- perhaps in part because I was playing the USN, perhaps because I made a point of building most of my battleships and battlecruisers in foreign yards, and perhaps because I occasionally preferentially refitted foreign-built cruisers over American ones. A USA game is still a USA game, and my habit of overbuilding airbases and maintaining a massive air arm at those bases wasn't enough to overcome Congress frequently throwing money at me.
***
It seems Hell wishes to make my next run more... participatory.
[ ][RUN] Curse of the Oncoming Storms: 1890 USA start, considerable tech variation, large fleets -- every ten in-game years, I update, and my readers vote to either unleash the storm (affecting a certain percentage of my fleet, which must be refit or scrapped over the next four years, regardless of in-game situation) or let it gather strength, up to a point. There will be a minimum of two storms in this run.
[ ][RUN] Curse of Riding the Lightning: 1900 Germany start, considerable tech variation, auto-build legacy fleet, large fleets -- every time a war starts in-game, I update, and my readers vote on invasion targets (where applicable) that I must invade.
[ ][RUN] Curse of the Five-Year Plan: 1920 USSR start, Treaty of Versailles in effect, randomized treaty, slight tech variation, large fleets -- every five in-game years, I update, and my readers vote on a directive I must follow for the next five years.
[ ][RUN] Curse of the Popular Front: 1935 France start, slight tech variation, large fleets -- every time the Naval Secretary 'requests' that I lay down some number of new destroyers, cruisers, or battleships, I must agree, and then I update, and my readers vote on which designs to build from a set of options.
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prometheus110
Join Cayman-Global & be part of the 1E-9 percent!
- Location
- La Ballena City Raft
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X][RUN] Curse of the Five-Year Plan: 1920 USSR start, Treaty of Versailles in effect, randomized treaty, slight tech variation, large fleets -- every five in-game years, I update, and my readers vote on a directive I must follow for the next five years.
I think the idea of 5 years between player votes is funny to watch from the sidelines
I think the idea of 5 years between player votes is funny to watch from the sidelines
- Location
- Australia
[x][RUN] Curse of the Five-Year Plan
- Location
- Wörms, the half continent
The real world tensions that must produce would be insane. Imagine how concerned everyone would be for the tinned sunshine to emerge.
[X][RUN] Curse of the Five-Year Plan: 1920 USSR start, Treaty of Versailles in effect, randomized treaty, slight tech variation, large fleets -- every five in-game years, I update, and my readers vote on a directive I must follow for the next five years.
DEATH TO THE CAPITALISTS! DEATH TO THE ROMANS! DEATH TO THE SPLITTERS! THE JUDEAN PEOPLE'S FRONT WILL NEVER REST!
Jenny
anonymous user
- Location
- maryland
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Given the sheer frequency of wars in this TL (no less than three great power wars between 1956 and 1966), I have to assume that the world's atomic scientists are conspiring to prevent the development of nuclear weapons technology at all costs.
(The game doesn't have nuclear technology in any form, not even for propulsion, presumably for this very reason).
Last edited:
- Location
- Te Ika-a-Māui
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[x][RUN] Curse of the Five-Year Plan
- Pronouns
- They/She
[X][RUN] Curse of the Five-Year Plan: 1920 USSR start, Treaty of Versailles in effect, randomized treaty, slight tech variation, large fleets -- every five in-game years, I update, and my readers vote on a directive I must follow for the next five years.
IofTheBunny
✧:*AngeryOpossum*:✧
- Pronouns
- she/her
[x][RUN] Curse of the Five-Year Plan
- Location
- Illinois
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[x][RUN] Curse of the Popular Front: 1935 France start, slight tech variation, large fleets -- every time the Naval Secretary 'requests' that I lay down some number of new destroyers, cruisers, or battleships, I must agree, and then I update, and my readers vote on which designs to build from a set of options.
Vote closed
Revolutionary Hell part 0, 1920-1924: before the first Five Year Plan
Jenny
anonymous user
- Location
- maryland
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Greetings, members of the Central Committee! Comrades, it has been an eventful five years. Shall we review?
