NationStates Jolt Archive

This post will now feature a run-down detailing some of the most important weapons in Walmingtonain service.


http://www.wwiivehicles.com/images/britain/cruiser_mkiv_01.jpg
The Cavalry Cruiser MkII Tank. Now in service with Walmington (though being gradually phased out) and Iansisle, with shipments en route to The Trucial States on a regular basis.

Armour-

Cavalry Cruiser MkII
Crew-4
Engine power-345hp
Combat weight-15,120kg
Maximum speed-29.4mph (regulated)
Range-94 miles
Height-2.54m
Width-2.51m
Length-6.1m
Armour-bolted and welded steel; 7mm to 32mm
Armament-1x2pdr (40mm) anti-tank gun, 1x.303 machinegun (co-axial), 4xsmoke grenade dischargers.
Scores shipped to Iansisle, two dozen due to The Trucial States.
Over 400 built. Production complete in WoS

CCMkIIAAS Sentinel
Anti Aircraft Support version of the above, with 2x20mm cannon.
In low-rate production. Over 100 built.

CCMkIICSH Hardy
Close Support Howitzer version of the CCMkII, with 76mm howitzer in place of 2pdr anti-tank gun.
In full production. Over 300 built.

Cavalry Cruiser MkIII Lancer
Crew: 4
Engine: 345hp
Combat Weight: 19,507kg
Top Speed: 32mph
Range: 92miles
Height: 2.25m
Width: 2.7m
Length: 5.85m
Armour: 9-48mm steel
Armament: 1x6pdr (60mm or 49mm) anti-tank gun, 1x.303 inch co-axial machinegun, often 1x.303 inch AA machinegun.
Replacing CCMkII in Walmingtonian service. Limited shipments to Iansisle. In full production. Over 400 built. 1,200 ordered.

Marching Tank MkI Turtle
Crew-3
Engine-90hp petrol
Combat Weight-12,700kg
Maximum Speed- 9mph
Range-91miles
Height-1.9m
Width-2.32m
Length-4.95m
Armour-cast and welded steel, 12mm to 68mm
Armament-1x.55cal machinegun
Production complete in WoS. In service in the empire, driver training, and as test-bed for mine clearing equipment et cetera. Offered to The Trucial States and Iansisle. 468 built.

Marching Tank MkII Terrapin
Crew: 4
Engine: 145hp petrol
Combat Weight: 19,900kg
Maximum Speed: 16mph
Range: 98.17 miles
Height: 2.42m
Width: 2.6m
Length: 5.39m
Armour: 12mm to 72mm steel
Armament: 1x6pdr (49mm) anti-tank gun, 1x.303 machinegun (co-axial)
In production. Over 150 built. In service with WoS. Soon to be fully available to key allies if desired.

Marching Tank MkIII Tortoise
Crew: 5
Engine: 345hp petrol
Combat Weight: 42,265kg
Maximum Speed: 10.8mph
Range: 174.5 miles
Height: 3.3m
Width: 2.78m
Length: 7.29m
Armour: 28mm to 157mm steel
Armament: 6pdr (60mm or 49mm) anti-tank gun, 3x.303 machineguns (1x co-axial, 1x bow mounted, 1x AA)
Entering production. 200 ordered (order may be increased pending developments in Project Super Tortoise)

Special Tankette Baby Carriage
Crew: 2 usual (plus up to 5)
Engine: 90hp petrol
Combat Weight: 4,600kg maximum
Maximum Speed: 32mph
Range: 92.17miles
Height: 1.64m
Width: 2.1m
Length: 3.72m
Armour: 6mm to 11mm steel
Armament: variable- None. Combination of 1 to 3x .303mg / 55” anti-tank rifle. Light mortar. Flame thrower. 2x20mm AA gun, 3" howitzer. Also adaptable with recover equipment, bridge laying equipment, extending ladder, et cetera.
In production. 685 of various marks in service. Available to allies.

Aircraft

Mono Fighter MkII Wren
Crew-1
Engine Power-1,100hp
Speed-312mph
Ceiling-33,500ft
Range-560miles
Armament-6x.303 in wings
In production. 860 in service.


Mono Fighter MkIII/* Nexus
Crew: 1 or 2 (ASW/trainer roles et cetera)
Weight Empty: 8,411lbs
Span: 40'8"
Length: 35'7"
Engine Power: 1,900hp
Top Speed: 374mph
Ceiling: 30,200ft
Range: 1,200 miles
Armament: four wing mounted .55” machineguns, one nose mounted 20mm plus ten 54lb rockets or up to 1,850lb other ordinace.
In production. 805 in service both marks (including trainers).

Twin Bomber MkI Barrow
Crew-3
Span-57’8”
Length-43’2”
Engine-2x890hp
Max. Speed-254mph
Cruising Speed-216mph
Ceiling-23,200ft
Range-1,475miles
Armament-2x.303 in top turret, 2x.303 under nose
Payload-1,220lbs
Production winding down. Over 200 built. Many being handed over to The Trucial States.

Diverse Aircraft MkI Musca
Crew:2
Length:38'11"
Span:52'10"
Power Plant:Two Stockley 1,900hp liquid cooled engines
Top Speed:436mph
Range:1,390miles
Ceiling:33,900ft
Armament:Four .55" machineguns and four .303" machineguns in nose. Up to 2,900lb of bombs in internal bomb-bays, up to four 54lb rockets or 250lb of bombs under inboard wing section.
Production gradually switching to DAMkI*. Nearly 200 built so far.

Diverse Aircraft MkI* Musca
As DAMkI but-
Power Plant: Two Calarcan R-4360 3500hp engines
Top Speed:480mph+
Range: 1,780 miles with extra internal tank
Ceiling:32,700ft
Armament: six nose mounted 20mm guns
Production slowly increasing. Several dozen in service. 700 ordered.


Jet Fighter MkI Cricket
Length:36'2"
Span:48'7
Weight:10,175 lb empty 16,250 full
Power Plant: Three Graye-Hudson Model 1,966lb thrust 3G turbojets
Top Speed: 648mph
Cruising Speed:420mph
Range:1,040miles+ at cruising speed.
Ceiling: 39,000ft
Armament: Eight 20mm aviation cannon- four in front fuselage, and four in wings
In minimal production. Six in service.

Observation/Transport MkI Acorn
Specifications to come. Performance modest. In production. 480 ordered.

Distance Bomber MkI (Stockley) Oak
Crew:7
Span:101'2"
Length:64'10"
Engines:Four 1,100hp
Top Speed:274mph
Cruising Speed:202mph
Range:2,100miles with 8,500lb payload
Ceiling:27,800ft
Defensive Armament:Six .55" machineguns.
Payload:12,500lb.
In production. 220 ordered.

Organisation of His Majesty's Armed Forces

Foot Platoon
20 men
Usual armament configuration- fifteen CAFMIR rifles (one or two riflemen usually are placed with each platoon expressly due to their being expert snipers, though a specialised rifle does not presently exist in Walmingtonian service), three Machine Carbine Tripoli Pattern, two Machine-Gun Land MkI Camel. Also three pistols (usually Wayne MkII), five “Leech Grenades”, fifteen Mills grenades, one MkII Radio Transmit/Receive station, two Webley copy zinc flare pistol.

Rifle Company
100 men
Five Platoons. Additional (combined) armament when operating at Company strength typically includes three light mortars, two .55” machineguns, one 49mm 6pdr anti-tank gun, and either three further light mortars or two 60mm 6pdr light howitzers.

Infantry Battalion
700 men
Seven Companies.
Towed twin 20mm cannon are often added at this level, though in some cases they also exist in company-sized units. These weapons are for both anti-aircraft defence and for use against ground targets.

King’s Rifle Regiment
2,100 men
Three Battalions.
2pdr AA guns frequently transported with Regiments in the field. Mechanisation significantly increases at this level. Due to a relative shortage of officers, Rifle Regiments are often commanded by Sgt.Majors, where in peacetime Colonels would have been expected.

Infantry Division
10,500 men (five Rifles)

[numeral] Tank Platoon
Typically eight CCMkIII Lancer, six MTMkII Terrapin, two MTMkIII Tortoise, and four CCMkII variants (CSH/AAS) plus usually two Spotter Gun Car and up to four STMkI “Baby Carriage”.

Cavalry Battalion
Four Tank Platoons

Mounted Infantry Division
A Rifle Regiment with a higher concentration of trucks than is usual, plus an Artillery Regiment and two attached Cavalry Battalions. Consideration is being given to attaching aircraft directly to Mounted Infantry Divisions.

Artillery Company
Typically a battery of twelve 3”/18pdr and 4”/28 pdr towed guns, plus four 6pdr and two 3” howitzers.

Artillery Regiment
Four Artillery Companies plus variable additional pieces (usually light howitzers and anti-tank guns). CCMkIICSH Hardy armoured vehicles are also frequently attached

"ungamely" = ungainly

ooc:Blast! Of course. Ta.
Why do folk point out my lexicological (won't it be ironic when someone informs me that the immediately pre-bracket word is an invalid derivative which I just made up?) errors and neglect those of most others?

Perhaps I shouldn't complain, really.

As Walmington observes the pace of military development in surrounding states, the struggle to keep in touch is on.

The Mono Fighter MkI appears to be slower than many of its likely opponents, and until now Walmington has wanted for a dedicated bomber- a devistating weapon, seemingly.

Research has showed that not only is the MFMkI slow, but that it is also more lightly armed than its foreign rivals, and that our own capabilities allow for aircraft with superior manouverability.

Thus has been born WoS's Mono Fighter MkII, to be known as the Wren (not to be confused with the female ground staff at many RWAF airbases)

Mono Fighter MkII Wren
Crew-1
Engine Power-1,100hp
Speed-312mph
Ceiling-33,500ft
Range-560miles
Armament-6x.303 in wings, capable of carrying over five hundred pounds of under-wing ordinance, and 500lb under fuselage

http://www.wwiitech.net/main/britain/aircraft/hawkerhurricane/fig1.jpg

At the same time, the bomber question has been replied to by the Barrow Twin Bomber MkI

Crew-3
Span-57’8”
Length-43’2”
Engine-2x890hp
Max. Speed-254mph
Cruising Speed-216mph
Ceiling-23,200ft
Range-1,475miles
Armament-2x.303 in top turret, 2x.303 under nose
Payload-1,220lbs

http://www.f4aviation.co.uk/Wattisham/Blenheim.JPG

I don't see why you have to but your men through all the trouble of learning to operate these new fangled contraptions. Surely it is better to have a more experienced force ready to resist the enemy by the sides of the Matildas and Mark VIs to which they are accustomed? I see this insatiable hunger for progresss quite disturbing.

ooc:Blast! Of course. Ta.
Why do folk point out my lexicological (won't it be ironic when someone informs me that the immediately pre-bracket word is an invalid derivative which I just made up?) errors and neglect those of most others?

Perhaps I shouldn't complain, really.

[OOC: Lexicological is an invalid derivative which you just made up. :wink:

Ahhh. I live for irony. :P ]

The Commonwealth salutes the technological development on W.o.S.! May our aero-knights never have to duel!

Air Marshal Sir Timothy J. Bates
Commander of all His Majesty's Aero-Knights
The Commonwealth of Iansisle
http://www.britainincanada.org/graphics/100Qs/stpatricks_flag.gif

ooc:Blast! Of course. Ta.
Why do folk point out my lexicological (won't it be ironic when someone informs me that the immediately pre-bracket word is an invalid derivative which I just made up?) errors and neglect those of most others?

Perhaps I shouldn't complain, really.

[OOC: Lexicological is an invalid derivative which you just made up. :wink:

Ahhh. I live for irony. :P ]

Hm, you know, in the end.. it wasn't all that funny :?
Hehe.

BWO- The Matilda is yet to enter service! It's due in my next announcement :)
We hope that since we're not currently at war, we shall have time to get one more new generation of armaments into service, and give the men time to become familiar with said, before battle is joined.
(Plus we just learned that one of our Germanic neighbours is constructing some terror weapon under the designation "V2", and we feel that the world may perhaps be leaving us behind)

Air Marshal Bates- Perhaps side by side sir, some fine day.

BWO- The Matilda is yet to enter service! It's due in my next announcement :)



whoops!
Did I say "Matilda"? Lovely woman, quite lovely.... (I hope the security of your isle has not been compromised)...

(ooc: Well, I suppose a plain Matilda is better than a Waltzing one :P *ducks*)

"(ooc: Well, I suppose a plain Matilda is better than a Waltzing one :P *ducks*)"

[Click]...

[Click]...

(Sighs and withdraws the Sten MkI from service)

if ure a ww2 nation im sellig flak 88 artillary, and battle field accesorys u would like

"Ohh, I don't think we want any of that shabby Nazi merchandise, do we Wilson?" The PM turned his gaze towards his near-by deputy, who appears half the world away.

"No no" he went on "We're quite happy with our own stores, thank you. Wilson, show them out, do."

"Would you mind..awfully..stepping this way..please? Thank you." Arthur opened the door for the Intergalactic visitors.

"Would you credit it! Offering us Nazi weaponry! ....Wilson! Do pay attention!"

"Oh, yes yes, of course, awfully nice, indeed." Replied the disinterested deputy PM.

(PM Mainwaring is confident that Walmington's new 6pdr anti-tank gun will dominate any armour confrontation, the most powerful anti-tank gun previous experienced by the Walmingtonions being the 2pdr mounted on their Cavalry Cruisers, nothing personal :wink: )

(ooc: Seriously, if you need any help, just ask. I don't know if we'll fight directly, but we could sell you quite a few MPAF-5s, maybe even some -6s, and at a discounted rate. The Commonwealth may not be good at much, but aero-flyer technology and mass production are our strong suits :)

Hmm...maybe even an armored car for flyers deal? *strokes chin*)

Of course, we're prepared to get invovled in your ..troubles if and when required, too.

Interesssting.. We've more armour projects than we know what to do with. Tankettes held in reserve (the idea of hundreds of the buggers swamping the enemy seemed nice until we fired a 2pdr at one and it more or less vaporised), Universal Carriers all over the show, MkI Cavalry Cruisers (with twin mg turrets) used for nothing more than training, Vickers 6ton rip-offs in reserve, the new CCMkII, and as soon as I can be bothered, the Matilda (MkI, with just the mg, but a good 60mm of armour), and I've been meaning to get on the actual armoured car side of things (currently relying on Vickers light tanks for scouting and such- not ideal) - should be putting Daimler and/or Humber equivalents into service shortly. That'll all but make my Cavalry Cruisers obsolete, or at least make the need for tank improvement evident- Then I'd need the Matilda to win a fight so I can justify Churchills. Or Mainwarings :wink:

Wow, I'm rambling. Let this be a lesson to you, kiddies- sleep is sometimes better not avoided for periods above sixty hours.

Pah, sleep is for the weak...


....zzzz....

Now, it may seem that Walmington is becoming carried away on some sort of gun-happy jaunt, but it should be understood that prior to this thread, the nation was reliatnt for defence upon lightly armed infantry, Swordfish and Gladiator biplanes, old destroyers, and a handful of tankettes.

Marching Tank MkI “Turtle”
Crew-3
Engine-90hp petrol
Combat Weight-12,700kg
Maximum Speed- 9mph
Range-91miles
Height-1.9m
Width-2.32m
Length-4.95m
Armour-cast and welded steel, 12mm to 68mm
Armament-1x.55cal machinegun

http://mailer.fsu.edu/~akirk/tanks/GreatBritain/GB-Infantry-Matilda1-Mark1-A11.jpg

The Turtle is somewhat revolutionary, being the first Walmingtonian tank to make such extensive use of casting, rather than bolting, in construction of its armoured ..shell.

As a "Marching Tank" it is supposed to march with Walmington's infantry as they advance into enemy lines. Some anylists worried that the lightly armoured Cavalry Cruisers might falter in the face of concentrated enemy fire, leading to a return to trench warfare. With the Turtle, any such deadlock could be easily broken- after all, the anti-tank gun surely does not exist which might penetrate over 2.5 inches of cast steel armour!

A line-up of (some) other armaments in Walmingtonian service as of to-day.

Chassire Arms is the national small arms manufacturer of Walmington on Sea, and is based at the Royal Small Arms Factory at Chaspot.

