/v/ - Video Games

As the war with Germany drags on, we lay down our newest class of battlecruisers, although it may be more apt to refer to them as fast dreadnoughts. Armed with both the largest caliber and highest number of guns, these ships will undoubtedly be world-class vessels. In fact, at this time they are projected to be the largest ships in existence upon their completion. Our pocketbooks aren't looking great, but no doubt we can sort that out in due time. I have also adjusted the ammunition load-outs to the following, replacing many HE rounds with SAP instead.

The Germans offer us a white peace, which of course we reject. That same month, our destroyers attempt a night raid of the German coastline, only to run into a division of German torpedo boats doing the same thing. In a confused night battle, one advantage of the German's small ships is demonstrated, in that their nimbleness means striking one with a torpedo is nearly impossible. Things get worse when a 3" round detonates in Ndongo Bonaparte's engine room, disabling them entirely and bringing the ship to a halt. Soon afterward a torpedo impacts her and the ship is lost. Not wanting to risk another loss like this for the chance of destroying a torpedo boat, we retreat back towards the French coast.

The next couple months are relatively quiet on the seas, with no major engagements taking place. However, we get a set of technology advances, as well as the ability to begin constructing airbases. While our first flying boat designs are still on the drawing boards, setting up a Naval Air Station at Brest seems a logical choice, as we currently have an airship base at Dunkerque.

A rather strange action takes place in the South Pacific, as a German raider attempts to harass our colony is Polynesia. The forces defending this area are highly outdated, with the failed experimental ship Surcouf being the centerpiece. Remarkably, she manages to land a hit at long range with her massively oversized gun. However, this shell fails to do any real damage and she is forced to retreat.

Back on the strategic map, our airship pilots finally announce that they will conduct attacks on ships if possible, and our flying boat prototype is presented, with it's own bomb capability.

last update for tonight

>>16870868

Realized I forgot to include the image of the actual shot hitting

So I only vaguely remember the results of the previous action, but short story shorter:

>German force raids our coastline

>large amounts of German capital ships

>we briefly engage before realizing they're much more powerful

>fall back, using DDs to cover the retreat

>a half dozen airships make an attack from high altitude, missing all their bombs

>German raid results in very little effect either way

>>16881788

I have to agree, I'd like to ask for a waiver on that rule. The thread just "below" the old one last had a post 10 days ago and it isn't on autosage.

Our armored cruisers main batteries can now be upgraded yet again, for some excellent quality guns. Of course, that would mean taking them out of service for some time, so this will probably have to wait until after the war or for a later class. Realizing that our ships will need protection against aeroplanes, our engineers begin working on methods of combating them. And furthering our seaplane technology is the ability to operate large seaplane tenders..

A cruiser action near the Dogger Bank occurs, but the appearance of the juggernaut that is the Ostfriesland battle-cruiser means we are quickly forced to call it off. Our own cruisers simply have no ability to stand toe-to-toe with such a ship.

A small piece of good news comes to light, as on of our aeroplane companies offers us up a capable combat aircraft. As we currently have no fighters in service, we graciously accept.

In the Bay of Biscay a force of our ships is escorting a merchant convoy, accompanied by a seaplane tender. At roughly 3AM in the morning, a series of unknown shapes appear in the dark. A short exchange of fire takes place, with our cruisers landing several good hits for only a single hit upon our DD Sabre. Uncertain as to what we've encounter, our force sticks with the convoy as it approaches France. But just past five, the sun breaks the horizon and reveals that the German ships have followed in our wake. Worse still, they are within 9,000 meters, close range for large ships. And to cap things off, leading them is the Ostfriesland, the flagship of the German Navy.

We've essentially got a few actions we could take. We could go fully on the retreat, leaving the convoy to be wiped out by our enemies. Alternatively, we could try and stand up to the encroaching ships, as risky as that might be.

Should we live up to our nation's heritage and flee, or go for the surprising option and fight?

How do we keep getting so lucky with this quality +1 dakka? I never get this shit when I'm playing.

It does not take long for the first German hits to begin landing, and soon a capital ship round penetrates into the engine room of God shits on the Kaiser, bringing her to a near complete halt. More rounds come soon afterwards, rending her hull open and dooming the ship on her first combat action before dawn has finished breaking. Our destroyers charge forwards, briefly forcing the Germans back. It looks at first as if this action will be another indecisive one, with the Germans retreating, but they turn around and come back in force.

It is then that the Ostfriesland makes a rather…questionable decision. Despite the approaching line of our modern destroyers, she continues an advance. It's only when the distance shortens to under a kilometer that she begins evasive action, but by that time it's far too late. Torpedoes are launched from both ends of the destroyer line, catching the Ostfriesland in a crossfire that's nearly impossible to avoid. Two torpedoes slam into either side of her and the ship immediately is rendered dead in the water.

But while the torpedoing of the Ostfriesland is certainly the most significant element of this action, the most spectacular comes only minutes later. Our BC ISS Acrebleu fires upon the German light cruiser Undine, and the first round that impacts penetrates the cruiser's armored belt and detonates inside the magazine of it's guns, resulting in a violent explosion that annihilates the ship instantly.

In the aftermath, the few remaining ships (a pair of destroyers and a Von der Tann-class BC) immediately begin a retreat. With many heavily damaged destroyers, but a completely intact merchant convoy, we also turn to return to France. Along the way, the DD Sabre eventually succumbs to her battle damage, our second loss of the engagement. Finally, when everything seems to be in the clear, a torpedo launched by a German U-boat strikes a merchant, leading to it's eventual sinking.

Included are most of the battle details. The results of this engagement are rather major. While we have managed to break the formal blockade for a couple months, the shoe is now on the other foot, as we are now blockading Germany. Of course, that means that some of their ships have now taken to raiding.

A set of prototypes for new fighters are presented. While the Liore seems to largely be better, it does sacrifice a bit of maneuverability, it gains in many ways. Should we suspend production of the LeO.47 for the 49?

>heavy hits 22

>medium hits 136

>light hits 65

>torpedo hits 4

We certainly took our anger out on that ship.

We unlock another major technology, allowing us to create ships that pack all important aspects of the ship in a tightly concentrated citadel, while the rest of the ship is unarmored. This results in an armor layout much lighter, letting us create a ship with a thicker belt and deck than normal. The downside is that this requires a flat deck design, which does not allow for the deck to reinforce the belt armor. Meanwhile, our floatplane is upgraded to carry bombs. We also see an upgrade in our 11" gun tech, such as that used by our only BC in service.

A small destroyer engagement allowed us a chance to let our remaining seaplane tender launch a full strike, but deteriorating weather and a fast enemy force meant that the strike failed to find it's target. We get quite a bit of news about cruisers, as we unlock tech for them and our new class hits the waves and impresses all with it's speed. And to satisfy those wishing for greater seaplane capabilities, we lay down a quite large seaplane carrier, that will be able to provide scouting, strike capability and CAP to an entire battlegroup.

>>16882416

>wine delivery system class

Is there a non-DRM version that I can pirate yet?

Off the Western coast of France a pair of German raiders once again attempt to make a attempt to attack our convoy. And once again, the obsolescence of the German's cruiser force is apparent, as the raiders are clearly meant to screen a fleet from torpedo boats, not perform independent action. Our cruisers have no issue in dispatching them…until in the very last minute of the action a torpedo slams into 1066 WILL COMMENCE AGAIN. Despite the heavy damage inflicted, the crew manages to keep the ship from going down and the action is a victory, albeit one that almost ended in a draw.

The war is approaching the end of it's third year, and Germany has yet to show any intention of making peace. Our people are growing restless as well, with the trade disruptions caused by intermittent blockades and raider activity. But there is perhaps another way we could go about bringing them to the negotiating table.

What should we do?

>>16883081

I've been told an older version exists on a Russian torrent site, but I don't know much myself.

An encounter between our battlecruiser forces occurs. While our ship lands a few early hits, the Germans respond with a 12" round that knocks out the rear turret of ISS Acrebleu. With the engagement turning out for the worst, our destroyers deploy a smoke screen and a return to port goes uneventfully.

A lack of any particular success in the war effort finally seems to be taking a toll on the Germans. In the air, someone finally figures out how to attach a torpedo to an airplane, allowing us to create dedicated torpedo bombers at our land bases, which can now be expanded to 40 planes each. And Loire steps forward and offers us a new flying boat, which has somewhat better range and speed, but lacks any abilty to carry munitions.

Should we accept the new plane, or stick with the ones we have?

