Rule The Waves 3 - A Graphical Experiment - Complete
- Thread starter 4WheelSword
- Start date
Air power will be the end of us
4WheelSword
The original N-body Problem
- Pronouns
- It/She/They
How must we conduct this war? Pursue a strategy of surface attrition in the hopes of creating a joint blockade with the Americans
Surface Attrition
War, then, and with a mighty foe. The Germans seem untouched by their losses in 1897, 1913, 1934 and 1946, and are indeed sailing a stronger navy than the Marine Nationale. While the autocratic dictatorship has collapsed into bureaucracy with the death of the two Fuhrer's, it is nonetheless still a nation thriving under the dictatorship of paperwork - a dictatorship that must be eliminated at last.
The fleet sails into the Bay of Biscay to display force and to ensure an incoming convoy loaded with oil fuel from the United States arrived without being harassed. Seven large carriers and six surface warfare capital ships make up a combined task force of quite vicious magnitudes. The sea state is high, the clouds are low, and while it is not yet raining, the air feels heavy. Nonetheless, at 1340 unknown radar contacts are detected and a reconnaissance flight of torpedo bombers is dispatched.
Not long after, concerned voices report a Super Cruiser, three armoured cruisers, two protected cruisers and six destroyers sailing in formation. La Fayette begins readying a strike package of some forty aircraft, while orders are given for missiles to be fired at will. Ulysse fires the first shot at 1347, her 350mm guns echoing off the low clouds in a rolling thunder. Two German recon planes, FW 160 jet fighters, are shot down by our CAP groups. Then the real fight begins.
A group of German Heavy Jets, Ju 171's, flying at high altitude above the Ulysse division unleash a rain of missiles against the Toulon some thirty kilometres away. Panicky radio calls report inaccuracies in the German attack, missiles flying over or splashing into the water close by the two carriers.
American interference
We are asked by the Yanks whether we would be open to a formal alliance in this war - we agree. We put our cruisers and destroyers to sea, and it is not long before we see further engagements. Etendard is the first French surface warship to fire a missile in anger, in a battle that should have been nothing but a minor skirmish but ends with the sinking of the German carrier Windeck after she is struck by two missiles two hours apart, both of which start fires amongst her fuelled up aircraft. We begin expanding our coastal air bases in the wake of this, aware that our understrength carrier force can be supplemented by coastal bombers.
In an ambush North of Scotland, a pair of cruisers are attacked by considerable air power. In the process, Emile Bertin becomes the first French ship to shoot down an incoming missile using her AA suite. Sadly she is not so lucky when the enemy switches to iron bombs and repeatedly strikes and strafes the two cruisers. First Emile Bertin and then La Galissoniere are hit by repeated accurate bomb strikes and sunk, leaving just the destroyer Pistolet to recover survivors.
The Italians join the war with Germany against us. We respond by sinking six of their submarines in the Mediterranean.
It is likely our forces in the Med are trapped there until further notice due to the British control of the Gibraltar strait and the Suez. Nonetheless we will continue to prosecute this war as best we can.
Short update today. I'm staring grumpily at the screen and that's not a good space for me to keep playing. Fuck the germans, am i right?
always_confused
Perpetually unwanted
- Location
- SEA
Guerre à outrance!
The Failure of Decisive Battle
4WheelSword
The original N-body Problem
- Pronouns
- It/She/They
Some sort of strange time loop has occured, and we have lost a month. Emile Bertin and La Galissonniere are not sunk, but they are about to go into battle in the East Atlantic...
Another Chance
The Emile Bertin is lost protecting a convoy in the Eastern Atlantic, but the vast majority of the aid from America makes it through. A second convoy makes the run in September and this time half of the Marine Nationale goes to meet it and bring it home safe. Reports come in that a scouting force of cruisers is under attack by German warships and at 0530 local the main force catches sight of an enemy capital ship. Not just a capital ship, but several elements of the German carrier force including two Mackensen-class large fleet carriers. Barely half an hour later, Indomptable receives a penetrating hit to her command bridge that kills Contre-Amiral Garreau.