Chassire Arms Free Magazine Infantry Rifle (often known as the Cafmir or Camfir rifle, and in some units as the Camping Gun, probably after a distortion via Campfire)

So called due to its detachable box magazine. The previous service rifle of the Walmingtonian army was a single-shot affair, and in the search for a replacement most of the Camfir's competators were loaded by chargers, the usually five round payloads stripped into internal magazines. The Camfir was the only option to feature the now familiar detachable magazine arrangement. It is said that there have been bad reports from troops regarding the uneaven balance of the rifle, which often means that it is not perfectly accurate in the hands of newer recruits. Following to the previous rifle however, the Camfir is a revolution.

http://www.probertencyclopaedia.com/j/Enfield%20Rifle%20No%202.jpg

Calibre-.303in

Length-45.7in

Weight Empty-8.72lbs

Barrel-27.9in, 6 grooves, LH

Magazine-8 shot detachable box



Chassire Arms Wayne MkII Pistol

Designed by the famous Walmingtonian adventurer of African fronteers Sir Henry Wayne, and contracted for manufacture at the royal arsenals, the MkII Pistol is a five chamber double-action revolver in service with the Royal Walmingtonian Army. Though quite heavy, it is accurate and reliable, and the MkII is a popular weapon.

http://members.nuvox.net/~on.melchar/38sw/webley.jpg

Wayne MkII

Calibre-.455in

Length-11in

Weight Empty-2.32lb

Barrel-5.5in, 7grooves, rh

Magazine-5-shot cylinder



Chassire Arms Constable MkII No1 'Special' Pistol

The Constable MkII No1 is a side-arm specifically for use by vehicle crews, and thus ommits the hammer spur, enabling only self-cocking action. This ommision is said to make the weapon handier in confined conditions, such as the inside of a Cavalry Cruiser, where crews reported frequent snagging of the Wayne's hammer on the tank's various fittings.

http://www.whd.nl/Enfield_no2_Mk1_137.jpg

Calibre-.455in

Length-10.18in

Weight Empty-1.82lb

Barrel-5.2in, 7 grooves, rh

Magazine-5-shot cylinder



Chassire Arms Machine-Gun, Land MkI

The Camel is extensively used and well liked by the armed forces of Walmington, and often dictates infantry tactics in a given situation.

http://www.wwiitech.net/main/britain/weapons/lewis/lewis-1.jpg

Calibre-.303in

Length-47.8in

Weight Empty-25.4lb

Barrel-25.9in, 5 grooves, lh

Cycle Rate-570rpm

Magazine-42 shot pan

Not quite an armaments development, but of significant importance none the less is the news that Stockley Motors is to be sold off.

Stockley has for generations been at the fore or Walmington's powerful automotive sector, but in recent years the maker of luxury, sporting, and family cars has seen profits fall quater on quater.

It seems that while domestic sales continue to be healthy, the export market for Stockley's classic range has for many years been in decline.

At the present time, SM is 24% national, and the government plans to maintain 14% of its share after any sale, and thus 86% of shares and the general management of the faltering giant are up for sale.

There has been a definite murmer of discontent in Walmington following the announcement of the sale of what is one of the nation's most powerful and some say defining companies. The government has done its best to reassure workers at least, in stating that any sale to a foreign concern will be blocked if deal does not allow for at least some of the production to be always in Walmington (perhaps not less than 14%).

Coupled with the decline of Walmington's once strong arms export sector, the planned sale of Stockley Motors has left many Walmingtonians wondering what they have to offer the world, and what will be done to sustain recent economic growth.



(ooc:If anyone has a company or billionaire or some such interested in buying SM feel free to step forward. As yet I'm not quite sure of the value, I'll try to get some sort of estimate together, or at least tell you how many plants and staff they have. Essentially Stockley has been supplying almost all of WoS's motorcars, as it is the largest company of its sort in the country, and has always been protected by tarrifs on foreign cars (ie. I don't want Walmingtonians driving about in modern cars, spoiling the character of the late 30s tech level nation). Of course Stockley is capable of mass production, but concepts such as computerisation are alien, and the process of manufacture is labour intensive relative to modern efforts.)

Headquarters, Westerton Motor-Car Company
Fort Jackson, Iansisle, the Commonwealth

It was a bright, sunny day for a change, and Marcus Westerton III didn't want to spend it cooped up in a stuffy office. He strolled the streets of Fort Jackson, near Upper Manford in the heart of House Fischer territory. A group of company officers, each trying to gain his attention, swarmed around him. Westerton's thoughts didn't stay with any of them, instead straying from topic to topic.

Royal Mining and Manufacturing had made another bid for control of his company, this time through their front as the Shieldo-Dianatranian Oil Company of Oasis. No sooner had he learned of the plot than a half-dozen counter offers, from IanCorp, the U.B.C., even the comparativly Camstol Guns, had come pouring in. The cash and options payoff in some were outstanding. He had the chance six times over to quit Westerton Motor Cars and retire as one of the richest men on the Shield.

Long ago, the Big Three Corporations of Iansisle - the Royal Mining and Manufacturing Consortium of Ianapalis, the United Banking Concerns of Lakeriverwood, and the Iansislean International Telegraph Corporation of Ianapalis - had taken a vow to keep their hands out of arms manufacturing. They agreed to recognize that the domination of domestic defensive companies by any one of them would lead to a inter-corporate war, devistating the Commonwealth and ruining their markets.

Several times had RM&M tried to clandestinely acquire a foothold in the military market, first by starting Galveston Arms of Coastal Paradise, and later Henderson Rockets of Emba. In the first case, a large loan taken out by RM&M TerraFreight for the Ianapalis-Cheateau Railroad had enabled the U.B.C. to twist RM&M's arm into releasing them. The second time, IanCorp used its media empire to force Henderson into the open. Both instances resulted in the children companys breaking loose.

Westerton wasn't really a defense contractor. Their high-performance engines were used in MPAF-4 and MPAF-5 fighters, they were consulted in the building of the Shell-Westerton Armored Car, and they helped manufacture the turbines that powered Iansisle's new oil-fired warships, but had never developed a military weapon of their own accord. Marcus rather wanted to get into the game of corporate power politics on his own, but the amount of money thrown at domestic companies by the Big Three couldn't be countered with Westerton's rather meager cash reserves.

"...Stockley Motors, of Walmington, is being sold off..." started an aid. Marcus stopped, and turned all his attention to the now rather nervous man.

Stockley Motors could be seen as producing the Rollers of Walmington's little world, and its reputation for quality, and (relatively) advanced production lines resulted in the company winning a number of military contracts in recent years.

They had a slight disaster in the Cavalry Cruiser MkI, which was not a hit, and for which they provided several components. Everyone makes mistakes, right? Especially when pioneering new technologies. On that note, the Mono-Fighter MkI comprised over two thirds Stockley components. Though not perhaps a military success, it was a breakthrough in many respects- Walmington's first mono-plane fighter, and the first thing to carry a Walmingtonian above 250mph. The company continues to manufacture many of the nation's aircraft and tank components, especially aircraft engines and key elements of the Turtle's suspension.

Stockley Motors employs almost ninety two thousand Walmingtonians, though thanks to their failure to find large over-seas markets and inability to open plants abroad, job cuts has been an issue danced around in recent months. There are six plants in Walmington, meeting at least 97% of the civilian population's automotive demand.
(It's a wonder that Wychwood Automation (the loosely termed 'competition') stays afloat)

Marcus Westerton III scratched his chin, making the underlying layer of fat jiggle. "Most interesting. What's the level of commitment among the other Shieldian Companies?" The aid dug through a stack of paper.

"Near non-existant, sir. I don't believe it's even shown up on their radars." Marcus smiled. Combine that with our own five domestic production centers, introduce some new lines over in Walmington, look like saviors...we could dominate the Asian and European markets at one...

"Who's the CEO of Stockley, and why haven't you gotten him on the phone for me yet?" bellowed Westerton, his yes-men scrambling to get the information to him.

(edit: For a bit of fun, check out this (http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=30614) post. Tons of fun, and a blast from the past!)

:wink: How far you've come -and inside one administration, if I'm not very much mistaken!

Being quick with things of no importance, I've just noted that our nations more or less share a national animal. Non of the poncy lion/wolf guff, no sir.

..Since I'm apparently in a randomly fluctuating mindset, I'm now wondering quite what constitutes my large information technology sector. Competition for the Iansislean International Telegraph Corporation? Maybe it just means fountain pens :)

(For the record, Stockley Motors' CEO is one Mr.Claude Blyton)


[/arbitrary tangents from a non-descript theme]

Back at the office
Fort Jackson, Iansisle, the Commonwealth

"Er, a Mister Claude Blyton is the Cheif Executive Officer of Stockley, Mr. Westerton." Marcus nodded, twirling his (perhaps Walmingtonish? ;) ) pen in one hand.

"And is he on the telephone, Gates?"

"Er, no, no he isn't, Mr. Westerton. I'm afraid I'm, ah, having some trouble getting in touch with Mr. Blyton." The return glare made Gates want to shrivel up and vanish.

"Hurry...up....man!" Westerton spoke slowly, as if to a small child, puncuating his statement by nearly yelling at the end. Gates trembled.
_____

(ooc: Ah, so it is! I thought the seagull would make an ironic symbol of the eternal internal [heh, that's a fun word combo] bickering of the Commonwealth / its parliament.

heh, I suppose it has been only one administration, to think about it. I need to have a shakeup election in the Combined Parliament - I'm getting rather bored with Tarriff and his Free Trade Party. Maybe it's time the Commonwealth Party had a shot at the plurality?

And I need to determine a 'Sin City' for the Commonwealth, to address that rather large gambling sector I apparently have. I wish I didn't get all those gambling questions. I don't really like the industry, but when those kids look at me with their big blue puppy eyes, I just can't keep 'em off the slot machines!)

(edit - and between us, we have 67% of a Union Jack! Know anyone flying St. Andrew's Cross?)

I rather imagine Mainwaring will somehow cling on to his office long after WoS reaches the ruddy moon - I think it's laziness on my part, though.

Re.St.Andrew's- no oddly enough I don't, off hand, though I did explain the concept of the game and convey its glorious virtues to my Glaswegian friend. She just gave me a look indicating that I really shouldn't be bothering to do that. Heh, oh well.

----

Meanwhile our friend Mr.Blyton is in hot pursuit of his quarry -and the ruddy grouse shan't be getting the better of him -not for a fourth time, anyway!
..Unless he stops to complain about his continued omission from the king's honours list, which he almost certainly will.

"You know, Bromley, time was a man do as he pleased with the auto trade and no one would bat an eyelid. . .but these damn troubles are keeping me from my knighthood..."

"Ah, but you're remembering the days when automobiles accounted for less in the economy than did squid fishing."

"And who built the industry up to such heights that its struggles now keep me from a knighthood, hm?"

"You father, wasn't it?"

Blyton let off both barrels at something which was previously feathered. Probably.

The Office
Fort Jackson

Gates put down the telephone and bit his lip. He couldn't very well go back to Mr. Westerton and report that Mr. Blyton was "not in right now, sorry." He dialed again, using a thick accent to disguise his voice.

"Hellough - Ah am a-looching fer Mee-ster Blyton. Ees in?"

Blyton's butler answers, identifying himself and rolling his eyes slightly upon hearing the exaggerated accent making a familiar inquiry.

In a somewhat haughty manner he explains that the man of the house is out on the manour grounds, and could be some time, however it would be possible to send a lad to fetch him, or to deliver a message.

Was this a business call? he ventured.

if ure a ww2 nation im sellig flak 88 artillary, and battle field accesorys u would like

Its Pak 88 Artillery in Westshire btw...not really relevant but I wanted to save this post and my favorites menu is overloaded as it is.

(Oh, before I forget!)

WoS is currently developing its own submachine gun, and has determined that the current small arms munitions (.303 and .455) are absolutely out of the question for use in this new weapon. As such, there is interest in aquiring a suitable round from another source.

Of course it isn't unreasonable that WoS should develop a new round herself, but for the sake of saving time and getting the weapon into production, the Defence Ministry should like to skip ahead if possible.

(And God damn it, someone remind me to sort out my armoured car specs!)

Was this a business call? he ventured.

"Why, yes it is....er, I mean - ACH! Ees moost in-pertant kall of ze buz-nez."

(And God damn it, someone remind me to sort out my armoured car specs!)


(God damn it, remember to sort our your armoured car specs! ;))

..It's amazing how many different colours the human leg may turn.

uhm, I mean.. IC: With a raising of one eyebrow and drawn-out nasal inhalation the butler replies "Very well, I shall send the boy to inform Mr.Blyton of your call. Perhaps I can pass on your contact details?"

"Ees right if'n Ah stay on ze line?"

After a brief pause in which the butler dispatches one of the houseboys to seek out Blyton, he returns his attention to the telephone conversation.

"Certainly, if you don't mind waiting."

For a number of minutes the butler sits by the phone, engrossed in the Walmington Standard's report on dismal state of the nation's entertainment industy. Music and theatre have purportedly never been so stale - and it's probably the fault of the infernal wireless.

How can the wireless be hurting music? He ponders.

Eventually Gates hears the butler's announcement that Mister Blyton has arrived, before stepping aside for his master's convenience.

(heh, poor fellow- how is he going to get out of this accent for all future Walmingtonian dealings...)

ooc:I'm off to dream (belatedly) about armoured cars I can rip-off, and fantastical contraptions for the 250 years since defence of the WTM at Vollombo (everyone else has so many ... things ... and they move about ever so quickly ... the only solution is absurdity of invention, obvvviously :)

Gates put his hand over the reciever. Oh boy...how am I going to get out of this accent for all future Walmingtonian dealings? he wondered in his misery. He glanced around the office, ordering an intern to be ready to pick up Mr. Westerton's phone and patch Blyton through. That took a couple of the minutes he was waiting. He then practiced the accent a bit, trying to trim it down a bit.

At long last, that butler picked up his end again. Gates gave the 'ready' signal, and answered.

"'ello? Mee-ster Blyton? I'm ze representer fer Vesterton Motor Cars, ov Eeen-cile. My chief, 'e vanna talk vith ye."

"Chief eh? Westerton, you say?" Blyton was forcing aside his disatisfaction at being called away from his shooting, when he realised that this might be related to the sale. He could soon be retired and chasing grouse up and down the isle.

"Well..put him on, do, sir."

After a long time out of service while undergoing an extensive refit, HMWS Iansisle (I know it'd probably make more sense for her to be HWMS, but WoS has never liked to make things easy), one of two aged battleships purchased from the nation which gave this vessel her new name was relaunched to-day to much fanfare in the little north Atlantic kingdom of Walmington on Sea.

Already some concerns are being voiced about just how low in the water she now rides, following an armour coat slightly heavier than that suggested by her manufacturer in earlier consultation over the upgrade.

Apparently, in relatively low rate sea, many waves were crashing right across her deck.

These reports are receiving little press in Walmington, where people are more inclined to be proud of their vessel.

Observers do however wonder how much these reports will influence the planned refit of her sister ship HMWS Royal Oak, supposed to start next month.

New specifications of the Iansisle-

Dimensions:
Length (overall): 468'11"
Beam (overall): 78'9"
Draft (maximum): 23'3"
Displacement (full): 19,720 tons
Crew: 771
Power and Performance:
Plant: 12 Westerton Mk. X oil
Turbines: 4 Shell J47
Shafts: 4
Horsepower: 102,200
Max Speed: 24 knots
Range: 6,700 nm at 14 knots ; 4,000 nm at 20 knots
Armor:
Belt: 9.25" steel
Deck: 2.5" to 3" steel
Forward Bulkhead: 9" steel
Broadside Bulkhead: 4" steel
Aft Bulkhead: 4.5" steel
Turrets: 12" face ; 7.5" sides ; 4.9" roof
Barbettes: 11" above belt ; 4.75" below belt
Conning tower: 11" sides ; 4.75" roof
Armarment:
8 x 12" guns (mounted in 4 turrets, with two forward and two aft)
6 x 6" guns (mounted in 2 turrets, one port, one starboard)
5 x 2 pounder AA guns
24 x .55 caliber AA guns (mounted along broadsides)
3x twin 20mm AA guns
6 x 21" torpedo launchers (below waterline; 3 port, 3 starboard)
Radars:
Air Search: RSUC model 174A
Surface Search: RSUC model 111S
Fire Control: RSUC model 211FC "Blindman's Bluff"

The (significant) cost of the project has not been divulged by the government (a fact that should be picked up on by at least one of Walmington's papers in coming weeks).

(ooc:Some of the new components, as a lot of the upgrade was based on Iansislian advice, are..er, Iansislian. Such as the power plant for example. I assume that's not a problem, and the relevent details could be assumed to have been worked out easily enough?)

"Chief eh? Westerton, you say?" Blyton was forcing aside his disatisfaction at being called away from his shooting, when he realised that this might be related to the sale. He could soon be retired and chasing grouse up and down the isle.

"Well..put him on, do, sir."

"Yessa, right away, Mee-ster Bull-eye-ah-ton!"

There was a short pause as Gates passed the word among interns, and a new voice came over the line.

"Hello. I am Marcus Westerton III, Chief Executive Officer for Westerton Motors, of Iansisle. My company recieved reports of the spot of trouble you're having, and couldn't help but wonder about the impending sale."
________________________

The Admiralty
Ianapalis, Iansisle, the Commonwealth

Grand Admiral Sir Richard Tri glanced over the report on the re-launching of HMWS Iansisle, once HIMS King Ian I (unless it was King Toto IV, in which case ignore that ;) ). Looking over the statistics, he arched an eyebrow.

"A full displacement of nearly 20,000 tons? They've added more than 10% of her original weight. Wonder what that does with her rather short beam?"

Tri wrote a memo, to remind himself to check the situation in Walmington on Sea, then gathered up a fruit basket.

(I'm trying to remember- it's whichever one didn't return home during the civil war, so I think you were right)


Blyton's spacious drawing room, Walmington-

"Oh, the bother's not so much trouble as ..reluctance on the part of domestic concerns to seek substantial foreign markets, yes. It's generally felt that overseas control of the company would be in the best interests of all concerned.

"Am I to suppose that Westerton Motors is interested in a buy-out or such?

"Of course" he started, lying "..you wouldn't be the first!"

Mr. Westerton's rather over-decorated office
Fort Jackson, Iansisle, the Commonwealth

Westerton winced slightly at hearing there may be another wolf in the hen house. He decided to lie a little, to cover his own interest.