A few un-noteworthy actions occur, but none consist of much more than a few shots being exchanged. While there continue to be reports of disturbances and protests in Germany, those same calls for peace are being echoed in our own streets. It's becoming uncomfortably plausible that this war might be ended not at sea but at the hands of revolution.

What should we do?

>>16884342

I'm going to wait for a one or two more pieces of input, but I'll also provide German losses and current fleet status here too. It is worth mentioning that Germany actually scrapped several of their most outdated ships, likely freeing up significant capital to undergo even more construction beyond what their oversized budget normally allows.

Well, this is not something I was expecting. Unrest has further increased.

With the conservatives having sabotaged our attempts to divert naval funds for mo programs, as well as the papers spinning our attempt to stave off revolution with such headlines as "ADMIRAL ANON: A CUCK WHO ENJOYS SCHNITZEL?", it is clear France needs a decisive victory to lift her spirits. And on the 25th of October, a chance reveals itself. A significant German force is spotted leaving port and heading for our Northern coast. It is expected that they will be arriving sometime after the sun has set, so it is a prime chance to leverage our advantage in destroyers.

An advance force of cruisers and escorts leads the way, with the DD Fanion at the head, in fact quite rather far ahead the rest. At the narrowest part of the Channel, as she navigates the rather extensive minefields we have set up, unfamiliar shapes appear in the night. At first appearing like only a small number of ships, the numbers rapidly multiply, revealing a formation of capital ships and escorts, which rapidly open fire upon her. Within a minute of establishing , she is hit by a 3" HE round. The next minute, a 12" round enters her engine room and detonates. However, perhaps as a result of the sudden contact, the round was not a devastating HE shell but an AP variant and thus does not inflict fatal damage. Hopelessly outgunned and outnumbered, she launches her torpedoes and attempts to push through. Remarkably, no other round strikes her and she successfully breaks contact and is able to limp back to port.

Our cruiser force is next to meet the enemy. Even though this style of combat isn't their specialty, forcing the engagement here may very well work to out advantage as we try and keep the enemy within the vicinity of our minefields. Making contact, a close range flurry of gunfire is exchanged. Grichka Bogdanoff suffers quite badly, being struck with both 13 and 6 inch rounds, one of which destroys it's forward turret. Ignor Bogdanoff takes a similar amount of hits, but the majority of them are dud rounds that simply pass through the superstructure or hull without detonating. Finally, the last cruiser of the advance force, the brand new ship Suck My Sauerbraten suffers nearly identically in numerical hits, but luckily most of them hit non-vital areas.

The chaos of night combat becomes entirely apparent very quickly. Getting a coherent picture of what the fuck is happening can be very difficult and combat devolves into frantic maneuvering to avoid potential torpedo solutions and close-range gunfights cause ships to be rendered ineffective in an instant. A prime example of this confusion occurs, as the German battleship Helgoland passes between our cruisers, nearly colliding with them. As it does so, Suck My Sauerbraten launches a torpedo from her underwater tubes and successfully hits the Helgoland. Sinking this dreadnought may be the prize we've been looking for.

But in night combat, the tables can turn at any time. Only a few minutes after striking the Helgoland, the same fate befalls Suck My Sauerbraten, as a torpedo launched by a German escort finds her. Even with her passive torpedo protection systems, the damage is far too great to survive. After only a few short months of service, Suck My Sauerbraten begins to slip beneath the waves.

In an attempt to finish what Suck My Sauerbraten began, our destroyers charge forward to deploy their torpedoes. But awaiting them is a screening force, including a German cruiser that excels in fighting destroyers. Withering fire pours from the escorts and our DDs are forced to pull back while our own capital ships try and close the distance and bring their big guns to bear. And in this they succeed, landing several hits at point blank range, while our destroyers use the cover offered by the large ships to land another torpedo on the Helgoland.

Meanwhile, a few miles South, the sister ship to Suck My Sauerbraten appears to wish to join her, as a momentary communication misunderstanding leads the ship to sail directly into a force of hostile ships, nearly colliding with several while raking a cruiser with 6" gunfire. But the German gunners fail to leverage this advantage, and Failed Art Student Extermination Vessel runs the gauntlet with only a pair of hits suffered to show for it. But she passes valuable information along, reporting a German battlecruiser largely isolated from the main force. This ship is quickly entrapped by our own large ships, with even our predreadnought force crossing the T and delivering punishing hits. A torpedo from DOCTEUR CONNOR'S CLASSE seals the deal, rupturing traverse bulkheads and causing massive flooding.

At this point, many of our destroyers are either damage or out of torpedoes, while a concrete understanding of how many ships the Germans have brought is still unclear. For all we know, an entire second division of battleships is lurking just out of sight. Tallying our successes, we have a battlecruiser confirmed sunk, a light cruiser similarly ravaged and a battleship we know has been struck by at least two torpedoes and close range 14" gunfire. It is difficult to imagine it making a return to Germany in such a state and so the engagement comes to a conclusion.

The post battle results come in, and they are frustrating. The Helgoland, despite it's major damage, did make it back to Germany. Two of it's turrets were burnt out by rounds from Shitposteurs Sans Frontieres, but German torpedo protection is either quite good, or our torpedoes are lacking. In either case, we've once again paid for a lack of aggresiveness, letting a prime target survive severe damage when it had no right to. The German DD that was lost sunk when it struck a mine in the channel, although at that point it had already been significantly damaged. Still, even with the disappointment in not sinking the Helgoland, this is still a clear victory for France. News of a German raid being turned away and multiple German ships being sunk calms people somewhat, although protests against the war are still commonplace. The war has not been won here, but rather more time to fight it.

A German sub puts one of our nicest cruisers in drydock for half a year, which will certainly be a source of annoyance for the next several months. Despite this, the next month the versatility of our BC is shown yet again, as a pair of German light cruisers are handily dispatched. I must express some surprise at how useful the ISS Acrebleu has proven Across the Atlantic, the United States launches their newest ship, the United States, which is not only the current largest ship, but also boasts the largest broadside in the world, with a full dozen 15" guns.

Having seen the worth of our destroyers at night, and having unlocked multiple tube mounts, should we lay down a new class of DD such as this?

>>16885195

Afraid I don't have a source for it, buyfag here. I can ask someone I know, but I have no idea how recent it will be.

While we've yet to see aircraft pull of a succesful attack upon ships, the need to defend against future designs is more than obvious and we can now mount AA guns upon our ships. The conservative party manages to push through additional war funding, which further upsets the plebs. The Prime Minister seems to be leaning towards throwing in the towel, even though we have a significant advantage at this point.

Our response?

Our newest line of DDs is placed into production with an initial run of 5 ships. While peace talks falter, there is still hope coming through our intelligence services

>Intelligence report Germany: There are rumours of failing morale in the German fleet.

>Intelligence report Germany: There are rumours of mutinies in the German fleet.

Furthermore, a report of the German fleet leaving port and advancing towards Northern France prompts another large scale response. This time though, the Germans arrive in the late evening, before the sun sets. Early spotting reports by land based air units indicate a significant number of German capital ships, as well as some escorts. However, the sun sets and an early sweep seems to indicate the Germans left after only briefly sinking a merchant ship.

As our force begins to return to port, an unexpected sight comes into view. A lone ship, larger than any escort or cruiser, is making it's way nearly parallel to our own course. Destroyers react to engage this ship, which is identified as a battlecruiser of unknown class.

Our destroyer forces engage, launching torpedoes at the intruder and a hit is rapidly scored. Our two armored cruisers, Jamal De Bourbon and Escargot Fuck Yourself move in to engage as well, trusting the close range will allow their 8" guns to penetrate at least some of the German ship's less armored sections. Each gun rings out rapidly, as our gun crews primarily focus on using HE rounds to devastate the upper sections of the hostile ship. The German gunners seem confused and ill-trained, and for several minutes there is simply no return fire from the stricken enemy vessel. But after about 10 minutes the enemy's secondary battery finally returns fire, and the effect is immediate.

At 8:10pm, a 6" round from the German battle-cruiser strikes the aft turret of Jamal De Bourbon. The armor piercing round penetrates the turret face and detonates within. Bags of shell propellant, being hoisted up from the ship's magazines, ignite. And a moment later, the Channel is illuminated by a massive explosion as Jamal De Bourbon is blown apart. That explosion and the immense fireball also reveals it's killer, the Hannover-class battle-cruiser Schleswig-Holstein.

As the ship is already listing due to the previous torpedo hit, our destroyers waste no time in closing in for another attack. In doing so, they reveal another German capital ship, the Lothringen-class battleship Schlesien. While yet undamaged, the slow speed of the German battleship means that at this range, it's lumbering and lethargic turns cannot easily avoid incoming torpedoes, and our DD Nigerrelle Faguette manages to put one into her.