Then the strike packages arrives. Dive bombers pressed into service as missile busses. Torpedo bombers drop to the wave tops. Above them both, jet fighters skirmish with the German CAP and save the lives of several strike pilots. The enemies planes arrive as well, dropping missiles seemingly almost at random across the French fleet including an almost casual targeting of the two American battleships that have joined our forces, including the massive USS Alabama.
La Fayette's strike group reports a missile hit. A German projectile hits the Marseille for no appreciable damage. Another hit is reported by the light carrier Foudre's torpedo bombers. The first real damage suffered by the French fleet is a pair of bombs that detonate on the deck of the small carrier Sirocco, setting her alight. She sinks not long after, but not before plenty of other ships have been badly damaged. Far later in the day, as darkness is beginning to fall, a light jet squadron from off the La Fayette strafes a german armoured cruiser with rockets that spark fires across the ships superstructure.
The price paid to bring this convoy through safely was high on both sides. The small carrier Sirocco, two older cruisers the La Galissonniare and the D'Estrees and the destroyer Tigre were all lost. Meanwhile the Germans lost just two ships - a small destroyer and a 45,000 ton Sandersleben-class carrier sunk by a single missile from the La Fayette's air group. At the same time, the air war was a brutal affair; we deployed just 70% of the strength brought by the ReichsMarine, much of that concentrated on coastal bases. Even with this fact, the Germans lost 230 planes to our 190:
- Twenty German aircraft were shot down by AA fire to twenty-four of ours.
- 86 German planes were shot down in air to air combat compared to 124 of ours.
- Vitally, while we lost some thirty planes when the Sirocco went down, the Germans lost 114 aircraft by fire or sinking.
Notable Air Units
After a series of battles, a number of our carriers have gained distinction. Bearn's fighter wing has scored twelve air to air victories and Lyon's seven. Bois Bellau has nine, Republique Francaise ten and the small carrier Protecteur equalled Bearn with 12. Finally, La Fayette's fighters have fourteen, the most of any carrier, with nine scored by the jet fighter equipped 14756 Escadrille.
A small engagement just South of Nice is fought as we attempt to prevent an Italian invasion of Tunisia. Commandant Teste is struck amidships by a missile and the Dixmunde takes a torpedo, then a missile, then another torpedo. Both sink, a tragedy and a reminder that we shouldn't mess around in the Med when the entire Regia Marine is unopposed.
The Americans begin a combined blockade of Italy and Germany in January 1961, and it suddenly becomes clear that we are the junior partner in this war. Despite the dying done by French sailors, despite the fighting on the front lines in Alsace and the Alps, this war will be fought by the gigantic American fleet. They have seven carriers and forty-nine cruisers in the Med, while maintaining seventeen capital ships and twenty-eight carriers in the North Sea. It is a stark reminder that we have traded one oppressive Anglo empire for another in the last half century.
The War to Come
Food and oil are both becoming scarce in France. Unrest is brutally high, and the enemy knows it even as we sink their ships, their submarines, their merchants. We have them under blockade but they continue to slip through. Protests are constant across France, but also in Germany. We must convince our people to hold for a little longer. They must eke out a little more bravery. They can do that, can't they?
In a desperate battle in the North Sea, La Fayette is hit by a pair of duds that nonetheless start a fire when they ignite the tanks of a fuelled aircraft on the deck. At 0700 on the 25th April, Captain Roche of the La Fayette orders the ship abandoned and survivors to be transferred to the Bois Bellau. At 0830, Bois Bellau is struck by bombs and sunk in turn, survivors transferring aboard the Super Cruiser Heroine.
We quietly begin work on an updated version of the Pistolet, the Pique, a missile carrying anti-submarine destroyer that can also operate with the fleet. Hopefully we can build any before the people drag us to the town square.
We are in a hard position. How are we to end this war?
[ ] We must seek peace, for the people of france.
[ ] Refuse all engagements, transfer the fleet into reserve and use the money for smaller ships.
[ ] Raiding and unrestricted submarine warfare will end this war.
[ ] Something Else, Write-in.
You have a few days to vote on this, most likely - I'm away for a couple of days. Good luck!