"I understand. Westerton has found itself hard-pressed to establish a niche in foreign markets," he started, watching Gates walk in and drop off a report on blooming sales in Ryansisle. Gates was quickly waved out, as if Blyton could see over the phone. "In such conditions, a bidding war would not be in our best interest. We are interested in buying Stockley, but not in sacraficing our own best interest to do so."

I laugh at your petty weapons.

HAHAHAHAHAHA

You need to get some better stuff, those weopons look like they came out of the middle ages or something. You could stop by my Palace and take a look at ordering some of MoriQuessar's superior weapons.

(Always remember, children - the best way to get business is to mock potential customers)

Iansisle wonders, as Walmingtonish land-based arms have been proven deadly in battle, how "MoriQuessar" can claim to be "vastly superior." Surely you, sir, are either delusional, stupid, or stupid and delusional.

Lord Michael Javial
Minister of War
The Commonwealth of Iansisle

Damn
Blyton had to sell- the government had all but told him as much, in the interests of the nation, but as yet it had been something of a favour to him that they hadn't officially announced their insistance. Surely when they do, his bargaining position will only be hurt more.

After scrawling on a pad in front of him, Blyton nodded to his butler and slid the papers over to him. The butler read it, and went off to figure out who exactly he was to ask for the assesments of Westerton's value, productivity, exports, and so on.

"Oh, of course, it's only good sense, sir. I'm sure an established company such as your own will see clear to outdoing the competition. I'm sure we can make progress."

After estimating the total value of all MQ assets, Blyton pauses to buy the nation, strip it of its copper wiring, and sell it as scrap to Norton and Sons of Southend.

(I'm going to have to drop this RP for a bit tonight, I'm afraid. Simply too much going on in NS, and I'm trying to design destroyers on the side. I'll pick it up either later tonight or tomorrow)

(Well, it seems to have quieted down no small amount, so I'll get to responding!)

Overview of the Westerton Motor-Car Company: Iansisle on Wheels
From the Ianapalis Star-Tribune, Saturday August 2nd 2003

FORT JACKSON, Iansisle - Innovation. Development. Transportation.

While the Big Three's grip on the market has never been stronger than it is now, a new power threatens to upset the age old balance between Royal Mining and Manufacturing, the United Banking Concerns, and Iansislean International Telegraph: the Westerton Motor-Car Company of Fort Jackson.

In many ways, Fort Jackson itself is representative of Westerton. The company is young, and they know it. Drive, ambition, and desire to rival the greats motivate the growth spurt experienced by Fort Jackson of late, as it does the young corporation, still only in its second generation of existence.

Already the name Westerton - due to its popular 'Jackrabbit' series of horseless buggies - is synonymous with high performance engines and sleek style. Their motor cars, helped by the rich oil strikes in eastern Dianatran, choke the streets of every major city in the Commonwealth. No organized resistance has yet been possible, though RM&M tried to buy Westerton out three years ago. Westerton's board resisted the move, and IanCorp pressure broke a subsequent hostile attempt.

Westerton currently operates five plants, three of them in Fort Jackson. One of the others is in Lakeriverwood, though it mainly produces the high performance piston engines used by Graye Aero-Flyers MPAF-5 fighters. Graye's movements away from piston driven craft is a cause for concern, but Westerton can still find a market in Bankfield's civilian flyers. The other is in Ianapalis, which produces both automobiles and the massive oil fired boilers used by Commonwealth navy ships.

Currently, Westerton's exports are confined mainly to Tilsitia, though Iansislean colonies in south-east Asia are showing a growing demand for the motherland's products...article continues

Westerton swallowed the praise whole, without a second thought. “Yes, indeed we can, Mr. Blyton. I wonder - how much are these other companies offering you?”

"Oh, I don't know that I could reviel.. I mean.. to give inside.." Blyton began to wish he'd prepared himself for the inevitability of the sale of his company, rather than resolving to go shooting and make up lies later. He span a fountain pen in his fingers.

(Also my drunken efforts did little to avail me of an estimation)

Westerton listened to Blyton's stumblings with some confusion. He hadn't much experiance in corporate take overs - excepting when Sir Penton (Dubois, CEO RM&M) had telephoned with information regarding Royal's hostile bid. Biting his lip, he responded. "Oh, of course not, Mr. Blyton. We're actually looking into taking over, eh, Henderson, of Copplestone," he lied, spouting the first company name to pop into his head. Henderson? The bloody rocket building corporation? Brilliant move, dummy. "And was, erm, wondering about the, uh, relative...costs...and all."

OOC-My God, how could this thread have slipped by me so completely...

IC-Der Kriegsmarine sends its compliments on a design well executed. We appologise for the tardiness of our message; our Foreign Minister has only recently returned from abroad.

(Finally!)

Spotter Gun Car MkIII Peregrine

Crew-2/3
Engine-90hp petrol
Combat Weight-6,784kg
Maximum Road Speed-47mph
Road Range-163miles
Height-2.12m
Width-2.01m
Length-4.35m
Armour-bolted and welded steel, 6mm-17mm
Armament-Variable. A- 1x.55in MG, 1x.303in MG, B- 1x2pdr, 1x.303in MG, C- 1x20mm cannon.

http://mailer.fsu.edu/~akirk/tanks/france/9)P178CDM.jpg

ooc:My "At last!" of course refered to WoS finally developing a standard armoured scout car, rather than DK's arrival.
Hello, and indeed goodnightish- I am off to bed again (that seems to happen almost once every twenty four hours these days).
Happy..Gothic-sacking-of-Rome day! And independence day, if you're Indian or B..ahrainian..B..yes, good night.

ooc:My "At last!" of course refered to WoS finally developing a standard armoured scout car, rather than DK's arrival.

But you told me you loved me! :cry:

ooc:Hehe. I thought it might seem a bit rude to presume that you should have showed up sooner.

Anyway, with all these new battleships and whatnot springing up,
I think we need to get in touch with Jorgenson and Sons again..

His Majesty's long-stagnent navy is after much dilly-dallying set to make waves.

Being an island nation with a populace largely of British origin, one might well expect Walmington on Sea to have a mighty fleet to call on. Not so. In spite of these factors, and of her not inconsiderable prosperity and safe defence spending, the nation has often found itself wanting on the high seas. Perhaps this is simply a reflection of the population's civilised attitude when it come to avoiding war- the RWAF has been given increasing priority almost every year since its conception, and is seen as a good way to defend the island. The army was always tasked with defending both home and the colonies- certainly the navy got the troops to Ceyloba and the dark continent, but like celts from their horses, the army disembarked to fight.

This brings us to Project Birdcage. Originally it was a (in WoS terms) a very forward thinking ..er..think-tank, considering the viability of 'naval airfields', or aircraft carriers. Great attention was paid to Iansisles similar ventures, and the pannel eventually received seceret funding from the admiralty. In more recent months it became clear that the government was keen to have Walmington construct her own battleship/s, and the pannel at Project Birdcage concluded that it might be best to seek outsourcing of the carrier project to more experienced contractors in Iansisle.

Meanwhile, Birdcage concluded, lessons learned from a long but limited history of conventional shipbuilding, and in refitting the battleships purchased from Iansisle would leave WoS better placed to embark upon her own big-gun ship programme. Thus Project Birdcage shifted toward battleship and battlecruiser (the battlecruiser is a concept growing in popularity here, and many feel that this sort of vessel may outlast the battleship) design, and was made known to the government.

Since then, the Tory government hasn't been able to throw too much money at Project Birdcage, and shipyards at Southend, Port Perry, and Westonshire have grown significantly.

(ooc:In short, WoS has been, on the quiet, spending millions upon millions on battlecruiser and battleship development, while bugs are worked out through upgrading HMWS Iansisle and Royal Oak. Walmington is likely to seek contracts in Iansisle for construction of aircraft carriers, but the admiralty has been delaying, half hoping to see developments in the field so that they don't splash out funds on obsolete or limited ships)

As confusing and muddled as this may all seem, it is mainly to help me sort out where I'm up to and straighten my head out.

Fruit baskets all around! :lol:

(hmm...just noticed this last development, I did. Anyhow, best of luck to Walmington on their forthcoming naval endevours. Jorgenson and Sons is currently rather swamped with the rather large Commonwealth order, but I expect to continue using the Salvador-class MAFD for quite some time. Also, I'm going to introduce a second shipyard when I announce the Queen Jessica-class battlecruiser, a design that may raise some eyebrows in Project Birdcage. Oh, and fruit basket time!)

The realisation that Iansisle was apparently taking a similar gun ship path to that of Walmington (favoring larger numbers of battle cruisers, heavy cruisers, and smaller battleships over the less numerous monsters boasted by some other nations) caused at first a small measure of dejection in the admiralty.
“Apparently we hadn’t thought of it first” commented one admiralty attaché to Project Birdcage.

This feeling has already largely given way to cautious optimism.
“Perhaps it’s merely further evidence of our widely held belief that battle cruisers are the future of 'conventional' naval warfare.”

The well guarded secrets of Project Birdcage are to-day finally being reveled, with the launch of the first vessels in several new classes, and the unveiling of information on others under construction.

From the Port Perry yards came the launch of HMWS Hansen

Chaspot Class Heavy Cruisers

Dimensions:
Length (overall): 667’5”
Beam (overall): 74’9”
Draft: 24’6” mean
Displacement (full): 18,804 tons

Crew: 1,109

Power and Performance:
Engine: four Wychwood boilers (oil fired)
Horsepower: 112,000
Shafts: 4
Max Speed: 32.4 knots
Range: 6,900nm at 12 knots, 4,700nm at 22 knots

Armour:
Belt: 7” steel
Deck: 2.5” –3.75” steel
Bulkheads: 4.25” –6.55” steel
Main Turrets: 2.5” –8.7” steel
Conning Tower: 4” –6.7” steel

Armament:
Main: Nine 8” guns (three turrets, two fore, one aft)
Secondary: Six 4” guns, four 21” torpedo,
Anti Aircraft: Eight 2pdr guns, twenty 2x20mm guns, twelve .55” machineguns

Aircraft: two, catapult launch - currently absent: expected to be MPAF-3F in the short term.

Immediate plans call for construction of four of these vessels, to be named thus:

HMWS Hansen
HMWS Triumphal
HMWS Marwood
HMWS Deepdale

It is expected that provided these vessels perform as expected more will be ordered.


Meanwhile further north at Westonbury, the yards made sure that the Hansen was only for the briefest of moments able to contend that she was the most powerful all around ship at Walmington's disposal.

HMWS Eastgate is set to support the Royal Navy's aims as the first of several Eden Class battle cruisers, already being greatly hyped by the admiralty.
Eastgate is set to operate alongside HMWS Iansisle and -pending completion of her refit at Southend- HMWS Royal Oak until further Eden Class vessels can be completed in coming months and years.

Eden Class Battle Cruisers

Dimensions:
Length (overall): 702’11”
Beam (overall): 91’8”
Draft: 25’6”
Displacement (full): 31,333 tons

Crew: 1,374

Power and Performance:
Engine: four Wychwood boilers (oil fired)
Horsepower: 112,000
Shafts: 4
Max. Speed: 30.2 knots
Range: 6,700nm at 12 knots, 4,550nm at 22knots

Armour:
Belt: 9” to 13”
Deck: 3.2” to 6.4” steel
Bulkheads: 4.75” to 11” steel
Main Turrets: 5.25” to 14” steel
Conning Tower: 4.85” to 10” steel

Armament:
Main: Nine 12” guns (three turrets, two fore, one aft)
Secondary: Twelve 6” guns (six turrets),
Anti Aircraft: Ten 2pdr guns, twenty four 2x20mm guns, ten .55” machineguns

Aircraft: Two, catapult launch: situation as Chaspot cruisers.

Eden Class vessels complete or under construction thus far:

HMWS Eastgate complete
HMWS Brixton under initial stages of construction at Westonbury.

Finally, Port Perry is also site of a third major project, this one yet to launch its first return. The date for completion of HMWS King Godfrey I is set to fall some four months from now, though after a brief delay mid project, progress has been slightly more rapid than expected.


King Godfrey I Class Dreadnoughts (Battleships)

Dimensions:
Length (overall): 748’2”
Beam (overall): 97’9”
Draft: 27’11” mean
Displacement (full): 43,400 tons

Crew: 1,744

Power and Performance:
Engine: eight boilers (oil fired)
Horsepower: 121,000
Shafts: 4
Max. Speed: 27.4 knots
Range: 7,900nm at 12 knots, 5,000nm at 22 knots

Armour:
Belt: 15” steel
Deck: 5.75”-7.2” steel
Bulkheads: 5.25”-11.25” steel
Main Turrets: 7.25”-16.5” steel
Conning Tower: 5.75”-10.5” steel

Armament:
Main: Eight 15” guns (four turrets, two fore, two aft) (two rounds per minute, 31,180yd/27,596.6m range at 30 deg. Elev.)
Secondary: Ten 6” guns (eight - ten rounds per minute, 19,000yd/17,000m range)
Anti Aircraft: Three 3” guns, eighteen 2pdr guns, thirty two 2x20mm guns

Aircraft: Two, catapult launch: situation as before.

King Godfrey I's sister ship is yet to enter construction, though materials are being gathered.

Ships of this class set to be:

HMWS King Godfrey I
HMWS Queen Mavis

The main drawback to Project Birdcage's appetite for improvement of the fleet's firepower has been in a marked fall in the planned rate of destroyer and submarine production, as well as a pause in their development programmes.

Two years ago Walmington had twelve U-boats in service, and planned to expand to a fleet of some forty boats. It is believed that production has all but ceased, with the fleet still significantly short of that target.



(Would you believe that my two-hour-cut-off came at the exact moment I pressed "Submit" on this piece the first time? I don't need this kind of stress when I'm trying to enjoy my cheap French beer, cheese butty (uh, sandwich, to you colonials), and Startrek TNG!)

The Admiralty
Ianapalis, Iansisle, the Commonwealth

Grand Admiral Sir Richard Tri looked over the most recent reports on Walmingtonish ship production, nodding slowly. He depressed his intercom button.

"Clancy, could you get me the most up-to-date reports on the Shield (six in service, two under construction, none planned), Queen Jessica (none in service, one under construction, two planned), and Behemoth (none in service, none under construction, two planned) class ships?"

"Any particular reason, Admiral?" was the reply.

"I've just gotten the latest reports on Walmingtonian cruisers and battleships, and I want to see how we compare. We're not hostile, of course, I'm just curious."

"Yes, sir."
____________

A moment later, Tri was comparing the six ships and nodding. The Chaspot class carried much heavier armor than the Shield, but also much larger engines. Shield also had more secondary guns - 12 rather than 6 - and more 8” turrets (8 in double mounts). The Chaspots displaced near on 5,000 more tons than the Shields, and carried many more men. In a one-on-one duel, Tri would have to favor the thick-skinned Chaspots, but he liked also the lower manpower requirement - and probably cost - of the Shields.

The Queen Jessica was harder to compare to the Eden, because of her radical design. The Jessica was longer and leaner - giving her a speed nearly 5 knots faster than the Eden’s, but reducing maneuverability. The armor on the Eden was thicker, much thicker. Jessica’s 14” guns overpowered Eden’s 12”, but Jessica only had 2 14” and 4 12” guns against Eden’s 9 12” guns. Jessica also had about double the range of the Eden while fully loaded, but she would be more wet in rough waters.

Behemoth, the Admiralty’s pride and joy, stacked up the best against her Walmintonish counterpart, the King Godfrey I. She was longer, wider, and heavier, but 18,000 extra ship horsepower actually made her faster. In armor, the two ships were almost alike. Behemoth was better in guns, mounting 9 16”/45 guns to Godfrey’s 8 15”ers. Godfrey’s secondary armament was a little better, 10 6” guns against Behemoth’s 12 5.5”ers. Behemoth also had slightly longer legs.

Richard took off his glasses and sighed. Another fruit basket for Walmington, certainly, and some capable help for any future Iansislean convoys in the Atlantic.

Admiral Reinhardt Klein was equally interested in the latest news from Walmington, but for other reasons. With the likelyhood of open war between Iansisle and Germany mounting by the hour, the admiral had decided it would be in the Kriegsmarine's best interest to take an active interest in the naval forces of the next nations she was likely to go up against. While the Chaspot was based on a design many years old, she carried enough firepower to make her a threat against any ship currently at sea. Her most obvious weaknesses were to air attack and U-boats, but escort vessels would go a long way toward making up for these shortcomings. One more thorn in our side, Klein thought.

[munches through apple - so hungry]

Nice comparative, ta for that.

I'm thinking that my fleet, when these projects are complete, should be fairly formidable.. nothing much to take on the very largest battleships, but I'm hoping to address the aircraft carrier issue next, through one avenue or another. It's just that until then, something really big could bring havoc, and I really don't think I can justify a very big destroyer fleet. At this rate my cruisers are going to be tasked with protecting the destroyers, which are protecting the convoys.

Hrm.

ooc:This post to contain basic information on the less glorious elements of the Walmingtonian Royal Navy, such as the sub-surface fleet and the under-funded destroyer concern. At first details are sketchy, as I only know so much. I plan to update the post over time as I read up a little more. Now back to the details-

Submarine A class
HMuWS [number]

Original orders called for 12 to go into service almost at once, with up to 40 planned. Due to funds being drawn away to the heavy gun ship concerns, less than thirty submarines have entered service thus far.