Daring not to repeat the mistakes of our last battle, we close in to ensure both of these ships go to the bottom. No less than four torpedoes are placed on each one, with dozens of hits from guns at point blank range added on for good measure. Even when it seems obvious the ships are doomed, more is thrown at them to promise that we do not face them again.

The results of the battle are a fantasic military victory, but the population is not feeling the same pride that our crews certainly are. Unrest is reaching even further now, and it may even be spreading to our sailors.

What is our reaction?

So then, lets get the bad news out of the way. Despite our push for social reforms to placate the population, things only get worse. There is now open talk of violent revolution, and the impact is felt even at sea. Even with the reports that Germany is suffering the same situation, that is of little comfort when an angry populace is erecting guillotines in city squares.

>>16885958

Now, the good news. Our intel agency pulls the documents for Japan's newest line of destroyers, not that that's of much use to us right now. But more importantly, the concept of a light aircraft carrier is finally considered worthwhile, just as our first torpedo bomber enters service.

>Morane Saulnier MS. 59 Torpedo Bomber

>Cruise speed: 62kts

>Range while carrying torpedo: 72 miles

>Average maneuverability and toughness, low firepower

Now, a question for some debate: what ships, if any, should we consider for conversion to an aircraft carrier? We have several predreadnought battleships that could carry up to 20 planes, but they are very slow and would require an expensive engine refit to be able to launch aircraft. Le Gros Penis is not considered an option, as a ship of such size is not deemed worthwhile to convert. We have the legacy cruisers of the Montcalm class, but while not requiring an engine refit they can only carry half the number of planes. The cruisers Escargot Fuck Yourself and Baguette Launcher are tempting options, as their relatively high speed and somewhat thinner armor means that they not only require no engine refit, but also can carry a similar 18-20 plane load. However, the downside to that option is that these ships are serious workhorses in our fleet.

So, what ships should we consider converting?

A more detailed look at our conversion options reveals something I previously overlooked: The Friedland-class predreadnought Trafalgar Was an Inside Job. While at first she seemed no more worthwhile than the other predreads of the Marango-class, a key detail made her more appealing: she was designed with a narrow belt. As a result, she spends considerably less weight on protection she is unlikely to use anymore. Her extensive former ammunition stores and engine rebuild leads to a ship that can carry a rather impressive 26 planes. She carries a set of 6" guns for self defense, as well as 16 heavy machine guns for disrupting enemy aircraft that try and attack her. In the event a torpedo bomber, submarine or destroyer makes a successful attack on her, she packs one last asset, a set of anti-torpedo bulges that, while they limit her to 21kts, will provide valuable protection.

At sea, we do have a rather strange occurrence. Our seaplane tender FUCK EUROPE MED WAR NOW intercepts a German raider. Normally, this would be a very bad situation for our tender, but in this case the raider is a small converted merchant ship, which is perhaps the only vessel a seaplane tender has a chance of sinking outside of coastal patrol vessels. And in the end it results in another ship lost for the German Navy.

Perhaps the war is getting to the heads of naval crews, because strange things keep happening. A pair of our older light cruisers is patrolling when they receive a report of enemy raiders attacking a convoy. We set course for the scene of the reports, when suddenly we get another message from the convoy escorts: one of the merchant captains, clearly unwilling to let his complete lack of weapons to hinder his hatred of Germans, has somehow rammed a modern enemy cruiser with his cargo ship. How he managed to hit a ship capable of making over three times his maximum speed is a mystery, but as our ships arrive, one German cruiser is clearly moving slower than the other.

Our ships begin to move it to ward off the Germans, but the convoys escorts seem intent upon solving the problem themselves. One of the destroyers darts past the damaged German cruiser and fires a single torpedo with nearly perfect accuracy, striking the cruiser aft, destroying a turret and knocking out it's electrical power. At that point, there is little for our force to do other than swing by and pop a few extra rounds into the ship as the other German ship steams away at high speed.

Meanwhile, our fighter manufacturer introduces an improved model of our current aircraft. With a more efficient engine, improved firepower and the ability to carry a pair of small bomblettes, this represents a marked improvement in it's capabilities.

Our unrest reaches to the utter breaking point, a result of over four years of war, merchant raiding and strife. But in October things finally come to a close. German revolutionaries storm the capital, with their comrades in the military backing them. The Kaiser is stripped from power, and in his place a communist regime takes hold. As part of the ensuing peace terms, we claim the new German battleship Rheinland, and may also seize nearly all of Germany's colonies. The similarities to the end of actual WW1, both in time frame and results, are unnerving.

Should we take colonies, or just take the 10 points as economic reparations.

The seizure of German colonies paints the map with French flags, which in the future may prove extremely helpful as basing becomes a greater issue. As the war comes to an end, so does the construction of our newest battlecruiser and seaplane tender. Given the massive budget cuts however, our budget still requires major readiness adjustments to keep within a reasonable margin. The scrapping of several outdated predreads frees up some though, and our armored cruisers armed with 8" guns are sent in for refits.

Of note is the pair of new capital ships Great Britain has commissioned, of the Howe-class. I'll let the design docs speak for themselves.

The next year passes by quite pleasantly, with quite little occurring. Our budget and fleet looks like this currently, is there anything we should focus on doing at the moment?

>>16887375

Unfortunately, it appears Germany lacked any oil resources as well.

The oldest ships in our destroyer lineup are taken in hand, with one of their torpedo tubes being replaced with additional depth charges for ASW-work. The plans for our most recent CL design, the Dick Cheese Greater than Cheese-class, are reworked to incorporate modern tech such as forward superimposed turrets and weight saving machinery. We should have a working design for an updated model in the next couple months.

Now, at the beginning of the year, it appears that Italy is getting nosy into our aircraft. Should we make a big deal out of it?

>>16887671

>>16887799

It is worth mentioning that that screen failed to grab our more modern DDs, of which we have a rather decent amount of.

>>16887810

My friend who said he was playing off a cracked version says he can't access the Russian torrent anymore, afraid I don't know much beyond that.

>>16888063

Probably should include current tension levels.

>>16888063

Well damn.Thanks for the info anyway anon.

Here's some ship tism' as thanks

>>16887632

Yarr, the Americans be making ghost battleships.

>>16888237

>unspoilered porn

Apologizes, 8kun ate my last post right before I left. Our intel service pulls an improved invasion transport boat out from the Austrians of all people. Our new class of CL is laid down in a set of three ships, with very similar stats to our last one, but with an improved turret layout. And as those ships begin their construction, our carrier conversion hits the waves. I've chosen to equip it with an air group consisting of two 10-plane squadrons of torpedo bombers, and a 6-plane squadron for Close Air Patrol.

Despite our new CLs being under construction, the budget is looking pretty good. Should we also lay down a new armored cruiser like this design?

>>16888747

Usually that's the result of the game not counting ships in refit as being in either active service or construction.

>>16888808

Good luck to you, I've never played a game as Great Britain or the US.

Our gun manufacturers report a series of improvements to their capabilties, including the option of us now going as large as 18" guns. Germany, meanwhile, has launched their newest capital ship, which has a rather unusual design. Now, there are two choices that need to be made.

First off, what is our response to the question of our most likely enemy in a future war?

Secondly, we have the option of implementing "Elite Pilot Training". Doing so will model our naval air forces after the WW2-era Japanese type, resulting in an extremely strict standard for pilot cadets. As a result, our pilots will be of the utmost quality and skill. This however has a significant disadvantage: pilot losses in wartime will be much harder to replace. In the event of an elongated war or in the aftermath of a battle which causes us to incur heavy losses, we may find ourselves without quality crews.

This choice has some gravity to it, because once "Elite Pilot Training" is selected, it cannot be undone.

Also the name pool has run dry.

>>16889150

Unrest has been falling, but very slowly.

>>16889159

To reference our most commonly used calibers only:

>5" gun, 4.3" at 5,000yds, 2.2 at 10,000yrds

>8" gun, 9.2" at 5,000yds, 6.6 at 10,000yrds, 4.4 at 15,000yrds

>14" gun, 15" at 5,000yrds, 12.3 at 10,000yrds, 10 at 15,000yrds, 8.3 at 20,000yrds

<14" gun deck penetration, 2.9" at 20,000yrds, 2" at 15,000yrds

>15" gun, 16.2" at 5,000yrds, 12.9" at 10,000yrds, 11" at 15,000yrds, 9.3 at 20,000yrds

<15" gun deck penetration, 3" at 20,00yrds, 2.3" at 15,000yrds

Quick update: a new CA is laid down, and new DD tech makes it appealing to create a new class, of which we lay down 4.