Another Chance
The Emile Bertin is lost protecting a convoy in the Eastern Atlantic, but the vast majority of the aid from America makes it through. A second convoy makes the run in September and this time half of the Marine Nationale goes to meet it and bring it home safe. Reports come in that a scouting force of cruisers is under attack by German warships and at 0530 local the main force catches sight of an enemy capital ship. Not just a capital ship, but several elements of the German carrier force including two Mackensen-class large fleet carriers. Barely half an hour later, Indomptable receives a penetrating hit to her command bridge that kills Contre-Amiral Garreau.
Then the strike packages arrives. Dive bombers pressed into service as missile busses. Torpedo bombers drop to the wave tops. Above them both, jet fighters skirmish with the German CAP and save the lives of several strike pilots. The enemies planes arrive as well, dropping missiles seemingly almost at random across the French fleet including an almost casual targeting of the two American battleships that have joined our forces, including the massive USS Alabama.
The price paid to bring this convoy through safely was high on both sides. The small carrier Sirocco, two older cruisers the La Galissonniare and the D'Estrees and the destroyer Tigre were all lost. Meanwhile the Germans lost just two ships - a small destroyer and a 45,000 ton Sandersleben-class carrier sunk by a single missile from the La Fayette's air group. At the same time, the air war was a brutal affair; we deployed just 70% of the strength brought by the ReichsMarine, much of that concentrated on coastal bases. Even with this fact, the Germans lost 230 planes to our 190:
- Twenty German aircraft were shot down by AA fire to twenty-four of ours.
- 86 German planes were shot down in air to air combat compared to 124 of ours.
- Vitally, while we lost some thirty planes when the Sirocco went down, the Germans lost 114 aircraft by fire or sinking.
Notable Air Units
After a series of battles, a number of our carriers have gained distinction. Bearn's fighter wing has scored twelve air to air victories and Lyon's seven. Bois Bellau has nine, Republique Francaise ten and the small carrier Protecteur equalled Bearn with 12. Finally, La Fayette's fighters have fourteen, the most of any carrier, with nine scored by the jet fighter equipped 14756 Escadrille.
A small engagement just South of Nice is fought as we attempt to prevent an Italian invasion of Tunisia. Commandant Teste is struck amidships by a missile and the Dixmunde takes a torpedo, then a missile, then another torpedo. Both sink, a tragedy and a reminder that we shouldn't mess around in the Med when the entire Regia Marine is unopposed.
The Americans begin a combined blockade of Italy and Germany in January 1961, and it suddenly becomes clear that we are the junior partner in this war. Despite the dying done by French sailors, despite the fighting on the front lines in Alsace and the Alps, this war will be fought by the gigantic American fleet. They have seven carriers and forty-nine cruisers in the Med, while maintaining seventeen capital ships and twenty-eight carriers in the North Sea. It is a stark reminder that we have traded one oppressive Anglo empire for another in the last half century.
The War to Come
Food and oil are both becoming scarce in France. Unrest is brutally high, and the enemy knows it even as we sink their ships, their submarines, their merchants. We have them under blockade but they continue to slip through. Protests are constant across France, but also in Germany. We must convince our people to hold for a little longer. They must eke out a little more bravery. They can do that, can't they?
In a desperate battle in the North Sea, La Fayette is hit by a pair of duds that nonetheless start a fire when they ignite the tanks of a fuelled aircraft on the deck. At 0700 on the 25th April, Captain Roche of the La Fayette orders the ship abandoned and survivors to be transferred to the Bois Bellau. At 0830, Bois Bellau is struck by bombs and sunk in turn, survivors transferring aboard the Super Cruiser Heroine.
We quietly begin work on an updated version of the Pistolet, the Pique, a missile carrying anti-submarine destroyer that can also operate with the fleet. Hopefully we can build any before the people drag us to the town square.
We are in a hard position. How are we to end this war?
[ ] We must seek peace, for the people of france.
[ ] Refuse all engagements, transfer the fleet into reserve and use the money for smaller ships.
[ ] Raiding and unrestricted submarine warfare will end this war.
[ ] Something Else, Write-in.
You have a few days to vote on this, most likely - I'm away for a couple of days. Good luck!
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- Location
- Yes
[X] Write in: We must do something to buck up national morale. Let us seek a decisive battle and show we are winning this war.
- Location
- Wörms, the half continent
[X] Raiding and unrestricted submarine warfare will end this war.
We've not had a good game, huh.
We've not had a good game, huh.