Propulsion:D/E
Displacement:997tons surfaced, 1,502 submerged
Length-272ft
Beam-26ft
Draught-11ft 10in
Speed-15kt surfaced, 9kt submerged
Armament-one 4in deck gun, two .303mg, eleven 21in tubes; eight forward, two amidships, one aft 17 torpedoes
Complement-59


Destroyer I Class

Dimensions:
Length (overall): 321'2"
Beam (overall): 31'11"
Draft (mean): 10'5"
Displacement (full): 1,841 tons

Crew:211

Power and Performance:
Engine: Two boilers, Wychwood, oil fired
Horsepower:30,000
Shafts: Two
Top Speed: 31.4 knots
Range:1,190nm at 31 knots, 2,850nm at 22 knots, 4,100nm at 12 knots

Armour:
Belt:1.55" to 2.25" steel
Deck:1" to 1.5" steel
(Primary) Turrets:1.15" to 4.55" steel
Conning Tower:1.3" to 3.9" steel

Armament:
Main: Three 4" guns (three turrets, single mount, two fore, one aft)
Secondary: Four 21" TT (2x2), four depth charge throwers, stern depth-charge racks
Anti Aircraft: Two 2x20mm AA gun, four .55" machinegun

Radar:
Air Search: Walmington Model A MkI
Surface Search: Walmington Model B MkI
Hydrophones: Chassire MkII

I Class destroyers: HMWS Stockshire, Southshire, Dolly, Ajax

The I Class served WoS for many years after the Great War (which Walmington avoided, though many volunteers joined foreign armies fighting the central powers) - a period in which the nation spent a pittance on defence. The vessels were due to be withdrawn, but are likely to serve on in light of strained budgets, and the low rate of production in replacement destroyers.


Destroyer II Class

Dimensions:
Length (overall): 357'7"
Beam (overall): 34'8"
Draft (mean): 14'
Displacement (full): 3,001 tons

Crew: 237

Power and Performance:
Engine: Two boilers, Wychwood, oil fired
Horsepower:37,550
Shafts: Three
Top Speed: 32.3 knots
Range: 1,425nm at 30 knots, 2,970nm at 22 knots, 4,550nm at 12 knots

Armour:
Belt: 3.2" steel
Deck: 1.5" to 2.35" steel
(Primary) Turrets: 1.15" to 4.55" steel
Conning Tower: 1.5" to 4.1" steel

Armament:
Main: One 6" gun, four 4" guns (6" in Monday turret fore, two 4" in Tuesday turret fore, two 4" in Wednesday turret aft)
Secondary: Four 21" TT (2x2), three depth charge throwers, stern depth charge racks
Anti Aircraft: One 3" gun, two 2pdr guns, six 2x20mm guns

Radar:
Air Search: Walmington Model A MkI
Surface Search: Walmington Model B MkI
Sonar: Walmington Model C(S) MkI

II Class destroyers: [the class is currently being (gradually) phased in, and I'll come up with names..later]


Destroyer III Class

[Something lighter and faster - once it gets out of Southend's shipyards :D ]



(Oh dear, this is becoming messy. I wonder how many mistakes I've made so far. Presumably I'll get around to organising all my crap and presenting it nicely in the first post. Y'know, this afternoooon...)

(ooc:Damn, I need a fight to break out so I can improve my ships' AA defences and design me some effective tanks!)

(I'm doing my best...didja see my next to last post in the Liberty thread? ;) )

Hehe, yes, two thumbs up to that. Of course Walmington will be happy to accomodate their Iansislian friends..
(I would have responded there, but I think you were still having internal debates over what to do, and for us to say "Sure you can come!" might have exposed our spy hiding behind the plant in the corner :wink: )

Oh, if you don't mind me pestering you; do you happen to have any more usefull links to hand that might help me with my destroyers and potential light cruisers? Both in specification and number, really. I don't want to get carried away with light cruisers considering I have three heavier classes of warship already.

(back to google with me)

Hehe, yes, two thumbs up to that. Of course Walmington will be happy to accomodate their Iansislian friends..
(I would have responded there, but I think you were still having internal debates over what to do, and for us to say "Sure you can come!" might have exposed our spy hiding behind the plant in the corner :wink: )

Oh, if you don't mind me pestering you; do you happen to have any more usefull links to hand that might help me with my destroyers and potential light cruisers? Both in specification and number, really. I don't want to get carried away with light cruisers considering I have three heavier classes of warship already.

(back to google with me)

(no pester at all! This (http://www.warships1.com/) website has served me well over the last few weeks, mostly the RN section. Of course, I must admit - my Shield class was based on the Algérie. I need a naval confessional - "Father, I have sinned. My heavy cruiser was based on a French, rather than British, design" :D

I should resolve that thing into an actual request soon, depending on D.K.'s next actions.

This reminds me - I need to start detailing the RIN's minor ships. As hypocritical as it sounds, we actually run one submersible - HIMS Invisible. That last sentence had no point. I should sleep.)

ooc: Guess what?? My friend gave up playing NS and he gave me his nation. So now I am gonna play this out as a WW1 - WW2 era nation. Its me Agrigento btw. Do you mind if I join in the RP and post about some of my naval designs here as they come up along with you guys?

Thank you sir!

I was half way to basing one of my last-announced capital classes off French designs, but then I simply felt the draw of..y'know..armour :)

I think I remember reading about Invisible. . . that comment has no point either. Hm.

(The British ships are prettier though, aren't they? Especially in cases of four turrets being better than three (or two), durn it! I'll be looking at the last of them again by next week, no doubt [references Belfast and his next trip to London])



Dear God, I just can't shut up.

ooc: Guess what?? My friend gave up playing NS and he gave me his nation. So now I am gonna play this out as a WW1 - WW2 era nation. Its me Agrigento btw

Nice! What'll/where'll it be? Italian/the Med?
We seem to have a Der Kriegsmarine vs. the world situation building at the moment.

ooc: Guess what?? My friend gave up playing NS and he gave me his nation. So now I am gonna play this out as a WW1 - WW2 era nation. Its me Agrigento btw

Nice! What'll/where'll it be? Italian/the Med?
We seem to have a Der Kriegsmarine vs. the world situation building at the moment.

Well it will be an Island off of Italy. Like Sicily I suppose. Much further out though.

(Pah, armor. *waves hand dissmissivly*

There is one thing to be said for Richelieu - it was better looking that the Nelsons :D

Of course, that's not saying much at all, really.

Hey, Agrigento! That site I linked above has some rather spiffy Italian designs on it, if you're interested. I'm...intrigued by the Littorio and Zara classes (always have been drawn to unusual designs...well, except the Nelsons :) ). Since these threads seem mainly to be of a naval bent (which I'm fine with - like I've said, the RIAC is probably the worst army in the world ;) ), it would be cool to get away from this Britain vrs. Germany thing we seem to have going.

Anyhow, I'm sure we're all rambling now...and I have a flight in six hours. Fun.:D)

(Pah, armor. *waves hand dissmissivly*

There is one thing to be said for Richelieu - it was better looking that the Nelsons :D

Of course, that's not saying much at all, really.

Hey, Agrigento! That site I linked above has some rather spiffy Italian designs on it, if you're interested. I'm...intrigued by the Littorio and Zora classes (always have been drawn to unusual designs...well, except the Nelsons :) ). Since these threads seem mainly to be of a naval bent (which I'm fine with - like I've said, the RIAC is probably the worst army in the world ;) ), it would be cool to get away from this Britain vrs. Germany thing we seem to have going.

Anyhow, I'm sure we're all rambling now...and I have a flight in six hours. Fun.:D)

A flight?

A flight?

(oh, sorry. I mentioned it in the other thread - I'm leaving for Tucson tommorow morning (early :(), so I'll probably be out for a day or two. I'm sure you'll all miss me terribly.

Cripes, I just noticed that Zora / Zara thing. I belive Zoras are from Legend of Zelda, right :lol:

Ok, to sleep - for real, this time!)

(oh, sorry. I mentioned it in the other thread - I'm leaving for Tucson tommorow morning (early :(), so I'll probably be out for a day or two. I'm sure you'll all miss me terribly.

Cripes, I just noticed that Zora / Zara thing. I belive Zoras are from Legend of Zelda, right :lol:

Ok, to sleep - for real, this time!)

Okay, good night and enjoy ur trip to tuscon.

Yeah, a flight? Take a ship..through the middle of the country, man!

Walmington is fairly proud of her ground forces, but they really are defensive in nature, and thus quite small. The airforce is something of a sham at the moment, but by what would be late war years I intend to have something that'd make a mess of all the 1945 airforces in the world. It's just going to be slow coming..and it rather depends on getting our hand on that swept-wing/jet tech from Iansisle :wink:

Then I just have to decide.. does WoS ever use post WWII tech?

Erm. Or...good night Mr.Iansisle, happy flying and all that.

what time frame is this all taking place in? I wanna make sure I stay on target. Is this during or before WW2?

Erm, well, it's not exactly either, of course, since most of us wouldn't exist. You know, I'm not sure about the time frame. WoS is at this tech level in the modern era, in order to be able to interact with other nations on NS.. however Der Kriegsmarine is at war with Britain, in a WWII type situation. So it's pretty fluid, but you can assume Germany and Britain are already at war (I think France is still free, too, you'd have to check with DK as the war itself has been pretty much his affair, as suits his German naton. WoS is sitting it out, merely running small convoys to Britain)

(just checking in one last time before I leave.

Time, eh? That's rather elusive. Iansisle exists on the same time plane as W.o.S. and D.K., except that we can interact with you, Lark, and Imitora. Also, we're 'scared' of Japan, and 'wary' of the United States - as the Pacific theatre before WWII. However, our culture is very pre-1914, our army operates on a 1916 level of technology, our navy at roughly 1936, except it has radar, and our airforce has swept-wing jet fighters (not in large numbers, and we've not yet adapted them to the rigors of flying off an MAFD.

In other words, I don't know :lol: )

Hehe, that's about the sum of it.

We're also in a similar situation in the Atlantic.
Snooty towards the Americans, hoping they don't ever decide they need a stepping stone back across to Europe. Japan replaced with Germany -I can almost see Mainwaring standing just behind Churchill puffing out his chest and nodding at opportune times in Winston's rousing speeches.
Slight distrust of the French, too- complete lack of respect for pretty much everyone in the world bar Britain, Iansisle, maybe the likes of Canada and Australia to a point, and then the modern/future nations such as those in the ANH.

Hm. It's a confusing little world.


(Try to read this as my long-winded way of saying bon voyage to Iansisle or something)

Best wishes to Iansisle, and hoping for a quick and safe return.

Nettuna Class Aircraft Carrier

Displacement

Full Load: 28,380 tons
Design: 20,000 tons
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dimensions

Length Overall: 680' (207.3m)
Length Waterline: 660' (201m)
Beam: 96.5' (29.4m)
Draft: 23' (7m)
Flight Deck Length: 759' (231.3m)
Flight Deck Width: 98.7' (30m)
Hangar: N/A
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Propulsion

Boilers: 8 Yarrow
Turbines: 4 Parsons geared steam
Horsepower: 148,000 shp
Shafts: 4
Endurance: N/A
Speed: 30 knts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Armament

Main Battery: 8 x 5.3" (135mm)/45 cal Model 1938 in 4 twin mounts
AAW: 12 x 65mm/64 cal
22 x 20mm/65 cal in twin and single mounts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Additional Information

Airplanes: 53
Armor: side 70 mm., deck 80 mm.
Crew: 107 officers, 1312 petty officers and sailors.


http://www.warships1.com/ITcvl01_Aquila.jpg


ooc: I will try to find a smaller image.....

On the grounds that the Chaspot class cruisers are simply proving too expensive to produce in the quantity desired to serve Walmington's interests, and that even the Class II destroyers are too lightly armed to take on many of their duties, yet another class of warships is being launched by WoS.

As yet only two are afloat (undergoing final modification as already the anti aircraft defences are uprated), but many more are almost inevitable.

Kentonshire Class Light Cruisers

HMWS Kenilworth
HMWS Brighton

Dimensions:
Length (extreme): 571’11”
Beam (extreme): 59’8”
Draft (mean): 17’11”
Displacement (full): 11,172 tons

Crew (usual): 793

Power and Performance:
Engine: Four Wychwood oil fired boilers
Horsepower: 80,000
Shafts: 4
Max Speed: 33.2 knots
Range: 6,350nm at 12 knots, 4,500nm at 22 knots

Armour:
Belt: 1.7” to 3.75” steel
Deck: 2.1” steel
Bulkheads: 2.5” steel
Main Turrets: 1.9” roof, 2.5” sides, 3.55” face
Conning Tower: 2.2” roof, 3.5” sides

Armament:
Main: Nine 6” guns (three turrets; two fore, one aft)
Secondary: Six 4” gun (single mounts along broadsides), six 21” torpedo tubes (three each side, above water-line), four depth charge throwers.
Anti-Aircraft: Six 2pdr guns (single mount), twelve 2x20mm guns, six .55” machineguns all mounted along broadsides and atop superstructure, six 2pdr guns mounted in place of Thursday turret (aft) (total AAW guns: 12x2pdr, 24x20mm, 6x.55”)

Aircraft: Situation and capacity as other cruiser classes.

Radar:
Air Search: Walmington Model A MkI
Surface Search: Walmington Model B MkI
Sonar: Walmington Model C(S) MkI

Very interesting. I'll have to keep an eye on the Kentonshires.

Then you might be interested in the thread about a page back detailing Navy Group Ceyloba, which contains one of the first Kentonshires.

I only wish I had a better grasp of our fairly arbitrary time system so I knew how many that left in the Atlantic :? One, probably. Go WoS industry.

I know what you mean. It seems like hours and weeks pass with about the same speed, depending on events.

(I think a thread where we all post updates on our relative fleets may be in order. I'm not sure how construction's going, but I'd imagine Queen Jessica's pretty close to her final fittings, with the Behemoths being about half completed. Would there be any interest in that sort of tally?)

Actually yes, I was thinking about how confused everything is, and it's difficult to keep up with all the other nations becoming involved these days.

...Although of course Mainwaring would be against it as soon as he could think of an excuse to avoid putting WoS vessels up for direct comparrison to ..er..anyone else's.

(Well, it'd be ooc, of course. We wouldn't have to clue Mainwaring in to it :) )

Hehe.

Ah, I love Nation States.

As mentioned earlier during the exposition of some Walmingtonian small arms, a sub-machinegun has for some time been under development. Studies concluded that the .455 pistol round was less than ideal for this new weapon, thus a new round has been developed.

The .40 automatic round developed by Chassire has finally made the new weapon possible, and production is now underway.

Chassire Arms Small Machinegun MkI Fox

Calibre:.40" auto

Operation: Blowback

Length (stock extended): 32"

Length (stock folded): 19.9"

Weight (empty): 8.25lb

Barrel:7.5" 6 grooves, rh

Magazine: 26 shot detachable box

Cycle Rate: 570rpm

http://www.lqjr.qc.ca/images/bdd/p1585.jpg

Increased defence budgets thanks to tensions both in the Atlantic and the Asian colonies have meant that while entirely original programmes go into lengthy development phases, existing technology is adapted to serve a wider range of purposes.

Development of the Cavalry Cruiser MkII tank has lead to a number of spin-offs, including one version mounting a 3" howitzer, and another twin 20mm guns as utilised in anti-aircraft defences on many RWN warships.

http://mailer.fsu.edu/~akirk/tanks/can/canada-crusader3-AA.jpg
The CCMkIIAAS Sentinel with its twin 20mm guns


http://www.wwiivehicles.com/images/britain/cruiser_mkviii_a27l_cs_01.jpg
CCMkIICSH close support Hardy on trials

Basic specifications for these vehicles, and several recovery vehicles like them (little more than armoured tractors) are similar to the CCMkII, excepting for armament.

Edit- Development of the Cavalry Cruiser line has, according to First Defence Minister General Sir Jack Jones, reached its zenith with the MkIII.
The introduction of this new tank, to be known as the Lancer, comes as the first adaptations of the MkII enter service.

The MkIII will be phased into service alongside the MkII over an extended period, eventually replacing it entirely as a battletank a few years from now. the MkII is expected to serve on in its various modified configurations, and as a training aid.

This leaves the old MkIs, previously held in reserve, quite useless to Walmington. It is thought that they may be offered to allies (ooc:though most of them are rather too advanced to care) or else simply scrapped, or even used as target vehicles in gunnery schools.

The government and military both believe that with the MkIII they have finally achieved a balance between firepower, mobility, and protection -though some critics have cited the continued short range of Walmingtonian tanks as a possible weakness.
(ooc:no one in Walmington has caught on to the true power of tanks elsewhere, such as the T34/85s of Hainan, and anything Germany may have beyond the Panzer III, for which this vehicle is probably a good match, and may well better)

Cavalry Cruiser Mk III “Lancer”
Crew: 4
Engine: 345hp
Combat Weight: 19,507kg
Top Speed: 32mph
Range: 92miles
Height: 2.25m
Width: 2.7m
Length: 5.85m
Armour: 9-48mm steel
Armament: 1x6pdr (60mm) anti-tank gun, 1x.303 inch co-axial machinegun, often 1x.303 inch AA machinegun

http://www.wwiivehicles.com/images/britain/cruiser_mkv_covenanter_01.jpg
An early production Lancer on trials in Norbray

(I think a thread where we all post updates on our relative fleets may be in order.)