In January 1920, still securing our position, with the threat of intervention to crush our nascent state still looming, Soviet diplomats signed onto a naval arms limitation treaty. No new ships of greater than 12,000 tons, and/or with armament more potent than 203mm guns, would be permitted to be built, and the world's navies would have to maintain certain tonnage limits. Our diplomats cannily pressed for a higher tonnage limit than we actually needed, and while this treaty did lead to the scrapping of four ex-Tsarist dreadnoughts and battlecruisers under construction, we were mostly unaffected.
We did have to also break up six avisos on the slipway, due to another provision of the treaty, limiting the amount of new construction to 27,000 tons (for us). Still, this treaty helped ensure diplomatic recognition of the Soviet Union, weakening the case for any renewed intervention on the side of the counterrevolutionaries.
And when the Norwegian people rose up in revolt against Capital, we were able to support them, inviting another people into the Soviet Union, without intervention from any other power. Initial attempts to follow up this triumph in Korea unfortunately have thus far failed to bear fruit, though a later campaign to ship arms to the distant Bismarck Islands succeeded in forcing Britain to concede their independence.
In the summer of 1920, the Workers' and Peasants' Red Fleet began a novel ship design, the long-range heavy cruiser Kronshtadt. We face the possibility of naval war in the Atlantic and Pacific alike, and unlike the Tsarists, the Red Fleet will be prepared to deploy to Pacific waters if necessary. The first ship of the class was laid down in October 1920, after the completion of most of the program of my predecessor.
In the fall of 1921, the threat of the Freikorps reared its ugly head, as despite the Red Fleet's best efforts, pro-German paramilitary groups seized power in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Certain overzealous state security operatives may have affected our ability to respond in time... The next month, at my recommendation, Pravda published an article emphasizing the true threat to the USSR -- the American capitalists, who even then were crushing the popular will of miners in Appalachia!
But, of course, Capital is a hydra, with many heads poised to bite us, and so in November, we forced the Italian government to back down from an invasion of Albania (with the cooperation of other powers). The German head of the hydra continued to loom, and so the Parizhskaya Kommuna, a pre-dreadnought battleship dating back to the Tsar's war with Japan, went in for refit with more modern 305mm guns and fire control, as well as new machinery that would permit her to reach 19 knots, the same speed as the two German pre-dreadnoughts. I also authorized the conversion of two old destroyers into minesweepers:
At the end of 1921, as you all know, we lost one of our own to an assassination by a German agent. With the Germans refusing to hand over the assassin, the Politburo had no choice but to go to war. Despite our best efforts, a German destroyer squadron got the better of the Red Fleet in our first clash... but in the second, a month later, the Red Fleet's only active dreadnought, Admiral Nakhimov, confronted both German battleships... and sunk one outright, substantially reducing the risk of German naval invasion:
The Red Fleet began efforts to support the liberation of the Baltic States, and with the world's navies taking advantage of the war to abandon the naval arms limitation treaty they had signed just two years ago, we soon found ourselves with a choice: evolve the Dzerzhinsky design scrapped in 1920, or design an entirely new battlecruiser, as large as the largest foreign battlecruiser afloat, armed with 381mm guns?
Initially, though, our immediate need was for newer, better destroyers:
But in January 1923, we decided on the new battlecruiser:
I again note that our state security's zealous approach to investigating the loyalties of our sailors may have had an impact on the Red Fleet's performance in destroyer actions throughout 1922. Still, the Red Army and Red Fleet proved triumphant, and while we failed to fully liberate Germany, we forced the withdrawal of remaining Freikorps troops and the return of wealth plundered from Russia during the Great War in the peace that ended the war in February.
Unfortunately, just a month later, Germany's experiment with a bourgeois republic came to an end, with German autocratic militarists taking over... and a few months later, bourgeois morality forced an end to the career of a talented naval officer. Still, the Kronshtadt proved her worth, securing the liberation of Sumatra from the Dutch colonial regime, just four months after commissioning! To support her, in addition to two further heavy cruisers of the same design, we authorized the development of a long-ranged light cruiser, as well as a new aviso... and the establishment of proper naval bases in Sumatra, as the Dutch left none behind.