- Pronouns
- They/She
[X] Raiding and unrestricted submarine warfare will end this war.
- Location
- Soviet Canuckistan
[X] Raiding and unrestricted submarine warfare will end this war.
doing the sensible thing has consistantly not been rewarded so fuggit, let's try something objectively foolish and see if it goes better.
doing the sensible thing has consistantly not been rewarded so fuggit, let's try something objectively foolish and see if it goes better.
4WheelSword
The original N-body Problem
- Pronouns
- It/She/They
I'm back! Time to return to the slog...
Another Pointless War
4WheelSword
The original N-body Problem
- Pronouns
- It/She/They
We are in a hard position. How are we to end this war? Raiding and unrestricted submarine warfare will end this war.
Loose the Hunting Packs
With decisive battle so far out of reach, we turn to a new method to end this war - ordering our submarines to sink merchants with impunity and our best warships to go a-raiding. It is not enough. It is too late. France descends into anarchic revolution and while we respect the protests and the riots as continuing the grand tradition, the end of war was almost in reach!
In the wake of the war we lay down eight of the new Pique-class destroyer, a cheap alternative to building more Protected Cruisers. It might take a year and a half to build each of them, but they will be a fine colonial force, especially in case anyone decides now is the perfect time to pick on France. We cannot appear weak, of course.
What do we do?
The budget is non-existent. Autocracy still reigns supreme over central Europe and they stare uneasily at the Communists who have now allied themselves with the United States. Italy and Britain are anxious about the future of the Mediterranean and Austria-Hungary wonders impotently if they can't recapture some of the last centuries glory. We would be hungrier for a say, for a piece of the pie and a place at the table, but it seems we are ourselves... impotent.
Our budget is barely more than that of Austria and Spain and our fleet is the size of the latter's. We do receive interesting news, as the Italians begin work on a new design of ship that is technically classified as an aviation cruiser or seaplane carrier but which carries an array of helicopters for anti-submarine work. It gives us some new plans. Perhaps it is time to return to the Jeune Ecole...
What is the future of the Marine Nationale?
[ ] Submarines, light raiders and missile boats.
[ ] Aviation ships, air bases and escorts.
[ ] Maintain the capital fleet against all odds.
[ ] Write-in another plan.
MordredRaal
Agitating
- Pronouns
- She/They
[X] Submarines, light raiders and missile boats.
- Location
- Soviet Canuckistan
[X] Submarines, light raiders and missile boats.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Aviation ships, air bases and escorts.
- Location
- Wörms, the half continent
[X] Submarines, light raiders and missile boats.
- Pronouns
- They/She
[X] Submarines, light raiders and missile boats.
Our Old Enemy - The Budget
4WheelSword
The original N-body Problem
- Pronouns
- It/She/They
What is the future of the Marine Nationale? Submarines, light raiders and missile boats.
Le Nouveau Ecole
We have long been benefited by the ideas of the young school, and recently with the advent of the aircraft carrier we have, in many way, abandoned those ideas. So it is time to return to it, to refocus on submarines and missile boats and the ability to raid merchant shipping. After all, a starved enemy cannot crew a capital ship.
We begin with scrapping. Old submarines, aging cruisers and some tired old destroyers go to the scrap merchants to free up tonnage for brand new construction. We send the second of the Republique Francaise carriers for conversion into an angled deck jet carrier, lay down another four Pique-class destroyers and begin work on a series of new submarines. We will not be caught out again by an enemy who insists on grand and decisive battle.
We also begin work on a new style of protected cruiser, the Coetlegon-class. Its gun armament is primarily for its own defence against aircraft with three twin dual-purpose 125mm turrets, the aftmost of which is mounted just forwards of the helicopter hanger so it has a clear shot aft. Four missile tubes are mounted amidships for anti-ship fires, while two helicopters are shipped to make the ship an effective anti-submarine vessel. She is also, remarkably, hardly more expensive than a destroyer. It seems that once again, steel is cheap.
Missiles go up?
Just as we begin design work on the Coetlegon, we are presented with a development that will require a return to the drawing board. Clever scientists have developed the first useful example of a missile that can track an aircraft in flight. We eventually settle on laying down two of the gun-armed Coetlegon design (Coetlegon, Surcouf), and building a third of a modified design that carries an anti air missile armament. The Lalande is stretched to accommodate the massive missile magazine for its single 'swing-arm' launcher, but is otherwise near identical to the Coetlegon.