Ercolana would be interested in posting in that, and yes I am too lazy to switch nations...

http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=64803&highlight=

There y'go. Fleet composition in WoS, Iansisle, and Der Kriegsmarine so far.

http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=64803&highlight=

There y'go. Fleet composition in WoS, Iansisle, and Der Kriegsmarine so far.

grazie

(CCMkIII unveiled- see edited post above)

This leaves the old MkIs, previously held in reserve, quite useless to Walmington. It is thought that they may be offered to allies (ooc:though most of them are rather too advanced to care)

(Well, I can't speak for everyone, but Iansisle is most definitely NOT too advanced to care! Should this thing come to a shooting war, those'd be quite the upgrade over the Shell-Westerton. Of course, the communications/trade lines between Walmington and Iansisle are somewhat...thinly stretched, and I think there may be more important shipping concerns than old tanks. For instance, I've noticed that Iansisle, due to rapid population growth, has become increasingly dependent on food imports. Bloody five-to-seven million new people a day :))

Il Duomo
Troma, Capital of Ercolana
__________________________

Benito Russolini stood out on the Balcony of Il Duomo, the traditional Palace of the monarch for the last two hundred years, but today their was no King ruling over Ercolana, just him.

He looked down at the thousands of Tromano's in the piazza, hanging breathlessly on his every word. He knew that finally, after all his years of hard work, the entirety of Ercolana was under his Fascist rule. He then looked at the men standing behind him, without them none of this would have been possible, his brothers in revolution were with him every step of the way, and he felt the power of having such patriotic men bow to him. He looked into their faces and it brought him great strength.

He then brought his attention back down to the roaring crowds below him, chanting his name and his cause. Chanting about the glory of Ercolana. He held up his hands and the roaring simmered down to a barely audibe hum.

"Oggi celebreremo un nuova nascita di Ercolana. Ieri eravamo lle baruffe e una gente piccola, regolate dal re grasso e pigro! Oggi siamo un infante nel corso della vita del nostro nuovo glory trovato, nella nostra unità grande troveremo la resistenza e la resistenza condurrà alla vittoria!! Oggi siamo un bambino, ma domani tutti saremo re. Regoleremo sopra il mondo giustamente in nome di fratellanza. Prenderemo i nostri posti legittimi come bambini favoriti del dio!", he said with full passion. There was silence for a split second and time seemed to slow down for Benito has he looked into the eyes of his people, he smiled. They broke out into a roar once again, only this time much louder than before. The foundations of every building in the Capital was rattled by the great noise. Soon this roar would spread, like a virus across the entire country and even the lowliest fisherman in San Barino would known the name Il Duce.

http://images.encarta.msn.com/xrefmedia/sharemed/targets/images/pho/t014/T014083A.jpg

ooc:Noo! I let the auto industry falter, in accordance with things I've said, and it has been replaced....by pizza delivery! I used to have information tech, arms manufacture, and auto manufacture. . .now it's IT, book publishing, and pizza delivery. WoS is suffering industrial collapse ahead of possible world war. That's just swell.

Walmington has never quite been at the head of the military aviation field, despite a reasonable budget balance between the armed forces. Rotational budget priority had been with the army as they developed Walmington's early tanks, and in recent years had shifted to the navy, as it struggled to turn out post dreadnoughts at the rate of its potential enemies.

Air Marshal Pertwee had felt disapointment as the search for new propulsion methods in co-operation with Iansisle had hit a snag named Kriegsmarine. Recently he'd watched in horror as other nations demonstrated aircraft flying at ten percent, twenty percent, more than fifty percent higher speeds than his Wrens could manage, and in some cases twice the speed of Walmington's old Gladiator biplanes bought from the British.

He knew full well that the biplanes would be lambs to the slaughter even against Walmington's most modest rivals -they'd been outclassed by the nation's own monoplanes during exercises.

The MkII had equally proved the MkI lacking, and it seemed no stretch to assume these superior foreign planes would make just as light work of the MkII, despite its manouverability.

Until a more direct co-operation with distant allies could be maintained, Walmington needed a stop-gap. With some fore-sight, Pertwee supposed that by the time Walmington aquired jet technology, she would also be closer to her first carrier. As the jets made his stop-gap obsolete, the navy would be looking for its first dedicated fighter.

So Walmington set out to build a piston engine fighter capable of outrunning the Wren (with a top speed not far over 300mph, this was a fairly modest aim in the begining of the jet age) and suitable for carrier-based operation (something WoS knew little about).

The resulting Mono-Fighter MkIII unveiled this afternoon was named Nexus, and an order for 220 aircraft has been placed by the airforce, with an expectation that some will be taken over by the admiralty at a later date.

http://www.accesswave.ca/~hotwings/fflanding.jpg

A prototype Nexus on display in southern Norbray

Crew: 1 or 2 (ASW role et cetera)
Weight Empty: 8,411lbs
Span: 40'8"
Length: 35'7"
Engine Power: 1,900hp
Top Speed: 374mph
Ceiling: 30,200ft
Range: 1,200 miles
Armament: four wing mounted .303 machineguns, one nose mounted .55" machinegun plus ten 54lb rockets or up to 1,850lb other ordinace.

(ooc:later marks will probably carry four .55" and one 20mm)

Hmm.... My C-3B will outrun, outmanuver, and outaltitude(? any such word?) your Nexus, but will have a shorter range.

More info on the C-5 prototypes in the Tea @ WoS and QJ sets out threads later.

Yeah, compared to the MFMkII Wren (similar to the Hawker Hurricane) it's quite a step forward, but it seems we've arleady been left behind by everony else :?

I'm sort of hoping we can clash with Ercolana at some point, maybe in Africa- we might have a more even duel. The Me262 and this Dragonfly thing in Asia would eat us alive. Hopefully we'll get that jet engine eventually- DK can't steal (or sink) them all! ...I hope!

Walmington puts a lot of faith in her army, believing the latest cruisers top-notch, and thus far failing to realise how vulnerable an army can be without air superiority. We only have one dedicated bomber, and frankly it's ..quite poor. I don't believe the lack of them is directly cause for concern yet, but it reflects the nation's inability to recognise the link between land and air war. If the WEF had gone to France instead of waiting in Britain, a bit of Blitzkrieg would have woken them up, no doubt.

(how's the Calarcan army, by the way? WoS is in the habit of exporting early mark cruisers at the moment)

Calarcian Army? what Calarcian army? *looks around for a Calarcian army*

We've a home guard type thing, a few divisions of foot sloggers and about the same amount of soldiers in the Artillery. If a war comes we rely on breaking open enormous stores of stockpiled rifles and issuing one to as many natives as we can, they may not be very good shots, but theres a hell of a lot of natives in India, I have the most densly populated part, the south. And there are also a lot of jungle natives in Gallanesia (java sumatra etc.)

Light scout armoured car.
http://www.gis.minsk.by/ironage/tanks/IMAGES/BA-64B.jpg
Armament: 1 x 0.303 MG, plus Boys .50 A/T Rifle
Armour: 9 mm (0.35in)
Weight: 4.22 tonnes
Length (m/ft in): 4.93/16ft 2in
Width (m/ft in): 1.93/6ft 4in
Height (m/ft in): 2.54/8ft 4in
Powerplant: 6 cyl petrol 108Hp
Speed (Km/h/Mph): 72/45
Range: 320Km
Crew: 3


Light armoured Scout transport/Forward Artillery observers car.
http://www.btinternet.com/~ian.a.paterson/morris_cs9.gif
Armament: 1 x 0.303 MG, plus Boys .50 A/T Rifle
Armour: 13 mm (0.55in)
Weight: 7.22 tonnes
Length (m/ft in): 5.13/16ft 10in
Width (m/ft in): 1.95/6ft 5in
Height (m/ft in): 2.52/8ft 3in
Powerplant: 8 cyl petrol 102Hp (more torque less Hpower)
Speed (Km/h/Mph): 68/42 (faster acceleration than scout due to torque)
Range: 340Km
Crew: 7 (3 crew + 4 troops)


Combat standard armoured car
http://www.geocities.com/cmpvehicles/images/humber_ac_01.jpg
Armament: 1 x 20mm cannon,
Armour: 20 mm (0.73in)
Weight: 9.82 tonnes
Length (m/ft in): 5.13/16ft 10in
Width (m/ft in): 1.95/6ft 5in
Height (m/ft in): 2.92/9ft 3in
Powerplant: 8 cyl diesel 102Hp
Speed (Km/h/Mph): 68/42
Range: 450Km
Crew: 3

Also Quad AA .50. can be fired horizonally for anti-personell use
http://www.btinternet.com/~ian.a.paterson/Humber_Quad_AA.jpg


Tracked Mobility General vehicle.
http://www.accesswave.ca/~mmm02/stuart/images/PA-134432.jpg
Armament: 1 x 7.62mm MG in nose.
Armour: 20 mm (0.73in)
Weight: 6.82 tonnes
Length (m/ft in): 5.13/16ft 10in
Width (m/ft in): 1.95/6ft 5in
Height (m/ft in): 2.92/9ft 3in
Powerplant: 8 cyl diesel 102Hp
Speed (Km/h/Mph): 34/21
Range: 310Km
Crew: 2 + 6 troops or 2000Kg supplies.
Access: open rear tray
*no armour on top or rear. transport duties in poor terrain.


We have no tanks, but we have a lot of 75mm and 90mm artillery. both can be fired horizontially for antitank work.




We have rifles being handed out now to 2 million Natives in Gallaga and Gallanesia.

Ah, heh. So Walmington's little army (several times smaller than Germany's) is actually the most potent ground-force on our side at the moment, eh? This makes Walmington's poor understanding of the importance of air superiority all the more dangerous, and the naval war all the more vital.

Still, for propaganda value at least we can claim that we can't possibly be aggressors, as we haven't the man-power to follow up on such schemes!

Anyway, I wouldn't mean to influence Calarcan development, but if a change of policy should call for armour-build up, feel free to look to WoS for any assistance! [againt strokes Cavalry Cruisers in a quite improper fashion]

(Was the Boys not .55"? That's where WoS got her .55" machineguns, as opposed to the .50"s everyone else uses.)

(Heh - the East Gallaga Company Army is currently more powerful than the Royal Iansislean Army. Heh.)

Hmm, Calarca is a naval nation, and other than the colonial Gallaga proper, everywhere is only accesable by sea or air, (oh, and Fort Trade). as such our navy, wghile having only a few actual Battleships, has hordes of Cruisers, more than we have Destroyers as it happens. and like the Japanese ships they're pictures of, each carries a minimum of 4 tube on the upperworks/deck or 4 tubes underwater. none are as powerfull as one jap cruiser design with 24 tubes+, but it's enough.

As for air power, We're catchin up with our new C-5. as manuverable as the C-3 and much more powerful.

As to Armour, I'll keep it in mind, But I probably will go for a Russki tank, The T-34 maybe, using knowledge drawn from milking the brains of WoS designers of everything they know and then applying Calarcian Battleship armour knowledge.
With Calarcas Aluminum mines and sources, We will probably have Aluminum armour with a welded on topcoat of rolled face hardened steel. more protection and less weight. lol.

Sounds sensible. Our Cruisers are said to use a system modled off Christie's suspension, which fits with the T-34 style and fast-tanks.

Maybe we'll even end up coming to you for a new tank-gun. [looks at 6pdr and wonders how long that'll last]

My work on decent Medium & Heavy tanks to compliment my Carro Armato's has progressed nicely. They are basically built on the same principle as the prototypes that Italy made, though could not use before the end of the war.

The Medium Tanks will most likely have lighter armor than most tanks but will also be more mobile, allowing for Sherman-style tactics only with a much more capable vehicle.

Tank guns? Our 90mm artillery can be used and is used as a Anti-tank gun as well. and the 75mm using height/timed fuze like the 40mm Bofors are useful against slow aircraft or massed aircraft.

Thats what Calarca would probably mount as a tank gun, just replace the HE head with a solid slug, Of course, it would have less ammo in hul storage than smaller guns like the 46-60mms 6 pounders, but it would kill better.

See the Tea @ Wos for more yakka on the possible design.

Just edited Bore Dia for the guns, 6 pounds can be many different sizes, depending on a long thin shell or a short fat one.

(as WoS) Walmington's 6pdr is a 60mm gun, with similar (perhaps marginally superior) performance to the 57mm real-world equivalent.

Suits us for now, in our low CCMkIIIs, which probably would struggle to mount a much larger gun, but when we come up against either T-34/85s or something like the Panther, Tiger, or maybe even Panzer IV, we'll need a totally new tank. About three possible guns at the moment. A converted 3" AA gun, a converted 4" naval gun, or perhaps a Calarcan design 90mm, depending on how they perform, and how the war's going when I get around to it.

That's right! Heh. WoS, how are things going in the war? If I could remember how to spell Der Kreigmarne, I would be funneling him money, but as it is...

OOC:

Converted 4"? a 100mm gun would be large for a tank, 90mm is big for WW2 era things as is.

The 90mm is a 90mm/60 cal weapon with a long, clamp back, breech, same as a 40mm Bofors, but without the automated feeder rack above. theres no need to pull it open and clear a shell after each shot, instead it remains back, clamped to the recoil rails as the barrel runs forward on the springs again. the shell flipping off and rolling down a slide, while the loader just drops a new shell onto the slide and kicks a foot lever to free the breech whic slides forward under it's own set of springs. Faster than a standard WW2 breech loader which had to be unlocked and opened manually. It does make for a larger breech area, requireing a wider turrent to hold the space plus loader, gunner, commander. so expect a wider tank too, which should help ammo storage and engine/fuel space at the cost of moew weight

That sounds ideal for the tank I'm vaguely thinking of.

I'm aware that the 4" is big. Though not unprecidented, it would be quite a leap for Walmington. The Soviets after all fitted a 122mm gun to tanks which saw combat before the war was out. Classic heavy tanks rather than the heavy cruiser I invisage, but then the diference between that gun and the 4" is fairly close to that between the 4" and a simple 75mm.

We'll see- Walmy's CCMkIII has to get its arse kicked a few times before we realise the urgent need for an upgrade :)

Walmington on Seas naval architects, engineers and designers are welcomed to Calarcian soil, being met at the aeroflyer landing field by no less a personage than lord Flower himself, designer of the Flower class corvettes.

"Weclome my dear sirs, Welcome to Calarca. I understand you wish to see my beautiful boats, please come this way."

He leads them to the waiting cars, Jastern Model 3s.

OOC: Think Model T ford with a straight-6 4 litre 130Hp engine and 4 wheel drive with knobbly tires. our equivalent of the Jeep but lighter.

... the aeroflyer landing field ...

(Hooray! It's catching! ;))

... the aeroflyer landing field ...

(Hooray! It's catching! ;))

I refered to planes otherwhere as Aeroflyers. it's just a fad... lol, maybe. note I don't call it a Aeroflyer "Dock" like you do.

Check the "review" thread, I've 3 C-5's heading your way on a flagwaving mission.

(aw, no aeroflyer docks? ;) I'll bet you even call them 'carriers' instead of MAFDs...or 'pilots' instead of riders....or :D

Yeah, I'll check it right on....this is fun - I'm trying to keep track of these threads here in II, that Effit one in NS, and do my Latin at the same time while my roommate is asleep. Whee....sorry if responses are a bit slow ;))

and do my Latin at the same time while my roommate is asleep. Whee....sorry if responses are a bit slow ;))

Latin? I did 18 months through postal school once. can now read some spainish and French slowly when written down, what with english borowings from those languages, and latin roots in those languages.

(yeah, that's what I'm hoping will happen for me...this is only my first semester, though. Tried the whole Spanish thing...and that was just a no-go. It's really not as similar to Latin as I thought it would have been.

I was rather interested in taking Irish Gaelic, but that's not a commonly offered course here ;))

(Hehe. Project Birdcage hasn't quite managed to stop discussing "Naval Airfields" and such as yet.)

Ivor Comstive, Documentary Engineer* with the RWEC was told by one of the (enthused) dedicated naval experts in his company that meeting Lord Flower was a thing about which to be pleased! The men follow on in line, forage caps bobbing about as they jostle to get seats that aren't taken by the briefcases and satchels of others.

*Ah, the Documentary Engineers (of the Royal Walmingtonian Engineer Corps) -that title used to seperate them from the front line engineers. Most of these men couldn't lift a hammer, let alone lay down an entire bridge, but they're attached to the Engineer Corps none the less. Ivor Comstive is a previously nameless (I hope- I'm finally starting to keep better track) engineer who was recently in Iansisle with early armour shipments. He can't travel with the merchant navy anymore, as he's seen as a whistle-blower after he was one of few men who helped get a number of men locked up in the cells for a night following the brawl.
Ivor's essentially in charge of the little party, though he's no naval expert.

Wheres here? lol, We're hopscotching over, missing each other here and there in the forums.

IC: The C-5s, now accepted by the Airforce as suitable fighters are being fitted with % blade windmill adjustable pitch props in place of the origional 3 blade fixed pitch props, giving an almost 40 KmH increase in speed, and increased high atlitude performance.