Germany is getting uppity again, this time trying to occupy the island of Iceland. Even having stripped them of their most modern battleship of the time, they're still quite strong. It would seem that they've given up entirely on the concept of armored cruisers, choosing again to focus on large capital ships, improving their DD forces and building up a larger submarine force.

>>16889759

You know what to do anon.

Also got some more

Mein Kampf Belongs In The Comedy Section

Paris To Berlin In One Ship

20.000t Of Love

Voulez-Vous Une Guerre Totale?

Reap The Whirlwind

Schleiff plan? Scheise Plan.

I would love to see the Russian playtrough next.Shit's hard yo

Less than two years later and we're on the brink of another Franco-German war, and this time our unrest is at 7 to begin with. Should we push things further, or begin to try and cool it down?

>>16889814

As expected, fighting erupts along the border with the Krauts. At sea, our first action end with no actual combat, as our land-based search planes fail to spot a German raiding force and our own never meets them. We do however, get to see some our pilots getting some CAP practice in.

A month into the war and Germany's U-boat force is already showing it's worth, sinking a fair number of our ships. We may want to put in an order to convert some civilian vessels into ASW escorts to blunt the impact.

But on the surface war, things are still adapting to the implementation of aircraft. In the North Sea a cruiser force of ours, accompanied by our CVL, receives a report of enemy activity. Scout floatplanes and some aircraft from our carrier confirm the sighting, and we launch our first true airstrike, a group of 8 MS.59 C's. Passing over the horizon, they soon find and engage the enemy force. Enemy anti-aircraft guns open up on them as they approach, not only rapid fire light AA guns, but also air-bursting HE rounds. Despite our plane's best efforts, no hits are scored on the German ships. While this is taking place, our second squadron launches from the carrier, but due to a poor reading of the German's course this strike never finds it's target.

As our cruisers approach the culprits for the air-bursting rounds becomes clear, new Kondor-class DDs, equipped with dual-purpose guns capable of engaging both sea and air targets. At the center of the group of DDs is a small German seaplane tender. These DDs are nothing like the V1-classes we fought in the last war. While they may be slower and more lightly armed than our own DDs, their dual triple torpedo tubes means that they can pose a serious threat to our larger ships. And indeed, it appears that the Germans have learned from our last war and aggressively utilize sweeping motions to force our cruisers to keep their distance. Long-range gunfire occasionally scores a hit or near miss, but the engagement is looking rather inconclusive.

It is about then that our first torpedo bomber squadron returns to our carrier. While enemy flak and landing accidents have rendered the squadron to only 6 airworthy planes, this is still enough to form a strike. Using updated enemy courses, these six planes are rapidly refueled, rearmed and take flight. Soon they make contact with their target and make their attack. Enemy fire once again comes up to greet them, although none of it manages to hit our attack planes. The German seaplane tender is however forced to turn hard to avoid incoming torpedoes, and it is this sudden change in course and loss of speed that makes the difference. The unarmored ship is forced to enter our effective gun range and our cruisers quickly seize upon that fact. The Brockeswalde is quickly brought under fire and destroyed. At that point the rest of the German force splits off and retreats.

Whereas the first month of war was a bountiful harvest for the German U-boat menace, this month is not so good. A passenger liner is torpedoed by a German submarine, causing many of the other nations of the world to issue declarations of condemnation. Meanwhile, our engineers feel confident in utilizing Unit Machinery in new design, with vital components of the engines are more spread out along the length of the ship. The effect of this is, for a minor increase in engine weight, the ship will suffer less speed lost for hits to the engine and machinery spaces.

Well, this is rather unexpected. After only another small skirmish in which a pair of German DDs were sunk, they're dangling a peace offer at us?

Should we meet them halfway, or trying and drag it out?

Uderzo died recently, but I'm still trying to come up with a ship name that makes him justice. The best I can come up with is

>* STILL THE BEST 2020

F

Peace negotions are scuttled by the conservative party, who won't fight to get us funding during peacetime but will certainly keep us in a war for it. In an effort to end this war quickly, or at least give us a major advantage, we accept a full-fledged fleet battle. Now, the Germans have continued to focus their efforts primarily upon their capital ship construction, so they still have a major edge there. But we have an active carrier, with two squadrons of torpedo bombers. This battle will likely be messy, but it will prove a test to see just how effective a combined arms fleet will be versus a traditional battle line.

As our carrier launches her strike aircraft, things take a turn for the worse. A torpedo, most certainly launched from a German U-boat, strikes our light cruiser Galilee. An older design without built-in torpedo protection, the size of modern torpedo warheads means she is instantly declared lost. A poor start to this engagement, but the loss of Galilee is not a critical factor.

Meanwhile, our first wave of torpedo bombers arrives on target. Nine MS.59s make their attack runs on enemy ships. Sporadic enemy fire rises to meet them, but our pilots report that they've scored at least one hit on an enemy cruiser. A second strike fails to find their target, and for some time our carrier has little to do.

It is decided at that time to have our large seaplane tender lend her floatplanes to the fray. While her aircraft act as the fleet's main scouting element, she still has 18 of them standing by. They can only carry a 100lb bomb, but since they are currently sitting idle they are called into service. It takes some time to offload them, but soon a full 18-aircraft strike is sent towards the German port of Emden. The pilots spend some time circling the area, but soon report seeing two German capital ships, with escorts, entering the harbor. Our seaplanes attempt a series of level bombing attacks and report a rather impressive three hits on target.

From this point the engagement fails to impress. Despite sweeping the German coast, no further contacts are reported and eventually a retreat is ordered. On the way back, another German U-boat makes a successful attack upon one of our DDs, but she manages to survive.

The end of battle results show that the German ship Hanover was the victim of our torpedo bomber strike AND our seaplane strike. While the torpedo strike caused heavy damage, the damage was eventually sorted out. Our seaplanes were a bit optimistic with their reports, as it turns out only one of their bombs actually hit.

>>16890514

Sorry, I posted that update at almost 4AM and was dead tired.

>>16890610

True, but it shouldn't be a big factor this early in time, with the short ranges and slow speeds of current aircraft.

>be me

>have a job which contributes nothing to society

>this means I can work from home

>let this thread auto update in the background

>check every couple of hours for wartime updates

>always enjoy reading the details of battles as they play out

thanks OP, today you're not a fag

>>16890883

>Sorry, I posted that update at almost 4AM and was dead tired.

It's O.K anon,keep us posted whenever you can,I enjoy reading these posts. Due to the quarantine its not like we're gonna go anywhere.

Plus your post and this thread is comfy as fuck.

Collage is out,gym is out,can't hang around with friends so I'm bored out of my mind.I've done noting but do push ups,shitpost,play Freelancer and sketch shit on GTablet.

How are you guys faring?

>>16891004

Same here,Why the fuck should we be wasting away doing absolutley nothing just because some slant eyed,rice slurping fuck wanted to put a fucking bat in his soup.Fuck.

Try It man,good for killing some time

.I use Shift click or Ctrl click depending on situation.It really can be entertaining like in OP's post.

Our battle-cruiser Voulez-Vous Mourir Avec Moi Ce Soir, accompanied by a pair of light cruisers and several escorts, encounters an enemy battleship and escorts in the North Sea. At first, it appears to be a Helgoland-class dreadnought. Upon closer examination, however, it is revealed to actually be the Ostfriesland-class battle-cruiser Goeben. What follows is a straight-up duel, as the escorts of either sides prevent aggressive action by either side. Our BC manages to land the first hit, and post-battle results will show that this round penetrated the conning tower and killed off most of Goeben's command staff in the opening volley. As a result, the German gunnery is severely hampered for the remainder of this battle, especially when combined with the fact that the German battle-cruiser utilizes an outdated fire-control system.

Still, the German proves frustratingly difficult to destroy, with his ship remaining afloat and capable of making a slow but steady speed even after Voulez-Vous Mourir Avec Moi Ce Soir empties her entire forward turrets ammunition stockpiles and is down to ten rounds for her aft guns. Her offensive capabilities are wrecked, with three of her four turrets burned out by shell impacts. By this point night has begun to fall, so our DDs are given their chance. Normally a target on the run like the Goeben would be much more difficult to take down nowadays, due to improved secondary aiming methods, but many of those guns are out of service due to the long battle. Even torpedoes the German BC seems with withstand, and it is only after four of them impacting the ship does she finally give in and begin to sink.