In November 1963 we begin work on a new class of missile submarines to follow up the twelve 'standard' submarines that are currently under construction. Our submarine fleet will be one of the most modern and capable should we end up in another war. Then, in January 1964, the government resigns in a scandal fed mostly by military spending. We scoff and chide the lawmakers but they nonetheless reduce our funding significantly. Work on the cruisers is halted, and our submarine program is cancelled. We will complete those that were already laid down, but that includes just six of the new missile submarines we were so hungry for.
We are once again in something of a budgetary crisis.
Saving Money
There are several of the fleet where money could be saved but where can we compromise on capability?
- The Super Cruiser force includes the three modernised and re-engined 31-knot 300mm gunned ships, five all-forwards semi-modern 350mm gunned ships and one Triomphante-class un-modernised ship.
- The Large Carrier force includes three aging straight-decked prop carriers, two modernised angle-decked carrier and one modern Joffre-class jet carrier. The Small Carrier force includes three creaking fighter carriers of some age and two jet escort carriers.
- We maintain a total force of 445 jet aircraft, 327 multi-engined aircraft and 713 single-engined aircraft, the majority of which are on surface bases.
How should we make our savings? Choose as many as you like;
[ ] Scrap the all-forwards Super Cruisers, they have outlasted their use.
[ ] Scrap the Super Cruisers we have recently completely rebuilt.
[ ] Scrap the surviving Triomphante - the experiment was a failure.
[ ] Scrap the aging Large Carriers.
[ ] Scrap the angle-decked Large Carriers (except Joffre).
[ ] Scrap the aging fighter carriers.
[ ] Reduce the complement of aircraft at our bases and prioritise night capable prop-aircraft.
[ ] Reduce the complement of aircraft at our bases and prioritise Jets.
[ ] Reduce the complement of aircraft at our bases to just naval patrol aircraft in most places.
- Location
- Te Ika-a-Māui
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Scrap the aging fighter carriers.
- Location
- Soviet Canuckistan
[x] Scrap the surviving Triomphante - the experiment was a failure.
[x] Scrap the aging fighter carriers.
edit: also fuck the -budget events, we are getting hammered
[x] Scrap the aging fighter carriers.
edit: also fuck the -budget events, we are getting hammered
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[X] Scrap the Super Cruisers we have recently completely rebuilt.
[X] Scrap the aging fighter carriers.
[X] Reduce the complement of aircraft at our bases and prioritise Jets.
Even if we just put a bunch of money into the Heroine class I don't really see a need to throw more money at them to keep the oldest super cruiser hulls in service. The newer hulls likely still have more life left in them for any refits to make them more usable than the 1921 super cruisers, and 6 hulls total is probably more than enough to see us though to the point when we don't even want those in the fleet anymore and send them off to be museum ships or scrapped.
And if our night planes are still stuck as props, when even Behind nations are starting to get AA missiles and everyone's likely got decent AA guns, better to just hold off on those for a bit until we're allowed to fly jets at night IMO. Better than sending them into that gauntlet at least.
[X] Scrap the aging fighter carriers.
[X] Reduce the complement of aircraft at our bases and prioritise Jets.
Even if we just put a bunch of money into the Heroine class I don't really see a need to throw more money at them to keep the oldest super cruiser hulls in service. The newer hulls likely still have more life left in them for any refits to make them more usable than the 1921 super cruisers, and 6 hulls total is probably more than enough to see us though to the point when we don't even want those in the fleet anymore and send them off to be museum ships or scrapped.
And if our night planes are still stuck as props, when even Behind nations are starting to get AA missiles and everyone's likely got decent AA guns, better to just hold off on those for a bit until we're allowed to fly jets at night IMO. Better than sending them into that gauntlet at least.
- Pronouns
- They/She
[X] Scrap the Super Cruisers we have recently completely rebuilt.
[X] Scrap the aging fighter carriers.
[X] Reduce the complement of aircraft at our bases and prioritise Jets.
[X] Scrap the aging fighter carriers.
[X] Reduce the complement of aircraft at our bases and prioritise Jets.