OOC: Now I'll have to change my origional spec posts for the C-5
648Km was what the basic La-5 did with a 18 cyl 1800Hp engine, imagine what this would do with 28Cyl 2700Hp swinging a bigger prop in the same size plane. later on, once we've actually done some fighting, I'll actually tune the R-4360 to its full rated 3500Hp. plenty more speed.

Wheres here? lol, We're hopscotching over, missing each other here and there in the forums.

IC: The C-5s, now accepted by the Airforce as suitable fighters are being fitted with % blade windmill adjustable pitch props in place of the origional 3 blade fixed pitch props, giving an almost 40 KmH increase in speed, and increased high atlitude performance.

OOC: Now I'll have to change my origional spec posts for the C-5
648Km was what the basic La-5 did with a 18 cyl 1800Hp engine, imagine what this would do with 28Cyl 2700Hp swinging a bigger prop in the same size plane. later on, once we've actually done some fighting, I'll actually tune the R-4360 to its full rated 3500Hp. plenty more speed.

Mh, languages. Apparently I started ranting at folk in old English, Cornish, and Breton one drunken night (see most people wouldn't even have identified those tongues, I had to hang out with some who would, of course..), but I don't know how the devil I managed that.

Yeah, erm, so that's my non-English record. Ooh, and I fluked a C in German..five years ago.

Shut up, me. Right.

(Just to completely detrack this - here's the University of Arizona at Tucson for me. For you gentlemen?)

A couple of hundred miles east northeast of Great Walmington :wink:
(Northern England- my room, being post-college and pre-any-good-ideas :( )

British Colonial Territory.












New Zealand.

(These sound like compatable time zones to me ;))

Hahah

lol, 10 pm, 10 am, and 2 am. very compatable. nearly the end of 11/9/03 here now, is the FAA letting planes fly today in America

I dunno, but they're certainly not holding elections in Chile!

[dot dot dot]

[cough]

Bah.

(Beats me...they ought to be. And I ought to watch the news every now and then...darn NS! :D)

MFMkIII Nexus to be up-gunned

Walmington's current top-line fighter, the Mono-Fighter Mark III Nexus currently serves in fairly small numbers, supporting the MFMkII Wren. Recent meetings between WoS and war-time allies Iansisle and Calarca have lead to the realisation that Walmingtonian fliers are likely to find themselves out-gunned by allies and enemies alike.

This conclusion is supported by the few skirmishes in which the RWAF has been invovled over Dunkerque. Me 109s with heavy machine-guns and aviation cannons had a clear edge over MFMkIs and IIs with their .303 machineguns.

The MkIII was thought to be a step forward, mounting as it does a .55" heavy machinegun along with .303s. It is now apparent that without cannons, the RWEF is always going to be punching like a featherweight, regardless of the opposition.

Thankfully, Walmington has a good tradition of 20mm cannon making, as such weapons are a common AA feature on RWN vessels, and are also mounted on armoured cars in the RWA.

The new Nexus, designated MFMkIII*, will mount four .55" machineguns -two in each wing- and a single 20mm cannon firing through the prop hub.

The original Nexus can be found a few pages back, half-way down this page: http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=51871&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=80

Too late, the voice of the Kriegsmarine chimes in "I'm from Iowa. Pity me!"

ooc:This data will be announced to WoS allies, but not yet to hostile powers. It'll be evident enough once they get into combat, of course.

RWAF vows to catch up!

In recent months WoS aviators and military observers have been shocked to realise that their airforce was not so modern as had been assumed. It is not at all long since the airforce was comprised entirely of two models of biplane- both British imports (the Gloster Gladiator and Fairey Swordfish).

In light of the over-seas proliferation of jet technology, and the arrival there of heavy bombers, a major restoration programme is to be put into action.

(ooc:this has all been a long time in the offing; Walmington's jet programme has been set back time and again, at one point a complete jet and detailed plans made it to within miles of Walmington before they were intercepted, as most of you know. I just want to clarify that I'm not suddenly deciding I don't like being last, and building all sorts at once out of the blue. WoS has I think been under-producing anyway, given her economic and industrial muscle.)

DAMkI (Dexterous Aircraft Mark I) Musca

This plane is slated to fully replace the TBMkI Barrow, which is completely outclassed by all likey oponents and insuficient for likely missions. Many anylists still claim they're unable to understand for what purpose the Barrow was designed, as its range meant that from Walmington it could probably only attack targets in perhaps Eire, Iceland, or Greenland.
The DAMkI is, of course, a more versatile design, able to keep pace with modern aircraft, and act as a night fighter or long-range fighter, and pathfinder, as well as functioning in the role of the light bomber it replaces.

Prototypes are even now flying over Norbray, though production may be slow as the exceptionally powerful engines used (as in the Nexus) are still in short supply.

Crew:2
Length:38'11"
Span:52'10"
Power Plant:Two Stockley 1,900hp liquid cooled engines
Top Speed:436mph
Range:1,390miles
Ceiling:33,900ft
Armament:Four .55" machineguns and four .303" machineguns in nose. Up to 2,900lb of bombs in internal bomb-bays, up to four 54lb rockets or 250lb of bombs under inboard wing section.

Sadly one test pilot was killed and another seriously injured during an early test with rockets, when the third rocket discharged clipped the port rotor. The problem has since been corrected, though rockets are now discharged at an angle from which it is more difficult to aim.

http://www.solidpipe.com/mosquit.jpg
DAMkI Musca on trials over Norbray

JFMkI

[unveiling cancelled due to Calarcan co-operation on the evolving project]

As a modification to provide more power for the nightfighter/long range fighter role, Calarca is willing to share production of it's R-4360 3500Hp rotories, it would pay to keep a number of planes with in-line for the high altitude intercptor roles, but a twin 3500Hp engined plane with a lightend fuselage by the removal of the bomb gear and the fitting of 6 20mm cannon in place of the .55 and .303 MGs would give a far more capable fighter, you can fit extra tanks in the bomb bay area to extend the range too, while the R-4360 is a thirsty engine, the increased fuel stores would allow an even longer range than the original.

That would be a menace! The Musca already has twice the engine power of any previous Walmingtonian aircraft, and about 520hp more than the Mosquito, or 950 more than the P-38 Lightening.

Very well! Production of the early model will begin, and go on while the new engines are aquired and put into production, there after priority will switch to the more powerful second model Musca. Any production data desired by Calarca for the Musca would be freely shared.


(And I just got the e-mail (my account has been playing at silly beggars all day).. I think we might have one of the better jets around, here! Nice work.. we'll have to consult on the specs, presumably? Fighter Command will certainly be aheming a lot around Iansislians, with regards to Calarca/jet technology)

We can spare 120 R-4360's per month for WoS purposes, we are currently building up to making 380 a month currently at 180 per month but speeding up as more workers come in and learn the ropes.. with intention of using them in our C-5. 260 per month will do us quite well for the time being, while we bing another factory online. This means 60 of your new heavy fighters per month.

Right now we have 4 Devastator class Havy Bombers taking off, each with 2 enagines and internal fuel tanks in their bomb bays. (the engines are 3275 lb each, the bomber can carry 25000 lb of ordinance, so it's a light load for long range.) these will arrive in WoS shortly, and will return to Calarca with anything urgent WoS has for Calarca while another 4 set of from Calarca with engines, these 8 bombers will sett up a regular shuttle run, we are basing more "Whirlwind" fighters along the route and are flyign some in to WoS african colonis to provide air cover. (with refueling, call it 3 days out three days back 30 days per month, so with two flights crossing, 10 trips, times 4 engines, 40 engines per month, with a further 80 per month on ships.) For two months while production increases, the 40 in the planes will be all, but after 3 months when production is set to reach full levels, the additional 80 per month will be provided via convoys.

OOC:
As to specs of the Magic Meteor or whatever it's gonna be called.... it's not to far off the Meteor, you called the Iansisle jets 1966 lb thrust? the meteor had 1700 lb each, and made 415Mph, with 3x 1966 thats a lot better than the origional. Weight, well I already covered that, estimated 25% increase, so origional was 8140 lb empty/13000Lb full with 3400 lb thrust. So this would mean 10175 lb empty 16250 full, for 5898 lb thrust for our new plane. Thrust to weight ratios are at combat load 3.82 lb aircraft per 1 lb thrust for the original gloster and 2.76 lb aircraft per 1 lb thrust for the WoS/Calarcian one. Extra 25% weight incrase includes extra fuel for 3rd engine.
So speed??? 650 Mph? I'm not sure drag ratios, but this is better thrust to weight than the Vampire and Venom had. Vampire was 3.8Lb/1Lb for 510Mph. the best I can find is a 4400 Lb thrust vampire weighing 13000 lb for W/T ratio of 2.95 for 570Mph.
I think we can safely say our plane can do 650Mph or 1050Kmh.
range? Hmm... 1000Km or an hours flight full throttle all the way, 1850 at crusing power of 75% and umm.... 420 Mph. for three hours. thats about what a RL plane does in terms of flight time vs flight distance at full and cruising.
Size, well, it's shorter than the Gloster Meteor, say by 5 feet, being 36' 1" long, rather than the orginal 41' 1". It's also wider, I stretched the wings, giving a better lift & turn capacity to carry the extra weight with the same loading. So 48' 9" rather than the original 43' 0". Height, I tweaked the tail to give better stability and turning power, origional height of 13' 0" becomes 13' 10" and the tail is a bit longer than the original.

Feel free to chime in if you want to change something or note a mistake/error i made.

(for WoS, of course) Ah, that's brilliant, mate, I'll get to making the announcement of the new plane in just a moment! It looks like you're going to be getting those engines from Iansisle, so Calarca having been in on the tech for this design is all well and good. Very nice work. If Calarca chooses to fly this as well as/instead of the other jet they've been working on, there's no objections here. You've done most of the work ;) If you do, feel free to use your own designation, of course, I've not settled on Walmington's name for the aircraft yet, but I expect at least its nickname will have some sort of Calarcan reference :)

I'm thinking more of having two types, this monster as a big bad mutha to smash anything in the way, and the HX-51 single engined jet at 7900Lb with the Graye-Henderson 7G turbojet producing only 500 lb less thrust than our 3 engined monster as a high speed intercepter. I shouldn't need many, so the high cost shouldn't be a problem. Wanna bet I get across the sound barrier?

5989 lb for 16000 lb plane for 650 MPH. 8 x 20mm Cannon.
5300 lb for 7900 lb plane for ??? MPH. 3 x 20mm Cannon.

Just try to avoid ripping apart at the sonic boom :)

The Americans managed it thanks to an old British plane with a whatdyercallit tail plane, didn't they? (oy, vague.) I think I've heard you mention the..single piece..tail wing..dealy..in the past anyway, so presumably Calarca's already on to that idea.

I need a cuppa to un-fry my brain, heh.

(Use my engines to make a better craft than I? Well, I'll just have to do...something! Yeah! ;)

Nah, great looking plane, guys. We can safely assume that the Graye engineers will be wanting to have a talk with Calarcan designers after (or during?) the war.

So I was looking at a resource map of late, and I happened to notice that Iansisle is sitting on some rather large uranium deposits just south of the Ganges. I was thinking, would there be any interest in a combined "research" program?

Naturally, it wouldn't pay any dividends for years to come, but Iansislean scientists have been postulating the possibility of producing energy from splitting atoms for some time now. I don't think we'd come to conclusions in time to influence the war one way or another, but hey: I could use nuclear power plants, and three stooges are better than one, no? ;))

could we purchase the Barrows and have them shiped t beirut or Haifa since we need something better than bi-planes for our bomber force?

Certainly Walmingtonians are being -painfully and slowly- forced to accept that other nations, such as Jerry and the Ians, are on to something with this technological progress thing. If you came to Walmington before the war and tried to explain nuclear power/weapons to them, you'd likely end up in the loony bin, but with German wonder weapons, and planes making 600mph+, things are changing. There are as I've mentioned theorists working on nuclear matters, but nothing practical even in the pipeline. Volunteer scientist would jump at the chance to work with foreigners..best they not be German :)

(am about to post official announcement of the new plane..weee)

That's not a bad idea, Trucial. We have Gloster Gladiators (biplane fighters) lying about too, and our MFMkI "Highwayman". That's a monoplane fighter with a 2 man crew and a turret- meant to come along side bombers and hit them with the turret, it's impractical and slow, but better than most biplanes.

I'll get back to you shortly.

could we purchase the Barrows and have them shiped t beirut or Haifa since we need something better than bi-planes for our bomber force?

Have your ambassador talk to mine in the "Tea at WoS" thread. We could proably release some C-4 "Whirlwind" and C-3 "Dervish" fighters too as our C-5 comes online,

JFMkI Cricket unveiled!

Extensive research carried out by a team comprised of the best Walmington and Calarca had to offer, and made possible by Iansislian jet technology, has at last lead to Walmington's introduction to the brave new world of the jet age.

Length:36'2"
Span:48'7
Weight:10,175 lb empty 16,250 full
Power Plant: Three Graye-Hudson Model 1,966lb thrust 3G turbojets
Top Speed: 648mph
Cruising Speed:420mph
Range:1,040miles+ at cruising speed.
Ceiling: 39,000ft
Armament: Eight 20mm aviation cannon- four in front fuselage, and four in wings.

http://hometown.aol.com/waikatokiwi/myhomepage/wos_meteor.jpg

Three views of the amazing new weapon, as provided by a Calarcan draftsman.

Also some used tanks and rifles would be of great help.

Also some used tanks and rifles would be of great help.

(I call first dibs on Walmingtonish tanks!

Nah, just kidding - I'm sure we can share. Iansisle has no native armor production, though :()

we dont have any armour-period.

Also some used tanks and rifles would be of great help.

Rifles... No problems, Have your ambassador ask, I've tons of them in the warehouses, and factories churning out more.

Tanks, I have none, I've a slow tracked poor ground mobility vehicle tho, it might help. and I have a production line with fast armoured cars coming off it.

http://www.gis.minsk.by/ironage/tanks/IMAGES/BA-64B.jpg
http://www.accesswave.ca/~mmm02/stuart/images/PA-134432.jpg

Also Artillery

Walmington announces her intent to arm The Trucial States- Aircraft fly out of Walmingtonian Mauritania!

Hopping to British Malta, and on to the middle east, the first squadrons fly over to Trucial control, PM Mainwaring saying that with the advent of new technologies, these weapons are in need of replacement, and that as a civilised people, it is out duty to provide for the defence of soverign nations such as The Trucial States.

Eight "Highwayman" MFMkI and twelve Barrow TBMkI, along with six Gloster Gladiator are the first craft to be handed over (providing no one manages to shoot them down over the Med.).

MFMkI
Crew-2
Engine power-1,005hp
Maximum speed-250mph at sea level, 297mph at altitude
Ceiling-26,900ft.
Range-540miles
Armament-2x.303 machineguns in turret firing aft and flanks, 2x.303 machineguns fixed in nose

http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/types/uk/boulton_paul/defiant/defiant-bpa3x.jpg

TBMkI
Crew-3
Span-57’8”
Length-43’2”
Engine-2x890hp
Max. Speed-254mph
Cruising Speed-216mph
Ceiling-23,200ft
Range-1,475miles
Armament-2x.303 in top turret, 2x.303 under nose
Payload-1,220lbs

http://www.f4aviation.co.uk/Wattisham/Blenheim.JPG


Ships carrying Camfir rifles, and Camel machineguns, as well as aged tanks are due to sail this week.

Camfir:
Calibre-.303in
Length-45.7in
Weight Empty-8.72lbs
Barrel-27.9in, 6 grooves, LH
Magazine-8 shot detachable box
http://www.probertencyclopaedia.com/j/Enfield%20Rifle%20No%202.jpg

Camel
Calibre-.303in
Length-47.8in
Weight Empty-25.4lb
Barrel-25.9in, 5 grooves, lh
Cycle Rate-570rpm
Magazine-42 shot pan

http://www.wwiitech.net/main/britain/weapons/lewis/lewis-1.jpg

The tanks will be a few dozen Walmington Light Fighting Tank MkI:

Crew-3
Engine-115hp petrol
Combat Weight-10,080kg
Maximum Speed-20mph (road)
Range-82 miles
Height-2.04 meters
Width-2.25 meters
Length-4.6 meters
Armour-bolted and welded steel: 6mm to 21mm
Armament-1x 2pdr. (40mm) anti-tank gun, 1x.303cal. co-axial MG

(Walmington's development of the Vickers 6ton)

As well as scores of Walmington Cavalry Tank MkII:

Crew-2
Engine-90hp petrol
Combat Weight-4,900kg
Maximum Speed- 36mph (road)
Range-121 miles
Height-2.25m
Width-2.1m
Length-3.97m
Armour-bolted and welded steel: 4mm to 15mm
Armament-1x.55cal. Mg, 1x.303 cal. Co-axial MG.

(Think Vickers Light Tanks- really only good for scouting/patrols/airfield defence type duties, as even Ercolanan M13/40s would eat them alive)

where does my ambassador ask?

(Oh, don't worry, Iansisle :) CCMkII's are divided about evenly between the Walmingtonian empire and Iansisle, while MkIIIs stay home and with the WEF in Britain, and pre-cruisers go now to The Trucials.)

has no native armor production, though :()

What truck engines do you have? We could re-engine my transport, add plates on it, and slap a cheap turrent on that to tide us over untill Walmingtonian factories are making enough.

