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Strategic Arms Quest 3/2: Armor Edition

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[X] Plan Yet Another Plan Mk2

If the W-8 has a three person crew it should definitely have a machine gun.
 
I'm happy with this vote.
Adhoc vote count started by TotallyNotEvil on Jun 7, 2018 at 8:52 PM, finished with 64 posts and 8 votes.
  • [X] Plan Yet Another Plan Mk2
    -[X]Tank Recommendations
    --[X] Everyone: Visibility, ergonomics, ventilation and crew communication need to be given more attention, going forward. They shouldn't neglect speed and reliability, of course.
    --[X] Everyone: Ask all manufacturers for estimated cost and production time for comparison (how fast do they estimate being able to start production, how expensive do they anticipate the tank being, and how many per month do they estimate being able to produce). Also for official crew requirements and functions.
    --[X] Everyone: We all like machines guns, but moderate it.
    --[X]Thryssen: Suggest that they improve crew safety and exhaust system on future models, this also had too many machine guns; remove tank from infantry tank competition.
    --[X]Skoda: Improve the fuel supply and system, and if possible replace the hull gun with an autocannon or just something generally lighter and faster than the 3,5 cm howitzer; in general, lighten tank to try and get a bit more speed; suggest shortening 10,5 to shave off some weight as well. If not already there, a good rangefinder. Track retention could be improved. If possible, allow for the possibility if a engine retrofit in the future, as stronger and better ones come into market.
    --[X]Reindhardt: Advise that GK-3 is a decent tank, although there are some reservations about multi-turret tanks; advise use of speaking tubes for communication between turret and driver or otherwise fix communication issue between commander/driver; If a speaking tube or intercom is not a practical replacement for the GK-3's signal lights due to engineering constraints or noise, make an effort to improve their visibility; advise finding a way to fix issues with track retention; advise they drop about, and at least, half of the machine guns on the GK-3, make use of freed up weight and cost by significantly thickening armour, especially on sides, they ought to aim for at least 20mm, though of course extra is better; remove GK-2 from infantry tank competition.
    --[X]Wanderer: Consider advancing the W-5, W-6, and W-8 models as cavalry tanks. Advise rebuild/new transmission on W-8. Advise revisit of crew ergonomics. The W-6 had accuracy issues. Recommend he find a way to increase production speed; remove W-6 and W-8 from the competition. The later could use a machine gun, too.
    -[X] Recommendations to High Command
    --[X]Several of the designs show promise and will likely be suitable for adoption, but we would like one more round of maneuvers and testing after manufacturers make recommended changes, as they've been interrupted midway. Note that testing has not, as of writing this notice, reached the armour phase.
    ---[X]The Skoda model is ideal for assaulting strongpoints, particularly once fuel issues are resolved.
    ---[X]The GK-3 is an acceptable substitute if budgetary limits are too tight, especially once the submitted design revisions are made.
    ---[X]A combination of GK-3 and SzW-1 might be the best for breaking through enemy strongpoints/supporting infantry, depending on cost and production efficiency.
    ---[X]The W-5 and W-8 could be very good options for adoption as a cavalry tank once the production bottle-neck is overcome, provisioned they pass the armour trials.
    ----[X]Potentially look into renegotiating for the ongoing contract being delivered as W-5s rather than W-2s for an increase in cost, provided they pass armour trials.
    [X]Plan one more go
    -[X]To Manufacturers:
    --[X]Thryssen: It's a good tank, but we don't see a future in combining main guns that are turreted and casemated
    --[X]Skoda: Give us some more fuel, delete the hull gun for an MG or just plate
    ---[X]Possibly explore weight reduction by cutting down the gun - with a 105mm shell, we don't need a full power naval gun at the ranges we will be firing at.
    --[X]Reindhardt: Despite reservations against dual-turret vehicles, the GK-3 is the best vehicle of the current batch (though it does lack behind in frontal armor a bit). Perhaps use speaking tubes to fix the communications issues between the turrets.
    --[X]Wanderer: Completely missed the point of the contest, but the W-5 would be a fine upgrade to our current cavalry tank
    -[X]to high command:
    --[X]We would like to have some more time to hold another round of trials with improved tanks
    ---[X]Should the time for that not be there, the GK-3 is the most suitable for immediate adaption (however we are confident we can get a better tank given a bit more time)
    --[X]Additionally, the W-5 is a considerable upgrade over the W-2 should more firepower be needed for the cavalry tank
    [x] Plan Junk Junk Junk
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Contest 2: Manufacture's Remarks and Suprises
  • Threadmarks
    • Once you were safely ensconced back in Luneburg, out came the typewriter. Your report to High Command was first on the docket, and it was a doozy. Once you got the normal bureaucratic shenanigans and memoese out of the way, you bit the bullet and said that none of the infantry designs were ready for adoption yet. Without armor testing, you couldn't be certain, but all the tanks seemed reasonably well protected and could be expected to operate on the tactical level with the infantry in assault without too many problems. Each model had their strengths and weaknesses, and you were sure to point that out. The SzW-1 would be an amazing fortress buster, and in a pinch a mobile artillery battery piece- but its slow speed would cripple it in digging through the thick defenses in deapth on certain fronts. The GK-3 would likewise be an excellent line-breaker, and potentially cheaper too for better effectiveness in more open terrain. The W-5 and related were all excellent considerations for cavalry tanks, and should most likely be formally adopted as such when an appropriate time came around. Most importantly, though, was that the GW-1 was an utter flop and needed to get thrown in a garbage pile. Any future testing was going to just be the SzW-1 and GK-3, which should assure the accountants you weren't gonna start asking for money.