The Chinese Communist Party secured power in November 1923, but as of yet, they are reluctant to fully align with us the way the Norwegians and Sumatrans did. And while I have criticized state security, I must credit them with both the identification of French and British agents in our midst and with securing vital intelligence on the new German autocratic regime's battleship, under construction as we speak.
The Red Fleet's initial response is to order a second Maxim Gorky-class battlecruiser, but plans for a follow up -- an entirely new battleship design -- have been delayed by a request from the Central Committee for twelve new submarines. That being said, we do expect to make good use of the submarine force.
And now, you are preparing the first-ever Five Year Plan for economic development of the USSR, and have asked for my input. My full report on the status of the Red Fleet follows...
***
As a member of the Central Committee, issue a directive to the Red Fleet to follow to fulfill our part in the next Five Year Plan (1925-1929).
[ ][FYP] Write-in
***
Note that this vote will run through the weekend, as I am traveling. I'm being deliberately vague with what a 'directive' is, and I invite you to get creative with it; that being said, it should be something that I can control.
One interesting facet of playing as Russia is that, when at war with Germany, you cannot move ships between the Baltic and the North Sea -- the Germans effectively control the Skagerrak.
I like to think that the assassinated dignitary was specifically Stalin, because hey, why not butterfly away Stalinism and maybe try to save the USSR from its worst tendencies?
I do think a few events could use adjustments to more properly fit the Soviet perspective, and I wonder how frequently state security should be threatening purges (though tbf, during a war sparked by an assassination is a plausible time) but as portrayals of the USSR go, this isn't as bad as I feared.
In January 1920, still securing our position, with the threat of intervention to crush our nascent state still looming, Soviet diplomats signed onto a naval arms limitation treaty. No new ships of greater than 12,000 tons, and/or with armament more potent than 203mm guns, would be permitted to be built, and the world's navies would have to maintain certain tonnage limits. Our diplomats cannily pressed for a higher tonnage limit than we actually needed, and while this treaty did lead to the scrapping of four ex-Tsarist dreadnoughts and battlecruisers under construction, we were mostly unaffected.
We did have to also break up six avisos on the slipway, due to another provision of the treaty, limiting the amount of new construction to 27,000 tons (for us). Still, this treaty helped ensure diplomatic recognition of the Soviet Union, weakening the case for any renewed intervention on the side of the counterrevolutionaries.
And when the Norwegian people rose up in revolt against Capital, we were able to support them, inviting another people into the Soviet Union, without intervention from any other power. Initial attempts to follow up this triumph in Korea unfortunately have thus far failed to bear fruit, though a later campaign to ship arms to the distant Bismarck Islands succeeded in forcing Britain to concede their independence.
In the summer of 1920, the Workers' and Peasants' Red Fleet began a novel ship design, the long-range heavy cruiser Kronshtadt. We face the possibility of naval war in the Atlantic and Pacific alike, and unlike the Tsarists, the Red Fleet will be prepared to deploy to Pacific waters if necessary. The first ship of the class was laid down in October 1920, after the completion of most of the program of my predecessor.
In the fall of 1921, the threat of the Freikorps reared its ugly head, as despite the Red Fleet's best efforts, pro-German paramilitary groups seized power in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Certain overzealous state security operatives may have affected our ability to respond in time... The next month, at my recommendation, Pravda published an article emphasizing the true threat to the USSR -- the American capitalists, who even then were crushing the popular will of miners in Appalachia!