Calarcians always believe in making do, but when they make something from scratch, the idea they follow is not to catch up with others, but to surpass them by a wide margin. As seen with the C-6 Sledgehammer. (yes I've named the fighter too, appropriate too given it's armament) We could have built a Meteor type two engine close to the ME-262 just to catch up, but the C-6 isn't a catch up machine, it's a total superiority machine.

(Oh, don't worry, Iansisle :) CCMkII's are divided about evenly between the Walmingtonian empire and Iansisle, while MkIIIs stay home and with the WEF in Britain, and pre-cruisers go now to The Trucials.)

(Worried? Who's worried? ;) I'll bet we have some old MPAF-4 "Warhorses" we'd be willing to pawn off on...er, give to The Trucials.

Calarca: I was a bit misleading - we don't have tanks in the Walmingtonish sense, but we do have a rather spiffy armored car, the Shell-Westerton Mk. I. It'll do about sixty on a paved road, with a .303 machine gun, with about a quarter inch of armor around the cockpit and engine.)

Heh, see now I'm seeing the Bob Semple Tank.. I have to stop thinking of Calarca and New Zealand as directly related ;)

I'm sure you'd never expect tankers to lie on a matress directly on-top of the engine.

where does my ambassador ask?http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=69075

Work it in a RPish thing, like asking for a meetign of the big three head honchos, so you can pitch your request for help and supprt to WoS, Me and Ians. persuade us in IC RP terms to join in. rather than the OOCish sorta chat we're currently sorta working in.

Actually, if I were Calarca, once Walmingtonian tank technology became evident (because it's still unlikely we'd be able to fully supply WoS, Iansisle, Trucial, and Calarca) I wouldn't be able to resist making a Cavalry Cruiser/Sentinel hybrid of some sort.
Australia had a pretty and well armoured tank there, until the cheapo Sherman won out. Pah, when did a Sherman ever mount twin 25pdr guns in a turret?

double post, see below reply beneath.

As above, Damn NS.

Dude, stay off my bridges!

Actually, if I were Calarca, once Walmingtonian tank technology became evident (because it's still unlikely we'd be able to fully supply WoS, Iansisle, Trucial, and Calarca) I wouldn't be able to resist making a Cavalry Cruiser/Sentinel hybrid of some sort.
Australia had a pretty and well armoured tank there, until the cheapo Sherman won out. Pah, when did a Sherman ever mount twin 25pdr guns in a turret?

I was thinking the 128mm gunned German monster with a 3500Hp R-4360 engine EACH track and the full 250mm armour.

geeze, they had 5 inch guns and more armour than my cruisers, now imagine one with 7000Hp pushing it along faster than a Tiger or Sherman.


Sounds like too much? It's just right for Calarcas mentality, shove a 5" navy gun on a bunch of scrap navy BB armour with sufficient power to be useful...

As long as you've not lost air superiority as the Germans did, there's no reason that can't scare the ever living piddle out of a potential enemy :)

I'm off for something to eat, but I may be back shortly/around on and off.. we'll see.

Nice developments to-day though, Walmington's afternoon tea will be filled with positive chit chat about new technologies, and the nation's positive aid of those poor down-trodden Arabs.

Hopefully no one will think to dampen things by pointing out that Bismark's on the loose.

Not when you just have

Birdcage finally unveils Walmington's first "naval airbases"

Walmington's carrier projects have been quite slow moving, with priorities given to programmes such as the design of the JFMkI Cricket, and Cavalry Cruiser MkIII Lancer.

For some time their was hesitation in the Defence Ministry; did Walmington really need carriers? With the island lying in the middle of the Atlantic, and with friendly Britain and Canada on either side, air-coverage at home seemed decent. Colonies like Ceyloba were able to defend themselves, and Birdcage (the project team involved in carrier research/development) was repeatedly frustrated by budget cuts and stops.

ASW operations however are becoming ever more important as U-boat attacks seem to occur the world over. The Admiralty was also frustrated by its inability to assist warships engaging Bismarck by sending torpedo aircraft.

Reinforced by factors such as these, some of the project's resources have been given over to a class of light carriers built on merchant hulls to save precious time.

Sparrow Class light naval airbase

Dimensions:
Length (overall): 504'2"
Beam (overall): 79'1"
Draft: 19'7"

Displacement (full): 17,110 tons

Crew: 904 including flight crew

Power and Performance:
Engine: Wychwood oil fired.
Power: 15,000hp
Shafts: 1
Speed: 19kt
Range: 12,800nm at 12kt, 8,470nm at 18kt

Armour:
Deck:6.5" wood

Armament:
Main: Two 4" guns, two 3" guns
AA: eight 2x20mm machineguns, twelve 2pdr guns

Radar:
Air Search: Walmington Model A MkI
Surface Search:Walmington Model B MkI

Air Wing: One catapult. Up to 22 aircraft (probably Swordfish and Wasp II, perhaps Nexus fighters)

http://www.warships1.com/UScve009_Bogue_topfrt.jpg

HMWS Sparrow still undergoing work

Ships of the Sparrow class:
HMWS Sparrow incomplete
HMWS Newry incomplete
HMWS ? planned

The improvised wooden-decked affairs, the first of which is soon to begin potentially lengthy seatrials, are not what Birdcage originally had in mind. The Phoenician class however is rather closer.

With one laid down and a second planned, the Phoenicians will be Walmington's first fleet carriers.

Phoenician Class primary naval airbase

Dimensions:
Length (overall): 776'1"
Beam (overall): 98'2"
Draft: 24'8"

Displacement (full): 31,991 tons

Crew: 1,997 including flight crew

Power and Performance:
Engine: Wychwood oil-fired
Power: 112,000hp
Shafts: 4
Speed: 30 knots
Range: 9,100nm at 12 knots, 5,480nm at 22 knots

Armour:
Deck: 4" steel
Belt: 3.75"

Armament:
Main: Four 6" guns, six 4" guns
AA: Six 3" guns, six 6x2pdr turrets, eighteen 2x20mm,

Radar:
Air Search: Walmington Model A MkI
Surface Search:Walmington Model B MkI

Air Wing: Up to 58 aircraft (Swordfish, Wasp II, Nexus)

http://www.warships1.com/BRcv04_Victorious-Allen.jpg
The face of the next generation

Ships of the Phoenician class:
HMWS Phoenicia laid down
HMWS Carthage materials being gathered

WoS Shipyard

The Calarcian Ambasador was standing with the Walmingtonian Minister of Defence (is that the right title? or is it secetary?) looking down at the Sparrow-to-be under construction.

"So you are thinking of using Nexus fighters on these? Don't you think it'll be a bit short for them to take off from? and long to land on? Hmm... Maybe you should send a Telegram to your Calarcian equivalent and ask about obtaining some Whirlwinds, they do quite well in short runway areas, thats why we deploy whirlwinds into short front line jungle strips, very strong undercarriage too, they've managed to land and take off from strips shorter than that big boat of yours.
Anyhow, it's a chilly day, and While I do thank you for lettign me see this floating airdrome of yours, could me discuss it inside out of this rain?"

OOC: Hint, Hint... try our Whirlwinds, they're just US naval Buffalos with a new name. just right for a carrier, and if not the best of them, they're still good solid planes.

First Defence Minister General Sir Jack Jones may be seen to nod at most of what is said. The Nexus is listed tentatively simply because it's the closest thing available to a dedicated naval fighter.

"They'll equip the two primaries" he confirms "but we could do with something else for the lights. Might build more of the little things if the first three do well, you see? Doesn't seem worth designing a whole new fighter just for one class of light carrier, though, and Britain's too hard pressed to help.
"We've alienated the yanks, too." ..He trailed off.

Once inside, he made passing reference to political concerns about how much WoS was giving compared to what she was taking, and passed on governmental wonderings about what, if anything else, Calarca may be striving for in which Walmington might help.

"Not much that we'll need help with, theres the Chiang-ians busting up Iansisle and we'll preobably send a few cruisers and a destroyer flottilla up to help evacuate if it comes to that on the mainland, but we'll likely help with their main NuShield garrison, what we can with anyway. what we could do with, is we have a load of older armoured cars we want to ship to the trucial states, but we can't send them straight from Gallaga where we've stockpiled them to the States without going through Ercolana, My government was wondering if we could send them the same route as you have sent the tanks we understand were dispatched to the Trucial States."

Taking a sup of his beer in the warm officers wardroom he continued.

"Theres a plane load of Machineguns and bolt action rifles leaving by Bomber soon, wrapped up tight in sacking and strapped into hollow bomb casings so they can be drooped to the natives without having to land or expose the planes. that'll happen as soon as we get air superiority over Karachi. For that theres a convoy leaving Calarca within a week with 20 C-5 and 100 C-3 fighters bound for Gasgage."

"We've been going through the Med, of course. British still have a lot of sway their, and our north African drive is looking to keep it friendly. Bit worried about Ercolana moving in though, and if Jerry doesn't attack Britain directly, he'll probably be looking south, too. Getting things through is no problem for now, but I shouldn't like to bet on how long it'll last.

"We're rather hoping a new project will give both axis powers over here something more pressing to deal with." The Defence Minister went on. That he refered to Walmington's first heavy bomber project was not made wholly evident.

"Well our Corvettes and Destroyers should reach you soon, they're due within the week, but with radio silence, we just can't be sure just when... "

(OOC: This goes back a few RL days, the faster cruisers and a destroyer squadron ran up fast and got refueled then headed off after the Bismark et al. theres another destroyer group set off the same time with a Crvette flottilla coming much slower since the corvettes aren't built for speed, but seagoing ability, being shorter but wider than destroyers.)

"With a destroyer squadron and a corvette flottilla operating between here and Britain, shipping should be somewhat safer. And the british could free up some destroyers and submarines to operate in the Med. probably out of Malta."

Taking the war to the enemy; Walmington prepares to hit back

..with the unveiling of the Distance Bomber MkI, the first prototype being rolled out of a Stockley plant this morning.

Preliminarily called the "Oak", this aircraft promises to give Walmington the ability to carry ordinance to either side of the Atlantic, or to the Ercolanan home islands.

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-9/394362/DBMkI.jpg

The nation now looks to develop munitions worth dropping. The TBMkI Barrows had been meant to carry primarily 25, 120, 300, and 500 or 550lb bombs. The Oak promises much more.

Perry Engineering meets new armour requirement

Lessons learned by the British during the fall of France have taught Walmington about the shortcomings of much of her own equipment. One major point of concern was for the Marching Tank MkI Turtle, which can be considered the Matilda I's Walmingtonian cousin.

Though slighltly better armoured and armed (with a few mm more armour and .55 rather than .303 machinegun) the basic ineffectual nature of the design is sure to hold true in the face of Germany's fightening modern tactics.

As a result, ever since the early days of the battle of France, WoS has been seeking an upgrade to the Marching Tank Mk I. Perry Engineering's submission was recently accepted, and has gone into production in Port Perry, and is soon to be made in Chasshire's Royal Arsenal as well.

The design, designated Marching Tank MkII, is to be named "Terrapin", and is specified thus:
Crew: 4
Engine: Stockley 145hp petrol
Combat Weight: 19,900kg
Maximum Speed: 16mph
Range: 98.17 miles
Height: 2.42m
Width: 2.6m
Length: 5.39m
Armour: 12mm to 72mm steel
Armament: 1x high-velocity 6pdr (49mm) anti-tank gun, 1x.303 machinegun (co-axial)

It is likely that some of the early Perry Engineering examples will mount 2pdr (40mm) guns, due to a short-fall in the new HV6dpr gun, needed for the CCMkIII Lancer.

The Terrapin is clearly a formidable tank, and seems to represent a first step towards combining the rolls of marching tanks (infantry-support) and cavalry cruisers (anti-tank). The Terrapin has proven almost totally invulnerable to 37mm anti-tank fire, and even 45mm and 50mm fire at relatively close ranges. The 49mm gun far outperforms the old 2pdr, and thus bests the 37, 45, and 50mm guns used by enemy forces.

http://www.elleemmeshop.com/model1/cez/alan/MAQ3553.jpg
Artist's impression of a Terrapin mounting a 6pdr gun

The MTMkI Turtles will continue to serve in Norbray as driver-training aids, as well as patroling Walmingtonian air bases in southern England. Many may be stationed to "low risk" imperial outposts such as Wayneisia and Madagascar. Some are reportedly to be used in testing new mine-clearing and bridge-laying equipment. The rest are expected to be handed over to allies such as Iansisle (where they may perhaps aid in the understanding of armour ahead of producing native designs, as well as potentially fighting in confined jungle conditions), and perhaps The Trucial States (ooc:if they're still around)

Hey everyobidy, please update me, I had to go away and Ive been out of the loop, very sorry.

ooc:France fell to Der Kriegsmarine.. Chiang Mai attacked Iansisle (over in Galla China and there about).. A German flotilla lead by Bismarck was engaged by a Walmingtonian flotilla lead by Queen Mavis, and capital ships were lost on both sides; Bismarck turned back, but raiders broke out via the channel- one is under attack now, another is loose in the Atlantic.

Of more concern to you, I think, Italy is moving to invade British Egypt from Libya. The Italians vastly outnumber the British (as in real life). Walmington's III Corps is poised on the western Libyan border, in Free French Algeria. Ercolana is moving forces from the Horn of Africa to, possibly, attack British Sudan in support of the Italian invasion of Egypt.

Italy has perhaps 200,000 effectives in Libya, the British 50,000 odd in Egypt, WoS 42,000 in Algeria, and I'm not sure how many Ercolana has. Britain probably only has a few thousand in the Sudan.

A WoS battlegroup is supporting British ships in the Med, so hopefully we can increase shipments to The Trucials.. (including MkII Cruisers and Turtle tanks)

ooc:France fell to Der Kriegsmarine.. Chiang Mai attacked Iansisle (over in Galla China and there about).. A German flotilla lead by Bismarck was engaged by a Walmingtonian flotilla lead by Queen Mavis, and capital ships were lost on both sides; Bismarck turned back, but raiders broke out via the channel- one is under attack now, another is loose in the Atlantic.

Of more concern to you, I think, Italy is moving to invade British Egypt from Libya. The Italians vastly outnumber the British (as in real life). Walmington's III Corps is poised on the western Libyan border, in Free French Algeria. Ercolana is moving forces from the Horn of Africa to, possibly, attack British Sudan in support of the Italian invasion of Egypt.

Italy has perhaps 200,000 effectives in Libya, the British 50,000 odd in Egypt, WoS 42,000 in Algeria, and I'm not sure how many Ercolana has. Britain probably only has a few thousand in the Sudan.

A WoS battlegroup is supporting British ships in the Med, so hopefully we can increase shipments to The Trucials.. (including MkII Cruisers and Turtle tanks)

Okay great please can you provide a link to thread regarding Africa. That would be appreciated. Time to send support to the Brits.

North Africa:
http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=72881&highlight=

Calarca attacks Ercolanan holdings east of you:
http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=72990&highlight=

OOC:
Isnt the 6 pdr gun a 57mm weapon?

Anyway, since everyone else is bragging about their mil tech here, hope you don't mind if I join in :wink:
IC:
Hainan has decided to commence limited production of the T-32, an upgunned and uparmored T-20, which is beginning to enter service. It has a top speed 10km faster than that of the T-34.
http://www.morozov.com.ua/images/p72.jpg
Weight 19 t
Crew 4
Overall dimensions:
- length
5,960 mm
- width
2,650 mm
- height
2,435 mm
Armament:
- main gun
76.2 mm
- coaxial machine gan and bow machine gun
7.62 mm
Armour 10-30 mm
Engine power output 500 hp
Maximum road speed 65 km/h
Cruising range 400 km

ooc:A typical British 6pdr tank gun was 57mm, yes. However, we are not British (anymore) ;)
WoS 6pdr field-guns display a 60mm bore (as fitted to some CCMkIII Lancer tanks), which results in a fairly similar weapon to the British equivalent tank gun. The 49mm version however is Walmington's latest armour-piercing weapon. The bore is smaller, but the shell weight is the same, due to the elongated shape of the warhead. It's a significantly higher velocity weapon.
..Well we've not come up with APDS tech yet (that's a cruiser away).


..Damn your 76mm guns! [waits for Iansisle or Calarca to start using bigger tank guns]

OOC:
That explains it.

Don't worry, Chiang Mai has mostly been given tanks armed with 37 and 45mm guns... or about 2 pdr's. Well the T-28's have L-10 76.2mm guns (i.e useless against tanks) and 112 ZIS-30 tank destroyers with quite high velocity 57mm guns. It's OK once my army beurecrats realize how problematic the T-32's are, they'll go to Chiang with the rest of my refuse :D

Basically, in my army, bigger gun=better (the concept of recoil is unknown... will come into play once we get to 1943 or so tech levels), faster=better (T-32 will end this philosophy pretty quickly though).