    The letters to the manufacturers started out with a general header, and then got more detailed. Ventelation, crew comfort, and ergonomics were all big factors, along with crew communication. Poor driver placement meant everyone had to send information, which in turn meant it needed to get there. Other notes included less machine guns we're not made of money here, along with the mandatory question of 'how much does this cost exactly?' which was a question you honestly should have thrown in the opening quote.

    News back from High Command was promising. Your program wasn't cancled since you were showing progress, unlike the Motor Gun Carriage disaster zone which had gotten shitcanned at the speed of light. Rumors had been circulating that you were next in line to head it, once this was done. The fact you'd narrowed it down to just two was amazing to them, aparently, and you could in fact continue working with the manufacturers. More testing was right out, though, because the budget for R&D had been slashed. Again. At least you still had an office!

    Getting back to you, Thryssen was screaming into letters that were going straight into the fireplace, while Skoda was happy to talk to you about making the tank faster. After some negotiations with Wanderer, they got manufacturing rights to the 2cm autocannon to replace the 3,5cm gun. Skoda being Skoda, they then replaced all six machine guns with four autocannons, and said it was perfectly fine. To get the speed up, aside from lightening things with the autocannons (somehow) they decided the new plan was to rework the internals. Instead of two less than sane ten cylinder radial engines, the new plan was four seven-cylinder diesel engines tied together around a common drive train. When your secretary finished prying the whisky bottle out of your hands, you forced yourself to remember Skoda built battleships. This was perfectly normal for them, making a twelve-man colosus.

    Wanderer wasn't surprised by the news they were cut, but the company rep was interested in talking to Procurement to get the contract changed for the new W-5 and variant tanks. Gotha was screaming warnings about new hires, through- a lot of the wrong sort had gotten into the unions lately, and that meant a lot more violent striking than usual. Once the information was passed on, everyone had to breath a sigh of relief. The war was having enough troubles, even without home front issues.

    Reindhardt wasn't too upset about getting told to drop the GK-2, although they were sad the 3,5cm rotary hadn't drawn much attention. The decision to lighten the machine gun armament confused them, though, until you expained it was a weight issue and more broadside armor was perferable. The response, that it would take forge-welded plates and that would cost something north of ten thalers a plate, made you shrink back in your chair with dread. The average tank plate, by comparison, was one thaler to make unless you were Skoda and could cast most anything via applications of Czechnology. The communications issue needed to be fixed, and they were more than happy to promise to deliver the new tank in two weeks.

    Naturally, things hit a little snag when the Kubachan Free State sued for peace ten days into the schedule, and the War Economic Department said that the country was running out of money, period. While the Kaiser wasn't exactly feeling like hopping on the peace train yet until he'd squeezed some concessions out of the Kubachians, things were certainly shifting gears in the War Offices. The cavalry tank upgrade deal went through, and your recommendations got bucked up out of your pay grade to the General Staff.