But, of course, Capital is a hydra, with many heads poised to bite us, and so in November, we forced the Italian government to back down from an invasion of Albania (with the cooperation of other powers). The German head of the hydra continued to loom, and so the Parizhskaya Kommuna, a pre-dreadnought battleship dating back to the Tsar's war with Japan, went in for refit with more modern 305mm guns and fire control, as well as new machinery that would permit her to reach 19 knots, the same speed as the two German pre-dreadnoughts. I also authorized the conversion of two old destroyers into minesweepers:
At the end of 1921, as you all know, we lost one of our own to an assassination by a German agent. With the Germans refusing to hand over the assassin, the Politburo had no choice but to go to war. Despite our best efforts, a German destroyer squadron got the better of the Red Fleet in our first clash... but in the second, a month later, the Red Fleet's only active dreadnought, Admiral Nakhimov, confronted both German battleships... and sunk one outright, substantially reducing the risk of German naval invasion:
The Red Fleet began efforts to support the liberation of the Baltic States, and with the world's navies taking advantage of the war to abandon the naval arms limitation treaty they had signed just two years ago, we soon found ourselves with a choice: evolve the Dzerzhinsky design scrapped in 1920, or design an entirely new battlecruiser, as large as the largest foreign battlecruiser afloat, armed with 381mm guns?
Initially, though, our immediate need was for newer, better destroyers:
But in January 1923, we decided on the new battlecruiser:
I again note that our state security's zealous approach to investigating the loyalties of our sailors may have had an impact on the Red Fleet's performance in destroyer actions throughout 1922. Still, the Red Army and Red Fleet proved triumphant, and while we failed to fully liberate Germany, we forced the withdrawal of remaining Freikorps troops and the return of wealth plundered from Russia during the Great War in the peace that ended the war in February.
Unfortunately, just a month later, Germany's experiment with a bourgeois republic came to an end, with German autocratic militarists taking over... and a few months later, bourgeois morality forced an end to the career of a talented naval officer. Still, the Kronshtadt proved her worth, securing the liberation of Sumatra from the Dutch colonial regime, just four months after commissioning! To support her, in addition to two further heavy cruisers of the same design, we authorized the development of a long-ranged light cruiser, as well as a new aviso... and the establishment of proper naval bases in Sumatra, as the Dutch left none behind.
The Chinese Communist Party secured power in November 1923, but as of yet, they are reluctant to fully align with us the way the Norwegians and Sumatrans did. And while I have criticized state security, I must credit them with both the identification of French and British agents in our midst and with securing vital intelligence on the new German autocratic regime's battleship, under construction as we speak.
The Red Fleet's initial response is to order a second Maxim Gorky-class battlecruiser, but plans for a follow up -- an entirely new battleship design -- have been delayed by a request from the Central Committee for twelve new submarines. That being said, we do expect to make good use of the submarine force.
And now, you are preparing the first-ever Five Year Plan for economic development of the USSR, and have asked for my input. My full report on the status of the Red Fleet follows...
***
As a member of the Central Committee, issue a directive to the Red Fleet to follow to fulfill our part in the next Five Year Plan (1925-1929).
[ ][FYP] Write-in
***
Note that this vote will run through the weekend, as I am traveling. I'm being deliberately vague with what a 'directive' is, and I invite you to get creative with it; that being said, it should be something that I can control.
One interesting facet of playing as Russia is that, when at war with Germany, you cannot move ships between the Baltic and the North Sea -- the Germans effectively control the Skagerrak.
I like to think that the assassinated dignitary was specifically Stalin, because hey, why not butterfly away Stalinism and maybe try to save the USSR from its worst tendencies?
I do think a few events could use adjustments to more properly fit the Soviet perspective, and I wonder how frequently state security should be threatening purges (though tbf, during a war sparked by an assassination is a plausible time) but as portrayals of the USSR go, this isn't as bad as I feared.
Last edited:
Night
Widow Null
- Location
- Hoff
[X][FYP] The development of a navy for foreign wars must continue. While most of the capitalists and autocrats are close to hand, it will be easier to dismantle their imperial holdings than to drive home a thrust through or upon the German homeland. We should continue expanding our naval bases overseas and reinforce the overseas squadrons. To this end, the development of a carrier to bring the might of the Red Air Force to foreign shores is essential.