We get a new model of floatplane scout, one capable of carrying a bomb that can do more than maybe knock out an unarmored gun turret. Furthering our carrier research, we can now build light aircraft carriers (limits: 16,000t, 34planes). An option I would also throw out there is converting our large seaplane tender into a light carrier of it's own. And finally, it would seem the Germans have begun to give up on the idea of sacrificing gun caliber for number of barrels, as their new design goes for rather few, but very powerful guns.

>>16891579

>>16891588

>germans still using casemates for secondaries in the year of our lord 1920

Disgusting. The krauts should be wiped from the earth.

Last update, just a make up of our force for this large attack upon a German merchant convoy.

>>16891594

Aircraft stats here, as well as current estimates on German aircraft.

With dusk approaching quickly, a mostly blind strike is launched. This fails to find anything, but our force continues to follow the suspected path of the German convoy. With some luck, we actually manage to intercept the trailing edge of the merchant ships and a fair number are badly damaged and sunk. But the appearance of German DDs uncomfortably close to our capital ships gives us reason to back off, take what we can get and call it a day.

Or at least that's what would happen, but our cruiser Failed Art Student Extermination Vessel loses contact with our forces. Separated from the other ships and not knowing that our forces have retreated from the attack, she moves forward to attack the next section of the convoy. At first, this appears to be alright, as she begins hitting several more merchants. Then an entire enemy battle line emerges from the darkness, and the results speak for themselves.

The Germans offer peace again, although on much more equal terms this time. Our unrest has actually decreased quite a bit recently, most likely due to victories at sea as well as propaganda the civil duty to destroy gommunism that all French people feel.

>>16892809

>one-shot weapons that might turn a battle, or might do nothing at all

So like early destroyers from RTW1?

I tend to almost not use them at all untill mid game,just for ASW/CP untill 1910's when they get that sweet,sweet torp range and damage.

I once had a game when I ran into British 4 BB and 3 BC with my destroyer screen on night/rain time. I proptly continued to laugh to the bank as I traded 6 DD for all 4 BB and 3 BC.I did lost 1 BC and few CL/CA with several other capitals and escorts damaged.mfw when

>tfw have to get back in the wagie cagie tomorrow and get coofed on

ouch

The war will continue on. Across the sea, the US commissions the Ticonderoga-class battlecruiser, the first of five.

It's February 19th off the Northern coast of France, when one of our airship scouts performing a recon sweep discovers what appears to be a large portion of the German Navy making it's way towards the shoreline, obviously hoping to disrupt our activities. While the weather is a bit hazy and a steady breeze in the air, this is still good enough weather to conduct air operations and the prospect of catching the majority of Germany's capital ship force in perfect airstrike position is far too good to pass up. From the Airbase at Dunkerque launches a dozen torpedo bombers, as well as several flying boats loaded with bombs. The nearby airship base sends their remaining airships up as well, hoping that their high level bombing will strike true. And about a sixty miles to the West, two flights of ten torpedo bombers take off from the carrier Trafalgar Was An Inside Job, as well as a pair of fighter carrying small bomblets on their wings.

It is just past eleven that the aircraft begin arriving. The first few attacks turn up nothing in terms of hits, but at about half past reports start flooding in of nearly a half-dozen successful torpedo strikes on target. Now, pilot reports are notoriously optimistic both in-game and in reality, but such a report must mean at least some hits were scored. With this hope, our main force, consisting of most of our own battle line, moves in to engage the German raiding force. Leading the charge is a pair of our destroyers Poignard and Fanion, who position themselves ahead of the Krauts for a torpedo attack. Rather phenomenally, Fanion manages to fire three of her fish and land a hit on both of the Hannover-class battleships. The German force, realizing at that point that while they may have more capital ships in the fight, they are on the back foot, begin turning back to the North.

Our battle line begins to engage the retreating German force. A reminder that cruisers have no place in this fight comes quickly, as Baguette Launcher takes two hits that severely harm her, leading to the armored cruiser division being withdrawn. Our main battle line fares much better and the fighting grows heated, with each side exchanging full broadsides with one another. It is rather difficult to properly give the events in a compelling storyline, as the geographical limitations and rough seas mean that the battle largely consists of each side sailing in the only real direction available while firing at one another.

Our forces do have a major advantage though, as the short range to airbases or their carrier means that the attacking aircraft have a quick turnaround, able to be refueled and rearmed in short order. Earlier I said that torpedo bombers of this age were a "one-shot" weapon. That statement assumes a strike launched at long range and against an uncertain target, neither of which is the case here. Throughout the day our aircraft manage to make roughly three separate strikes, each one bringing reports of more hits. German ships are seen falling out of line, limping along or with burned out turrets.

Despite this, the Germans still have plenty of fight left in them. Essentially none of our battleships are left unharmed, as German shells match our own nearly hit for hit. Both Shitposteurs Sans Frontieres and De Gaulle Fucked Eva Braun First have turrets knocked out, while almost every other ships takes hits from the German's main guns. Our generally solid armor means that most of these hits fail to penetrate the main armor belts, only capable of getting through the weaker spots. Of course, that almost certainly means the same must be true on the German's side, as they usually armor their ships just as well.

But German guns are not the only threat. About half past two in the afternoon, a German destroyer manages to loose a volley of torpedoes at our battle line. One of these strikes our battleship Shitposteurs Sans Frontieres, detonating against an engine room and slowing the ship considerably. Attempts are made to slow the entire battle line to accommodate her, but roughly twenty minutes later another torpedo strikes her, this time beneath her superimposed forward gun, knocking it loose from it's turret ring and rendering it useless for the rest of the battle. With Shitposteurs Sans Frontieres essentially crippled, she is detached and sent to seek refuge along the British coast, the only area nearby where her safety seems sure.

But safety seems to be something that doesn't actually exist, as nearly a hundred miles to the West, the damaged cruiser Baguette Launcher suddenly spots a trio of torpedoes in the water coming for her. Despite her attempts to dodge them, one strikes home, causing severe flooding. While she eventually gets the damage contained, it is another reminder of the threat the German U-boat menace poses.

With dusk setting and ammunition running low, a series of destroyer attacks are made upon the German ships in view. These prove somewhat disappointing, as the sea roughness prevents our DDs from making good speed. Nevertheless, when night finally falls it is clear we've won a major victory. While actually witnessing German capital ships sinking beneath the waves largely didn't happen, the amount of reported torpedo strikes and gunfire laid into crippled ships leaves little doubt.

After nightfall our wounded ship Shitposteurs Sans Frontieres begins making her way towards the French coast for shelter. The battle has long past this area, so it would seem safe for her to make the journey, even without escorts that had been reassigned to the main battle. But at half past six, a German destroyer, the Luchs come into view in a textbook torpedo attack position. The German ship is quite badly damaged, in fact only capable of making about 12kts. But that slowness is what led to the ship being in this position, so far behind the scene of the battle and directly in Shitposteurs Sans Frontiere's path. With no time to react, Shitposteurs Sans Frontieres takes another torpedo and it is this one that is fatal. Ten minutes later, as evacuations are taking place, another torpedo from Luchs impacts her, making sure she sinks this day.

Thus ends the battle, likely the most significant one to date. To tally up losses:

German losses:

>BB Mackensen, 31,600t, mostly damaged by gunfire, fires raged out of control and forced her to be abandoned

>BB Lothringen, 21,200t, sunk by airstrike launched by our carrier

>BB Posen, 21,200t, sunk by combination of land and sea-based airstrikes as well as gunfire

>BB Hannover, 18,300t, struck by destroyer launched torpedoes, lost mostly due to leaks in it's aging structure

>BB Westfalen, 18,300t, struck by destroyer launched torpedo, finished with gunfire

>DD Falke and Seeadler, sunk by defensive fire from our DDs/BBs

Worth mentioning:

>BB Worth, 32,800t, crippled by land-based airstrike, retreated before battle joined and survived to return to Germany

French losses:

>BB Shitposteurs Sans Frontieres, 26,800t, sunk by destroyer torpedoes

>DD Glaive, Fanfare, Plus de vingt tonnes de vagin et de bout, Guillotin Sur la Mer, lost to gunfire

>2 merchants and a patrol boat

Air group reports:

>Land based torpedo bombers: 3 hits

>Carrier torpedo bomber squadron #1: 6 hits

>Carrier torpedo bomber squadron #2: 6 hits

>Carrier fighter squadron: 1 hit

Sunk ship logs: https://pastebin.com/40YkUKRy

Damaged ship logs: https://pastebin.com/vjpeL0yc

March is much quieter, with the only significant even a pair of our cruisers intercepting and sinking a German light raider. Come the start of April though, the Germans are once again approaching us with an offer of peace.