    That was a little bit of a problem, since it put you at loose ends. You'd need to grab onto something, or risk getting shaken off the promotion ladder and doomed to shuffling papers forever. Time to move!

    [] Commit takeover of the Motor Gun Carriage Program, and get back to your artillery roots. Time to see if the old nags were still old nags.
    [] Go back into the field, and get yourself in charge of some tanks. Plus side, got you out of the house for the last bits of this blasted pregnancy!
    [] Mooch your way into a general officer's personal staff, and embrace your future as a desk jockey and office-flavored officer career.
    [] Something Else? (Write-In)
     
  • Threadmarks
    • [x] Commit takeover of the Motor Gun Carriage Program, and get back to your artillery roots. Time to see if the old nags were still old nags.

    death on wheels is our name!
     
    [X] Commit takeover of the Motor Gun Carriage Program, and get back to your artillery roots. Time to see if the old nags were still old nags.

    Also, damn it Skoda, apparently "maybe less huge?" is a foreign concept to them, but that should fix the speed issue. And they bodged some fucking autocannons on there because any good battleship needs secondaries for shooting the destroyers, even if the battleship is on land and the destroyers are infantry.
     
    I am not sure how good taking over the gun testing is. Like, that is probably the road to SPGs. All fine and dandy, but their effectiveness in the trench warfare is limited because their speed advantage has use only for faster repositioning but the lesser calibers than the fixed guns negate that.

    If we would go on the front and stage a small breakthrough, we can show how our cavalry would be helped if there were some artillery pieces moving with them. Otherwise our doctrine will mostly ignore SPGs, and they will get good later.

    [X] Go back into the field, and get yourself in charge of some tanks. Plus side, got you out of the house for the last bits of this blasted pregnancy!
     
    FortTell said:
    I am not sure how good taking over the gun testing is. Like, that is probably the road to SPGs. All fine and dandy, but their effectiveness in the trench warfare is limited because their speed advantage has use only for faster repositioning but the lesser calibers than the fixed guns negate that.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Technically speaking, the Motor Gun Carriage design team is looking at prime movers and SPGs, but the project creep ate them.

    TortugaGreen said:
    Also, damn it Skoda, apparently "maybe less huge?" is a foreign concept to them, but that should fix the speed issue. And they bodged some fucking autocannons on there because any good battleship needs secondaries for shooting the destroyers, even if the battleship is on land and the destroyers are infantry.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    I mean, they swapped two massive boat engines for four small boat engines, and they can be chained together easily enough. The big thing they had to fix wbetter.ir instrumentation, and after that got handled they are doing much better
     
    [X] Go back into the field, and get yourself in charge of some tanks. Plus side, got you out of the house for the last bits of this blasted pregnancy!

    Recovered from wound, time to have a go at getting ourselves killed before the war ends suddenly.
     
    [X] Go back into the field, and get yourself in charge of some tanks. Plus side, got you out of the house for the last bits of this blasted pregnancy!
     
    [x] Commit takeover of the Motor Gun Carriage Program, and get back to your artillery roots. Time to see if the old nags were still old nags.
     
    Inb4 Skoda artillery landship.

    [x] Commit takeover of the Motor Gun Carriage Program, and get back to your artillery roots. Time to see if the old nags were still old nags.
     
    [x] Commit takeover of the Motor Gun Carriage Program, and get back to your artillery roots. Time to see if the old nags were still old nags.
     
    [x] Commit takeover of the Motor Gun Carriage Program, and get back to your artillery roots. Time to see if the old nags were still old nags.
     
    [x] Commit takeover of the Motor Gun Carriage Program, and get back to your artillery roots. Time to see if the old nags were still old nags.

    So, this is mobile artillery?
     
    [X] Go back into the field, and get yourself in charge of some tanks. Plus side, got you out of the house for the last bits of this blasted pregnancy!
     
    [x] Commit takeover of the Motor Gun Carriage Program, and get back to your artillery roots. Time to see if the old nags were still old nags.
     
    [x] Commit takeover of the Motor Gun Carriage Program, and get back to your artillery roots. Time to see if the old nags were still old nags.
     
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