- Pronouns
- They/She
[X][FYP] The development of a navy for foreign wars must continue. While most of the capitalists and autocrats are close to hand, it will be easier to dismantle their imperial holdings than to drive home a thrust through or upon the German homeland. We should continue expanding our naval bases overseas and reinforce the overseas squadrons. To this end, the development of a carrier to bring the might of the Red Air Force to foreign shores is essential.
- Location
- Australia
[X][FYP] The development of a navy for foreign wars must continue. While most of the capitalists and autocrats are close to hand, it will be easier to dismantle their imperial holdings than to drive home a thrust through or upon the German homeland. We should continue expanding our naval bases overseas and reinforce the overseas squadrons. To this end, the development of a carrier to bring the might of the Red Air Force to foreign shores is essential.
Sure, why not!
Sure, why not!
IofTheBunny
✧:*AngeryOpossum*:✧
- Pronouns
- she/her
[X][FYP] The development of a navy for foreign wars must continue. While most of the capitalists and autocrats are close to hand, it will be easier to dismantle their imperial holdings than to drive home a thrust through or upon the German homeland. We should continue expanding our naval bases overseas and reinforce the overseas squadrons. To this end, the development of a carrier to bring the might of the Red Air Force to foreign shores is essential.
Internationale of the Seven Seas!
Internationale of the Seven Seas!
Vote closed
Revolutionary Hell, part 1, 1925-1929: The First Five Year Plan
Jenny
anonymous user
- Location
- maryland
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Greetings, members of the Central Committee!
Comrades, I regret that my time with you today is brief, but I will nonetheless attempt to contextualize my report on the Red Fleet's performance in achieving the goals of the First Five Year Plan, even despite the present crisis.
Per your directive, no less than three long-ranged light aircraft carriers have been built, all to the same design. A proper fleet carrier is also under construction. Additionally, a supporting class of large, long-ranged destroyers has been built, and bases have been expanded in Norway and Sumatra both. The air arm of the Fleet has also seen expansion, with additional airbases built in Norway, Sumatra, and the Far Eastern District and with the introduction of both medium bombers and dive bombers. We have also willingly volunteered resources for the pursuit of Soviet industrialization, the improvement of the general welfare, and the promotion of international goodwill (however quaint that may seem now).
Thanks to the Directorate for State Security's efforts early in 1925, we are also building a dreadnought battleship armed with 406mm main guns. We also commend their counterintelligence operations, and appreciate that the temptation to blame our current situation on hidden spies within our ranks has been resisted.
The Foreign Ministry's efforts have secured us friends abroad, who are playing key roles at present. I also wish to remind certain members of the State Planning Board of the importance of American-designed dive bombers to our present efforts.
For as you all know, we have been at war for the past 18 months with the arch-imperialist powers of France, Italy, and Great Britain. The Soviet people have endured months of blockade, and while the Americans, the Spanish, and our submarine fleet are doing our best to lift that blockade and force the imperialists to surrender, it is a difficult task. I also regret to note that our Pacific Squadron took serious losses early in the conflict, and that the blockade has prevented us from directly invading imperialist holdings.
Still, in recent months, I can report progress towards lifting the blockade. Good intelligence allowed us a successful ambush of French ships in May. The battlecruisers I pushed for, however slower the lead ship may have performed in sea trials, have repeatedly proven their worth, most recently in June, outfighting French rivals and nearly sinking both of their opponents in the battle. Cooperation with our new Spanish allies, along with your farsightedness in encouraging the development of Soviet naval aviation, led to a resounding success in August. And while the imperialists offered a white peace three months ago, it is the Fleet's position that we can still win this war.
Still, I invite you to consider my report, in conjunction with the reports of your comrades, and determine whether further fighting should be pursued, and what steps we should take for the five-year period going forwards.
***
As a member of the Central Committee, issue a directive to the Red Fleet to follow to fulfill our part in the present war, and in the Second Five Year Plan (1930-1934).