Should we accept, or try and push them even harder?

10 months is enough to end the war, with some serious reparations. Should we split our concessions between taking Kiautschou Bay and economic reparations, or just take the reparations outright?

In the aftermath of the war, several of our capital ships are sent into dockyards to be refitted with improved fire control systems, more modern artillery and anti-aircraft guns. A pair of obsolete armored cruisers are marked for scrap, but one is instead re-purposed for research purposes. Following that, one of our spies manages to advance our hull construction methods, thanks to German engineering. Continuing our tech advances, we can now mount twin guns on our CLs specifically, light cruisers who utilize non-protected cruiser layouts, which does have the awkward effect of essentially making our entire modern line of CLs kind of obsolete. Our ships also unlock even more advanced fire control, meaning they'll be going right back in for FC refits. But then ANOTHER advance hits, with better quality 14" guns being made.

>>16895211

This puts us in a rather awkward position, as we can now either send several of our capital ships in for refits to their main guns, which could cost us quite a bit, or we could begin construction of all-new ships. We are relatively competitive in the world all told, but we could try and secure that edge through additional construction or honing what ships we already have.

Another series of technology advances pour in. We can now convert any ship to a full-fledged carrier, as well as having improved 15" guns and the ability to quad-mount our torpedo tubes. Our airships will now also be escorted by a pair of parasite fighters.

In any case, we have a ton of money available, and the socialists look like they want some of it for gibs.

Last post for tonight, suggest any fleet expansions or decisions

>>16895266

seen and noted

>>16882210

I actually never saw this before just now, quite good

After some consideration, our battlecruiser ISS Acrebleu is taken into dock to be converted to an aircraft carrier. This decision is largely motivated the fact that very few nations utilize armored cruisers anymore, instead opting to go for larger battlecruisers. As a result, the armament and protection of the ISS Acrebleu is insufficient to do much of anything. Her already fast speed makes her a good candidate, as well as providing her with some agility that might be useful if she comes under air attack. It is decided not to add torpedo bulges to her, but this could be done in the future if desired.

Germany commissions the Seydlitz, a very fast ship with some quite powerful guns, although rather few of them.

And finally, after some political turmoil in the Balkans, the Prime Minister manages to make things worse. Should we step in to say something?

>>16895824

Unfortunately, the Napoli is shit in yet another way. It can't be retrofitted to make enough speed to be a CV, and it's too large to be classified as a CVL.

Our armored cruisers are sent into rebuilds to increase their speed to 29kts, bringing them in line with our newest model, the Bruix-class. At the request of the naval minister, we also lay down 10 new DDs, armed with a large complement of torpedoes and guns, although they are somewhat slower than our earlier models. Tensions have been rising, although rather evenly.

Now, with the tensions at the levels they're at, should we protest the liberal proposal of reducing arms spending?

In a rather unusual twist, we receive a demonstration of a new type of aircraft, a medium bomber, far in advance of the type typically arriving.While they'll be rather inaccurate now, we can use these to dramatically improve our land-based strike range.

Tensions across Europe have been quite high, so it comes as some surprise when one of these powers, Great Britain of all nations, comes to us with an offer of an alliance. While it's possible this could net us a powerful ally, those talks might well fall through. Alternatively, we could try and use this as a chance to push for lowered tensions and perhaps some disarmament. Or we could tell them to go fuck themselves.

Which shall it be?

>>16896846

It's worth mentioning that the German battleships in the major action were all rather slow, had no air cover of their own and only sparse AA. Our planes on the other hand only had to make short trips to and from their launching points, allowing them to make a total of three or so attacks during the battle.

>>16897100

Added.

>>16897047

I'm afraid the only thing I can offer is the demo, which is 1920-1925 as Japan or UK. I used to have an image which contained the entire RtW1 game, but the only source for RtW2 is an older version on some Russian torrent site I don't have a link for.

Talks with Great Britain fall through, but the general spirit of cooperation does lower our tensions with them somewhat. Their population on the Falkland Islands, however, comes to the sudden realization that the islands are and always will be Argentinian and unite to force out the British invaders and bring Las Malvinas. I'm certain the discovery of oil on these islands had nothing to do with this. On the tech front, we gain the ability to mount heavy anti aircraft guns on our ships. For a substantial weight increase, any single-turreted 3 or 4 inch gun can also provide AA fire.

With tensions as high as they remain, a conflict in China could push things to the breaking point with German, Austria or Italy. What should we do?

>>16897144

Voting for a Third War of German Spanking.

Indian oil is discovered, which by my count raises Great Britain's oil count to 3 territories. We can now utilize box magazine protection, which essentially means the ammo mags gets full protection, while the rest of the belt is halved. Thus, we can secure our ship from ammo detonations while keeping weight low.

But while the European mainland is starting to slowly calm, we could make an aggressive action. Should we try and take Bermuda?

Our occupation succeeds, giving us a rare foothold off the coast of America. Were a war to break out with the US, this could serve as a forward basing area to conduct operations around these waters. Of course, this action does alarm much of the rest of the world, with both Germany and Italy issuing strong statements of condemnation and with their respective armed services going on full alert. But while our Empire grows, it appears the British one is declining. In tech news, we can now build 1,500t DDs, which will quite dramatically improve what they are capable of doing.

Finally, it would appear March may be the time we go to war with Italy once again. Shall we?

Once more the war machine is brought to bear upon our rival in the Med. But the first action of the war will not be fought in those waters, but rather off the Western coast of Africa, by our colonial possessions. There, two of our old Coetlogon-class cruisers patrol. These ships are badly outdated and only really are still in service under the impression that they are unlikely to see much service. While they were scheduled to be replaced, government demands shifted the priorities and they still serve. At 4,000t, they only have armor capable of deflecting small rounds and have a broadside of a whopping five 5" guns, a level of firepower that new DD models are challenging.

So it is a grim sight when these two ships spot the sole armored cruiser of the Italian Navy on the horizon. The Vettor Pisani is an extremely deadly ship, over four times the displacement of a single Coetlogon-class, with a secondary broadside larger than our own ship's main guns and eight 8" guns on top of that. Their main armored belt can likely defeat a 5" round even at point blank range and they are furthermore capable of making a blistering 30kts. In short, they are a light cruiser's worst nightmare.

The Vettor Pisani moves in for the kill, her main battery ranging in onto our slow and nearly defenseless cruisers. There is really only one hope and it's a long shot. Each Coetlogon-class carries a pair of underwater torpedo tubes mounted on each side. Despite their age, these tubes still carry modern torpedoes and with the Vettor Pisani at 10 kilometers and closing, two of these are fired at her. Minutes pass, as the 8" rounds get steadily closer and more on target. Both of our cruisers take hits and the situation seems hopeless. Until a geyser of water erupts from the Vettor Pisani's port side as one of our ship's torpedoes strikes home in a nearly impossible shot.

Even with a torpedo hole in her hull, the Vettor Pisani is still a dangerous foe and our ships flee from her. With modern damage control and torpedo protection systems, it's highly doubtful that she will sink. But the damage that has been done will almost certainly be enough to take her out of the war. While not fatal, making her way back to Italy isn't possible in her condition and Italy has no friendly ports along this half of Africa. Thus, the Vettor Pisani has no choice but to turn North and make her way to the British-controlled port of Lagos in Nigeria. It will be here that she spends the rest of the war interned by the laws of war.

>Act 24 of Rights and Duties of Neutral Powers in Naval War (Hague XIII); October 18, 1907

>If, notwithstanding the notification of the neutral Power, a belligerent ship of war does not leave a port where it is not entitled to remain, the neutral Power is entitled to take such measures as it considers necessary to render the ship incapable of taking the sea during the war, and the commanding officer of the ship must facilitate the execution of such measures. When a belligerent ship is detained by a neutral Power, the officers and crew are likewise detained.

The Vettor Pisani was not sunk, but she will trouble us no longer.

>>16897346

Holy shit.

>>16897351

I was thinking of an incendiary-dropping airship, but a BB with lots of HE lobbing secondaries also works to make sure the fire rises.

A look at Italy's Navy is worthwhile. Badly underfunded, they have a very weak cruiser and destroyer force, but some worthwhile capital ships. Most impressive of these are the ''Regina Margherita, which is nearly brand new and over 40,000t. Also of note is the fact they have four seaplane carriers, a somewhat odd choice. However, there is one area they have a large advantage in: submarines. They currently have 76 subs in service, and these could pose a serious threat to both our navy and merchant forces.

I have some recommendations, given our current budget surplus:

>convert the large seaplane carrier Ahhh The French Champagne Excellence to a carrier

>create a massive amount of converted trawlers to ASW ships

>rotate our capital ships into refits to add 3-4" DP guns

>design a 1,500t DD that carries a few 3" DP guns for escorting large ships

Any contention?

Also, with all the talk of names, keep in mind I also can utilize names for aircraft and squadron names. I assume anything given to me is for a ship name unless said otherwise.

Our construction program goes forward, with our seaplane tender undergoing conversion therapy, our new line of DDs laid down and over twenty civilian vessels undergoing conversion into sub hunters. The need for these is obvious, as a Italian submarine torpedoes the same ship we stole rightfully took as tribute after our last war with them. The British lose control of Yemen, which is a bit of a shame really, as it could have been a viable target in the event of a Franco-Brit war.

In the Med, a set of our destroyers chase off one of their Italian counterparts, although only damaging it.

>>16897401

Wartime reports are usually very inaccurate. Odds are she can actually make 23 or so.

So, uh, the war's over.

I don't really know what happened. They made an offer of peace with no border changes, we obviously told the politicians to reject them and yet here we are. Six points of economic reparations go our way as a result. It must be mentioned, that over the course of this three month war only a single ship was lost, the Ville de Dordeaux, an old colonial gunboat that got ambushed by an Italian submarine.

So with that incredibly anticlimactic war out of the way, what should we be doing for 1926? Any particular area of the fleet that should be expanded? Someone to pick a fight with?

bed now

>>16897374

>it might not enter service in time for this war

how right you were

Post war draw-downs are undertaken, with our second rate ships going into reserve or mothballs and airbase capacity is temporarily reduced for cost-savings.We draw up designs for a new light cruiser model to serve on the frontline, in anticipation for sending our models such as the Bastille Bastard-class and Quit Lyon To Me-class to relieve our aging colonial ships.

In politics, a disarmament conference is being held. While the only major ships are currently under construction are being made in Great Britain (an Inflexible-class and a Illustrious-class of yet unknown design), furthering this conference could result in capital ship construction being put on pause for a serious amount of time, perhaps until war breaks out again.

Should we support this?

Germany begins launching a new series of heavy cruiser, which have a rather interesting armament and protection arrangement. I've prepared a few designs for consideration as far as new capital ships. All of these designs assume we want to transition to the "fast battleship" model, which bridges the gap between traditional BB and BC. Noting that our current model of torpedo bomber is rather outdated, I've also put in an order for a new model.

Now, should we keep the colonial expansion going?

The occupation of Java fails and we take a hit to prestige as a result. One fact I overlooked is that we have Q0 17" guns, which could provide a decent middle ground between the caliber choices. But our gun manufacturers have also just begun making better 16" guns.

Our new prototype torpedo bombers are presented. The Dewoitine has less range but better maneuverability, thus making it more likely to land hits or survive interception, but the Breguet has a considerable range advantage. Which do we like better?

Also, name pool is running low for non-carriers/BBs

>>16898140

Included

Development of the Breguet D.86 continues, as does development of our capital ship design. The Naval Secretary asks for additional submarines, which we indulge him in by spending the budget increase on small coastal subs who's total cost is less than the grant. Smaller ships which have yet to receive flak armaments are rotated into refits.

Our recent actions in Java, as well as the general ebb and flow of things, have caused tensions across Europe to start creeping up again. Should we pin this on someone, or just wing it?

>>16898288 (checked)

Oof. Tensions with the bongs looks like it's creeping up. Judging by nation statistics they seem to tremendously outweigh our navy. If we can't blame the wops, krauts or nips then let's lessen tensions.

>>16898311 (checked)

Japan was not an option, but the communist menace is always a good choice to cast suspicion upon. Look at them, building new battle-cruisers and the like!

While unrest with Germany is increase, Great Britain is evidently looking to make sure they don't have to use their mighty fleet at all. How should we respond to their attempts at mending things?

Our current construction projects are proceeding along quite well and reasonably within budget. Thus, this next choice is very similar to the last, do we risk raising tensions or do we have enough funds to dissuade the conservatives?

Our spies manage to pull two rather advanced techs in a row, although this pisses the Italians off no small amount. The Naval secretary again asks for another ten subs, with the funding to match.

There's been yet another government shift, while the Germans are looking like they're about to snap. The rest of Europe is eying us suspiciously as well. What's our choice?

A pair of tech advances comes through, one which largely benefits capital ships and heavy cruisers, the other destroyers. We are building some of both, but could supplement them with additional designs since our budget is pretty high. The US gets a rebellion on it's doorstep, following in the footsteps of Great Britain. Noting that Japan has a curious new type of aircraft known as a "dive bomber", we purchase a license to produce them ourselves.

Should we equip some of our carriers with this new type of plane, perhaps as a trial? Alternatively, we could do so, then run a fleet exercise to evaluate their effectiveness.

A small fleet exercise is put into place. Our goals for this are:

>determine effectiveness of dive bombers even with small bombload

>determine effectiveness of CAP and AAA

>see how a carrier vs. carrier scenario might play out

Our scenario opens in the Bay of Biscay in the mid afternoon. There will likely only be time for a single strike, so accuracy of the strikes will be vital. But to spice things up, the forces are not evenly matched. Our force contains a single carrier with escorts, the "enemy" force two. As a result, our carrier lacks the air group to both effectively scout and strike.

>lesson learned: a lone carrier must be backed up with floatplane scouts or another carrier to be effective

At roughly three in the afternoon an "enemy" scout plane is spotted overhead. The jig is up, our force has been spotted and the "enemy" strike is likely spotting on the decks of their carrier now. Thus, our attack planes are split up into sections of three planes and launched in an arc in hopes of finding the enemy force. These strikes go unescorted, as our fighters remain overhead to protect our carrier.

>lesson learned: current fighter complements allow us to defend the carrier or escort strikes, but not both

Our Northernmost strike, a flight of three D.86 torpedo bombers followed by three Toryu dive bombers, is the one that comes up lucky and finds the enemy force. The "enemy" carriers are not undefended though, and a wing of six D.79 fighters swoops in, "killing" one and "damaging" another before repeating the process again. Things get worse as another group of CAP fighters engages our dive bombers and "kills" them all within the span of a minute. A minute later, the final "survivor" is brought down, eliminating our strike wing entirely.

>lesson learned: unescorted strikes are extremely vulnerable to CAP

During this time, our force has made a major shift in course to attempt to throw off the "enemy" counterattack. This, combined with the fact that there is little daylight left and dusk is rapidly approaching, spares us from suffering a potentially devestating strike.

>lesson learned: if spotted out, change course if possible. Pray for darkness.

Overall, a quite worthwhile experience that has provided us with some important information about how carrier combat might work. But it would seem that the Germans and the Italians have some serious concerns about us practicing this while tensions are so high.

The possibility of a two front war is looking increasingly inevitable. Should we seal the deal with Germany?

>>16899042

Actually it's closer to 3 wars in 15 years, with a short conflict with Italy in-between. Then add in the two wars with Italy, one of which resulted in their collapse and a conflict with Austria.

The first action of the war is an uneventful coastal raid where the German ships fail to meet our own or find any merchants, so no loss there.

The second takes place off the coast of Norway, as a fast task force consisting of six cruisers and our carrier ISS Acrebleu, along with their escorts, is hunting for Germans. Scout floatplanes deployed (and in ''Escargot Fuck Yourself's case, catapulted) off of our cruisers fan out to search to the Northwest, while on our carrier torpedo bombers are assembled. Split into three flights, these consist of two "hunter" groups of 5 and 6 planes each, and a "killer" group of 11. If the scouts report a contact the smaller flights will be sent out to confirm the target, followed by the large group to deliver the decisive strike.

Soon enough our scouts report in, having spotted a set of cruisers and auxiliary ships about 70 miles to the Northwest. The auxiliary ships are a rather odd thing, but our hunter strike takes off towards the contacts. No carriers are reported to be in this group, so no fighters are included in the attack. While an enemy air attack is unlikely, the few fighters we carry still patrol the skies above our task force.

Our strike begins to arrive and it becomes evident quite quickly that our initial reports were flawed. German fighters, BV-94's, intercept the bombers as they approach their targets. Our strike makes a good show, with the defensive gunners upon our planes damaging one of the German's planes in exchange for losing one of our own. As the attack commences, one of our torpedo bombers collides with a German fighter, destroying them both. Despite both of the hunter flights making contact and attacking, no hits are reported.