[ ][FYP] Write-in
***
A rather intense conflict to end the 1920s on; I'm genuinely nervous, given our unrest of 6. I'm glad that America chose to join (initially only against France); I'm even gladder to have Spanish support (It is nice to have Spanish bases in Northern Europe!), if surprised by it. Sure, Spanish-Soviet relations have been consistently good this game, but bold move, Spain, joining in with your sole battleship (and then sending it in to lead a support force in the August 1929 battle). Let's see if it pans out for you.
Other details:
The Virgin Islands went independent!
Espionage!
Medium-range scout cruiser!
Replacement for the Kronshtadt class!
Comrades, I regret that my time with you today is brief, but I will nonetheless attempt to contextualize my report on the Red Fleet's performance in achieving the goals of the First Five Year Plan, even despite the present crisis.
Per your directive, no less than three long-ranged light aircraft carriers have been built, all to the same design. A proper fleet carrier is also under construction. Additionally, a supporting class of large, long-ranged destroyers has been built, and bases have been expanded in Norway and Sumatra both. The air arm of the Fleet has also seen expansion, with additional airbases built in Norway, Sumatra, and the Far Eastern District and with the introduction of both medium bombers and dive bombers. We have also willingly volunteered resources for the pursuit of Soviet industrialization, the improvement of the general welfare, and the promotion of international goodwill (however quaint that may seem now).
Thanks to the Directorate for State Security's efforts early in 1925, we are also building a dreadnought battleship armed with 406mm main guns. We also commend their counterintelligence operations, and appreciate that the temptation to blame our current situation on hidden spies within our ranks has been resisted.
The Foreign Ministry's efforts have secured us friends abroad, who are playing key roles at present. I also wish to remind certain members of the State Planning Board of the importance of American-designed dive bombers to our present efforts.
For as you all know, we have been at war for the past 18 months with the arch-imperialist powers of France, Italy, and Great Britain. The Soviet people have endured months of blockade, and while the Americans, the Spanish, and our submarine fleet are doing our best to lift that blockade and force the imperialists to surrender, it is a difficult task. I also regret to note that our Pacific Squadron took serious losses early in the conflict, and that the blockade has prevented us from directly invading imperialist holdings.
Still, in recent months, I can report progress towards lifting the blockade. Good intelligence allowed us a successful ambush of French ships in May. The battlecruisers I pushed for, however slower the lead ship may have performed in sea trials, have repeatedly proven their worth, most recently in June, outfighting French rivals and nearly sinking both of their opponents in the battle. Cooperation with our new Spanish allies, along with your farsightedness in encouraging the development of Soviet naval aviation, led to a resounding success in August. And while the imperialists offered a white peace three months ago, it is the Fleet's position that we can still win this war.
Still, I invite you to consider my report, in conjunction with the reports of your comrades, and determine whether further fighting should be pursued, and what steps we should take for the five-year period going forwards.
***
As a member of the Central Committee, issue a directive to the Red Fleet to follow to fulfill our part in the present war, and in the Second Five Year Plan (1930-1934).
[ ][FYP] Write-in
***
A rather intense conflict to end the 1920s on; I'm genuinely nervous, given our unrest of 6. I'm glad that America chose to join (initially only against France); I'm even gladder to have Spanish support (It is nice to have Spanish bases in Northern Europe!), if surprised by it. Sure, Spanish-Soviet relations have been consistently good this game, but bold move, Spain, joining in with your sole battleship (and then sending it in to lead a support force in the August 1929 battle). Let's see if it pans out for you.
Other details:
The Virgin Islands went independent!
Espionage!
Medium-range scout cruiser!
Replacement for the Kronshtadt class!
Last edited:
IofTheBunny
✧:*AngeryOpossum*:✧
- Pronouns
- she/her
[x] As it showed a great potential, make the airplanes a sickle to the navy's hammer. Just like the agricultural workers unite with industrial ones to bring revolution, sea and air should unite to bring down imperialist foes. As for the internal trouble, maybe giving our citizens opportunities in dockwork could help?