A difficult decision now has to be made: do we launch our larger flight at the known enemy position unescorted, knowing that an enemy carrier is there providing cover to the German force? This risks heavy losses to German fighters, but to delay the strike in order to recall CAP fighters, refuel them and organize them to escort the torpedo bombers in could take time we don't have, especially if a German counterattack is coming. In the end, the decision is made to be aggressive, the 11-plane strike will launch without escorts.

Soon after the strike launches, unfamiliar planes appear on the horizon. A small squadron of German dive bombers. Fi-104s is approaching. These planes select our light cruiser force as their targets and come plummeting out of the sky towards them. Our ships take evasive action, but one of the German planes drops a bomb onto our ship Le Coq au Mer. The 300lb projectile impacts her amidships…and doesn't detonate as the fuze fails.

A sigh of relief is quickly cut short as another flight of German planes is spotted, this time Hs-102 torpedo bombers. These pilots appear more well trained, as they select higher priority targets: our heavy cruiser division and the ISS Acrebleu. Despite the flak our ships send up and the CAP our planes are providing, these plane split up and make an attack upon both targets simultaneously. Escargot Fuck Yourself takes a hit at 11:11, and a minute later ISS Acrebleu suffers one in kind. The torpedo hits, while not fatal, cause both ships to be limited to 14kts of speed, severely limiting our ability to maneuver. The decision is thus made to withdraw to the South, hoping to break contact before the situation can turn worse.

To the North, our larger torpedo bomber strike makes contact with the enemy force and makes their attack. Safety can be found in numbers, and when the German fighters attempt to intercept them, the combined defensive fire shoots one of them down. The attack pushes through the air defenses and a pair of hits are reported, along with the sight of a large plume of smoke rising from the ship hit.

As our force continues to the South, the cruisers spot an unknown ship on the horizon. It would seem that the enmy force is mirroring our movements, which lends credence to the idea that our torpedo bombers pulled off a damaging strike. The decision of how to respond to this development is interrupted however, as ten BV-97 float planes appear in pursuit of our force. While ill-suited to direct attack, they can still carry bombs. Attacks are made upon our cruisers as well as ISS Acrebleu, which is hit by a 500lb armor piercing bomb which punches through part of the superstructure before impacting the flight deck and detonating. This starts a fire, but damage control manages to bring it under control within 15 minutes.

The German force consists almost entirely of cruisers armed with 6" guns, as well as escorts. Of note is the Bremen-class, which boasts thin armor but a dozen guns and an extremely high speed. While highly dangerous to our light cruisers, this is a force that our heavy cruisers are well-suited to fighting, as the 2" belt of the German ships is unlikely to stand up to the 8" guns they carry.

For a few hours fire is exchanged between the forces, but the German ships never come close enough to lead to a decisive result. Our hits appear to be having an annoyingly minor effect upon them, even with their paper-thin belt armor. As night begins to fall, both sides withdraw, unwilling to face destroyer attacks or the danger of close range gunfire.

In post-battle analysis, several mysteries are solved. The ship struck by our torpedo bombers was the light German carrier Jade. When impacted by the torpedo, explosion was vented directly into the ordinance lockers, resulting in a detonation that simply destroyed the ship outright. There was, however, another German carrier in the area, which played no further role in the action. The floatplanes were launched by a pair of tenders operating in the area. And it would appear that for some reason, our gunnery crews were loading HE rounds into the guns while fighting the German cruisers.

At the end of the day we've sunk a German light carrier for no real loss ourselves, making this a clear victory.

Congratulations on winning the first serious carrier engagement.

German submarines are getting uncomfortably effective, as they put another one of our battleships in dry dock. RtW has a general "flow" of ship effectiveness that generally attempts to mirror reality. At this point, submarine tech is largely outstripping ASW tech A carrier engagement occurs between our CV and a German raiding force, but despite overlapping scouting missions to contact is established and the action results in no combat.

Rather surprisingly the Commies approach us with an offer of peace. Do we want to take it, given the international tensions, or do we try and crush the communism out of the Germans.

Hoping to force the Germans to submit, we assemble our forces for a decisive battle. All carriers are brought together, as well as as many battleships and cruisers as is practical. Our forces set sail to force the Germans to engage us, only for the weather to turn bad. With air operations rendered impossible and with it our greatest advantage removed, we recall the force. Still, one of our submarines manages to hit the German battleship Moltke, which at least makes this a technical victory.

Any hope of a short war is removed with a declaration from the German General Secretary of total war. With any hope that means this war will end with the abolishment of gommunism.

Apologizes, I played a battle through, then left to do something. Long story short

>large raid on German coastline

>we spend the first night positioning ourselves out in the North Sea

>as dawn breaks, we send scouts out

>poor quality reports come in, strike planes are sent out in probing attacks

>minor successes reported

>enemy planes begin harassing us

>while withdrawing due to low info, find a German BC shadowing us

>attempt to attack it, land a bomb hit on it

>it runs off, insufficient aircraft to pursue it

>Trafalgar Was an Inside Job hits a mine on the way back

One thing we may want to think about is the creation of a purpose built aircraft carrier. Free of the burden of heavy armor, these could carry a much larger flight complement. We could build these to two general models, either a largely unarmored version that uses it's space to focus on aircraft, or a variant that is larger and uses the extra capacity to mount a heavily armored flight deck to protect it from bombs and the like. We could also go full meme-build and create a battle-carrier, although those don't work great and making them is technically an exploit

I've also laid down a large number of civilain corvettes to help combat the German submarine threat, as well as some minesweepers. Rather worryingly, tensions with Great Britain are creeping up.

A force of our cruisers and a carrier is conducting operations at night, again in the North Sea. As the sun begins to rise a startling sight is made, a German seaplane tender directly ahead. Seeking an easy kill, our cruisers advance, only to discover the remaining German aircraft carrier a ways back.This ship, the Ausonia, is currently the only German carrier that threatens the ability of us to dominate the skies above the sea. Our cruisers change targets and begin chasing the fleeing carrier, landing a pair of hits with their 6" guns.

The full rising of the sun brings another surprise, this one much less welcome. A pair of German battlecruisers, armed with 16" guns and capable of speeds of up to thirty knots, is well within gun range. As our armored cruisers and carrier has a speed less than this, and the fact that the German ships are more than capable of destroying our entire force in a stand-up fight, the tactic of "sail away as fast as possible while launching planes off the deck to distract them and your DDs lay down smoke" is employed. Essentially, we're in a miniature version of the Battle off Samar. Perhaps the only reason this has a real chance of succeeding is that the wind is blowing from the Southwest, meaning our ships can keep a steady course without having to adjust for aircraft launches and recovery.

As aircraft on the ISS Acrebleu are armed and fueled, our DD Sinker of Sour Krauts takes up the task of covering the retreat. Moving herself between the encroaching German battlecruisers and our force, she lays down a smoke screen while also positioning herself to launch her six torpedoes. Apparently unwilling to risk taking a brace of torpedoes, the German ships break off, while firing at Sinker of Sour Krauts with moderate effect. Even with the German heavy ships calling off their chase, they've still inflicted damage, as Baguette Launcher has taken a pair of bad hits from the 16" guns, limiting her speed (and thus the entire force's) to 23kts.

But all this means that ISS Acrebleu has had time to launch her aircraft. 21 torpedo bombers take flight in the direction of the enemy. Reports filter back of a hit or two scored, as well as updated information on enemy positions. Briefly, a squadron of German bomb-carrying floatplanes appears overhead and makes attack runs, although all miss their targets. As soon as the flight returns the remaining planes are reequipped and launched again, this time at the edge of their range. Again more reports come in, although sporadic. Our strike returns low on fuel, and the action concludes at that point.

The end results show that the German battleship Graf Spee took two torpedo hits that caused serious flooding. Despite this, she was capable of making good speed and returned to port. The carrier Ausonia caught fire as a result of the 6" gunfire, which caused serious damage to her upper decks, burned many of her aircraft in the hangers and prevented her from conducting flight operations for the duration of the action. At roughly the same time Graf Spee took two torpedoes, she did as well, causing flooding that took around an hour to bring under control.

The Germans have begun sending their cruisers to act as independent raiders, so our armored cruisers are reassigned to patrol merchant lanes hunting for them. Fromage Blinde manages to catch one, but it avoids destruction by merit of it's faster speed with only a couple glancing hits to show for it. Things get worse when Fromage Blinde is attacked by a submarine enroute back to France. Our bad luck with submarines persists, as we lose our first carrier not to combat, but to a mine. An unfitting end, but with our increased minesweeper presence this should not happen again.