Anyway, just to give your mil. intelligence officers minor heart attacks from shock, here's the KV-1 heavy tank:
http://www.battlefield.ru/tanks/kv1/kv1_10.jpg
KV-1 Model 1941

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GENERAL DATA
Formal Designation KV-1 Model 1941
Manufacturer(s) Factory No.100 Kirovskiy Works in Leningrad (LKZ) which was relocated to Chelyabinsk during 1941 and redesignated Factory No.100 Kirovskiy Works in Chelyabinsk (ChKZ or Tankograd)
Production Quantity several hundred* Production Period 1941-1942
Type Heavy Tank Crew 5
Length overall 7.1 m (23' 4") Barrel Overhang 0.3 m (0' 4")
Width 3.3 m (10' 10") Height 2.7 m (8' 10")
Combat Weight 45000 kg (99000 lbs) Radio Equipment 71-TK-3
*Total KV-1 variants produced during 1941 exceeded 1,121 and in 1942 equalled 1,753.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FIREPOWER
Primary Armament 76.2mm Gun ZiS-5
or F-34 Ammunition Carried 114
Traverse (degrees) 360° Elevation (degrees) -4° to +25°
Traverse speed (360°) n.a. Sight TMFD, PTK
Secondary Armament 3 x 7.62mm DT
(coaxial, bow, turret rear) Ammunition Carried 3024

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MOBILITY CHARACTERISTICS
Engine Make & Model V-2K Track Links 87-90/track
Type & Displacement V12, n.a. Track Width 65cm (26")
Horsepower (max.) 600hp@2000rpm Track Ground Contact 433 cm (170")
Power/Weight Ratio 13.3 hp/tonne Ground Pressure 0.80 kg/cm2 (11.4 psi)
Gearbox 5 forward, 1 reverse Ground Clearance 0.45 m (1' 6")
Fuel Diesel Turning Radius 9.45 m (31' 0")
Range on road 250 km Gradient 36°
Mileage on road 240 l/100km Vertical Obstacle 1.0 m (3' 3")
Fuel Capacity 600 l Fording 1.5 m (4' 11")
Speed on road 35 km/h Trench Crossing 2.7 m (8' 10")

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ARMOR PROTECTION
Armor Detail Front Side Rear Top/Bottom
Hull 75mm@60° 75mm@90° 70mm@round 40mm@0°(front)
30mm@0°(rear)
Superstructure 40mm@25°(glacis) - 60mm@40° 40mm@0°(front)
75mm@60°(driver) 30mm@0°(rear)
Turret 75mm@70° 75mm@75° 75mm@75° 40mm@0°
Mantlet 90mm@round - -

More info on the KV-1 (http://www.battlefield.ru/kv1.html)

Your petty bomber does not scare us! Mwhaahahaha! - Official comment from Ercolanan Military Command.
_________________________

"Sir, we better step up development of that new Fighter!!!"

OOC:
BTW, Secret ICLy I have Su-14BR2 tank destroyers with naval 152mm guns (your 49mm guns start looking real scary, Walmington :wink: ).

ooc:The sooner we or our allies find out about them the better!
[shuts draw containing plans of no interest to you]




[narrows eyes]

OOC:
BTW, Secret ICLy I have Su-14BR2 tank destroyers with naval 152mm guns (your 49mm guns start looking real scary, Walmington :wink: ).

ooc: We have 149 mm's in service. Also Naval guns, about the best we have on land. No traverse, but hopefully the open desert will play out nicely.

OOC:
Youre italians, right? Well don't you dare let Walmington capture any!

This is Su-14BR2 BTW
http://members.aol.com/sturmpnzr/images/SU14_BR2.jpg
http://members.aol.com/sturmpnzr/images/SU14_2.JPG

http://mailer.fsu.edu/~akirk/tanks/Italy/Ita-semovente-da-14940.JPG

Semovente da 149/40,


It is all available here: http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1429781 After all the ships.

Mind if I post some of my ww2 tech here?

http://world.guns.ru/rifle/fn49_2.jpg

OOC: Were in 1940, I assume?

My tank doctorine is "quality, not quantity", since at this point in the war a SU-14BR2 can literally shoot any other tank to pieces.


And now I get to develop all those russian cancelled projects from 1940 and 1941!
IC:
For logistical simplicities, Hainan has decided to adopt the T-34M40 as its sole MBT, and the T-20 as its sole light tank. All BT-7's, T-32's, T-34-57's (think very high velocity 57mm gun), and T-85's (37mm guns put onto T-60's) are to be phased out of service, and probably handed over to Chiang Mai.

In addition, it appears that a new tank, the T-150, is being developed. It should be armed with either a 76.2mm gun or a new 85mm ATG derived from an AA gun.
"By 1 November 1940, the Tongishi Plant is to prepare two T-150 tanks with 90mm armor. One of them will have the F-32 76 mm main gun, the other an 85 mm main gun. One hull will be delievered from the Wenchang plant at the end of October and the preperation of this tank is to be complete by 5 November. The second hull will be completed in November."

ooc: Is anyone using Japan tech?

OOC:
Whabu-dhati, but he's hardly active.


Besides, all it takes to kill your 149mm gun is an HE 152m shell. See there's a reason why we aren't using the original SU-14's anymore.

Also, I'm assuming were in the spring of 1940?

ooc: I do not know, take it up with WoS, Iansisle or Kreig

We're not exactly anywhere so far as I know. More fluid than that. Instead of working on a set time frame I'd pay attention to what's going on in other active threads, significantly jousts between the allies and DK.

OOC:
Well, consider me to be languishing back in early 1940. Apart from Iansisle's jets, that fits the tech level.

Hvan announces its plans for a new Tank, the Ibanez Medium Tank

http://www.geocities.com/dieppe_berlin/1Canada/1-Armoury/Tanks/churchill.jpg

Specs of this fine tank will follow.

(I am around 1941 if not earlier, the rifle I showed earlier was actually being developed in 1935)

WoS attempts to take back own thread- issues new weapons

As volunteer rates outstrip military production, and enemy forces militarise and advance their armoured technologies at an alarming rate, Walmington is forced to adopt some stop-gap measures, and supplimentary powers, so to speak. The versitility, survivability, and fighting potential of Walmington's forces is hoped to be improved at least some way by the introduciton of the Infantry Tank-Grenade MkI, or "Leech Grenade" as it have been dubbed by units in Norbray training with the device.

The I T-G MkI is a 2 1/2lb explosive device, thrown with help from a bakelite handle, and coated in adhesive which enables it to actually stick to an armoured vehicle when placed or thrown!

The weapon is expected to be widely distributed to all theatres of Walmingtonian operation.

http://www.home-guard.org.uk/pics/gren74.jpg

(The announcement makes no reference to the wounding of a Sgt.Clarcke, an engineer who narrowly escaped with his life when the leech grenade he was about to dispatch stuck to his trouser leg, forcing him to drop his equipment belt, unfasten his braces, leave his trousers, and dive for cover.)

Everything is fine!
No panic in Defence Ministry, insists PM

The fact that the war has spread to another continent has caused no alarm in Walmington. The possible need to supply armour to friendly powers there is not a strain on Walmingtonian industry. Certainly no one is put-off in any way by recent Hainanase propaganda featuring all sorts of "super tanks".

Recent tests in Norbray and Canada featuring Special Tankette MkI conversions are being made in the pursuit of viable modern weapons, and certainly do not reflect a panic stop-gap effort.

http://mailer.fsu.edu/~akirk/tanks/GreatBritain/GB-LoydCarrier-25pdrHowitzer-1-HomeGuard.jpg
Modifications such as this are sure to be popular with their crews!

Rumor has it that at least two major armour projects are in the works, much as this may seem contrary to the Defence Ministry's insistance that current conversion projects are serious affairs.
Interestingly, project titles "Tortoise" and "Hare" have been banded about in the press. Talk of a new Marching Tank has been shouted down in light of the Terrapin's early good showings in Libya.

Announced to allies: Walmington's long awaited MTMkIII

Coupling the success of the well armoured Terrapin with a more powerful engine modified from that used on the recent Cavalry Cruisers was one of the original aims of this long-running project. In the end, since it was meant to be a combination of Cavalry Cruiser and Marching Tank, the programme might be considered a failure. The final vehicle, it was realised, would have to be rather larger than the Terrapin- the engine alone meant as much. As the machine grew, so its armour thickened. It was realised that the tank would be able to attain speeds suitible for a Marching Tank (though not Cavalry Cruiser) while carrying the heaviest armour ever granted a Walmingtonian tank- or any allied tank, for that matter.

Thus was born the third Marching Tank of the Walmingtonian line: the Tortoise

Marching Tank Mk III “Tortoise”
Crew: 5
Engine: 345hp petrol
Combat Weight: 42,265kg
Maximum Speed: 10.8mph
Range: 174.5 miles
Height: 3.3m
Width: 2.78m
Length: 7.29m
Armour: 28mm to 157mm steel
Armament: 6pdr (60mm) anti-tank gun, 3x.303 machineguns (1x co-axial, 1x bow mounted, 1x AA)

The Walmingtonian armour industry finally has major work to do. The Tortoise will enter service quite gradually over coming months, while the MTMkII Terrapin also remains in production. The Terrapin is expected to be numerically superior for quite some time to come.
Work on projects "Armadillo" and "Super Tortoise" continue, the former held up by huge practical stumbling blocks (ooc:huge being the operative word (and I'm delaying that so that I don't claim images from every cancelled/near-miss/et cetera British project without giving other nations a chance to at least get started on their armour. I feel Project Armadillo might be rather in the Calarcan manner of thinking ;) )), while the latter awaits proving of the new engine, and that painfully slow decision on the size of gun to adapt for the tank role.

The MTMkI Turtle is finally ceasing its production run in Walmington, though the tank will serve on in the empire, and Walmington's trusted allies will be given complete access to its production data and tools.

http://mailer.fsu.edu/~akirk/tanks/GreatBritain/GB-HeavyAssualtTank-A33.jpg

A shot of a prototype MTMkIII, mounting a 49mm 6pdr

[wonders how many people assumed WoS would just go for an early mark Churchill. Far too obvious, says I! :D ]

First post now has a summary of some primary fighting vehicles in WoS service.

As promised, Walmington's long-awaited improvements to the allied ASW field. The Falcon Class destroyer is set to be the fastest warship ever put into Walmingtonian service (though most of the ship is lucky to get much more than an inch of armour).

Destroyer III Class/Falcon Class

Dimensions:
Length (overall): 347’4”
Beam (overall): 32’9”
Draft (mean): 11’10”
Displacement (full): 2,109 tons

Crew: 209

Power and Performance:
Engine: 2 Wychwood oil-fired boilers
Horsepower: 56,000
Shafts: 2
Top Speed: 37.5 knots
Range: 1,780nm at 32 knots, 3,450nm at 20 knots, 5,380nm at 12 knots

Armour:
Belt: 1.4” to 2.1” steel
Deck: 1” to 1.55” steel
(Primary) Turrets: 1.55” to 4.25” steel
Conning Tower: 1.25” to 3.2” steel

Armament:
Main: Four 4” guns (three turrets, two fore, one aft, Tuesday turret mounting dual guns)
Secondary: Six 21” TT above water, three each side. Two DT throwers plus rack
Anti Aircraft: Three 2pdr guns, five 2x20mm gun mountings

Radar:
Air Search: Walmington Model A MkII
Surface Search: Walmington Model B MkII
Sonar: Walmington Model C(S) MkI

III Class destroyers:
HMWS
Hare
Falcon- launched to-day.

Mount Street,
Slope Way
Park Street- in various on-going degrees of completion.


Corvette Gull Class

Dimensions:
Length (overall): 227’
Beam (overall): 35’5”
Displacement (full): 1,421 tons

Crew (wartime): 82 (76 enlisted, 6 officers)

Power and Performance:
Horsepower: 2,600
Shafts: 1
Top Speed: 17 knots
Range: 6,900nm at 10 knots, 4,100nm at 16 knots

Armament:
Main: 1x4” gun
Anti-Aircraft: Two 2x2pdr guns, three 2x20mm guns
ASW: 285lb depth charges, one 58lb mortar.

Radar:
Air Search: Walmington Model A MkII
Surface Search: Walmington Model B MkII
Sonar: Walmington Model C(S) MkI

Gull Class Corvettes:
C1 Croston
C2 Robinson
C3 Bonner
C4 Goblin
C5 Gremlin
C6 Kipper
C7 Chepshow
C8 Campingtonlaunched so far/due for launch within days.

(First things first - there's a fruit basket in the mail ;)

Second things second...or maybe third, depending on my mood. I've been looking at this Falcon class and stacking it up against the Tiger and Protector classes of mine. Obviously, the Tiger's not really a fair competition, as it displaces nearly a thousand tons more without any clear improvements...however, it does stack up interestingly vrs. the Protector, which is about 200 tons lighter.

First off, they run in at similar speeds (the Protector managing about 36.8 knots in agreeable seas), but it's clear the armor protection on the Falcon is better, all around (Protector maxes out at 0.7" in the belt ... yipe!). The Falcon also carries more primary armarment (guns and torpedoes), but less in the way of AA (Protector mounts 12 .50 AA guns and 6 2 pounders) and ASW (Protector mounts 4 depth charge throwers.

Protector, being a Pacific ship, also boasts a much better range (2950 nm at 27 knots; 6150 at 16.5), but all that oil weighs her down. Of course, as the Tiger really fills the same tactical role as the Falcon, it's an unfair comparison, but...eh. I like doing them.

This concludes Iansisle's Worthless Post of the Day!®)

(Ungh, logged in all wrong again.. meh, anyway)

I did actually mean at various times over recent weeks mean to seek consultation with others for the development of the new vessels- in the end I think I started to feel Walmington's frustration and growing disinterest in the III Class as the nation wondered what the heck we were actually going to use them for.. and I just thought "well stuff it.. we've mentioned them being laid down, so they may as well be thrown out there.."

Do you think that perhaps the armour is actually a little much for their weight/speed? I was thinking that the upper reaches of Falcon Class armour thickness is..less than liberal in application. ie though the belt ranges from 1.4" to 2.1", almost the whole of it is towards the lower end. And the 4" gun turrets ranging from 1.55" to 4.25" display the latter on the face, of course, and the former on the roof, but the sides are scarcely better protected than is the roof.

Perhaps that sort of application is not entirely wise, but the principle designer (lets call him Mr.Brettlestone-Emly (and why not?)) was keen to present a ship with the basic statistics I listed- it made a heck of a good presentation to the Admiralty when he claimed to have a destroyer with 4.25" of armour on its four gun turrets, that was capable of a good five knots faster than previous WoS destroyers.

We don't mind the Axis hearing the basics of the design either (well, perhaps its best they hear that it has 2pd and 20mm guns, but not how many, heh), but if I ever end up RPing an engagement where a Falcon is a note-worthy player, I shall quite likely find myself describing a crew distraught to find splinters flying through the side of this, or light shells dropping through the roof of that.


('s a lot of rambling, eh?)

(Nah, I think the armor is perfectly reasonable, given the gaps in range and armarment. It's simply a different choice of where to spend displacement is all. Iansisle's never been so keen on the armor aspect (call it a personal weakness of mine ;)), and, well, the ranges in the Pacific and Gallagan Oceans are nothing for us to sneeze at!

I honestly don't think there's anything at all wrong with the Falcon...I just have a medical condiditon that won't allow me to let any new ship pass without comparing it to one of mine :))

Hehe- I hope it's not catching.

Hmm, yes, this new space-cruiser stands up fairly well against the Kentonshires: I notice that it's a little faster...

Seriously though, I enjoy reading them myself :)
Hey, it's one of the reasons for running Eastgate behind Walmington, so that WoS can advance while Eastgate still has (what I consider) interesting ships.

Now as for the guided-missile frigate vs. armoured paddle-steamer gunboat...

WoS infantry to get much needed boost..

..With the introduction of a new small-arm. The "Machine Carbine, Tripoli Pattern"

Born of a design sketched by a III Corps Lt.(Sykes) with time on his hands after the speed of Weisel's capture of Tripoli, the Mc.Trip, or Tripper gun as troops are already begining to call it, is meant to replace the Fox sub-machinegun.

The Fox was Walmington's first production sub-machinegun, and was introduced before the declaration on Germany. Being as it was such a new concept, there was always opposition to the programme, and it was less than extensively tested before the threat of war flung it into production. Reaching a production of 3,500 a month, the gun was never entirely popular, being prone to stoppages. It was at least cheap to produce, at only a couple of pounds per gun, and it birthed the .40 cal. short automatic round, which is now to be used by the Tripper.

While the Fox was said to be fairly similar in performance to the British Sten, many suspected that given its vast resources, Walmington could do better. The Tripper is reported to have out performed the Fox, Sten Mk2, M1928A1 Thompson, and the most recent Axis gun Walmington could get her hands on- an old Beretta M1918- on trials. Initial reports from the troops have been positive, and the Tripoli Pattern has been ordered into full production at the Chassire Royal Small Arms Factory.

http://www.militarytrophies.com.au/gallery/9mm_owen_gun.jpg
Tripoli Pattern on display

There are thought to be well in excess of 8,500 Small Machinegun MkI Fox in good service condition for which WoS now has no purpose, and it is thought that they may be used to arm partisans in Latin America, as well as offered to Free French forces in Africa (though no one expects them to accept charity) and perhaps to the small Iansislian and Calarcan forces operating in the Atlantic. It is understood that the Iansislians at least have small infantry detachments on hand, and no one is aware of sub-machineguns being produced by any allied nations besides Walmington and Britain.

Time will tell how the Triploi stacks up against the likes of Jerry's MP-38 (or 40, depending on how pressed for resources they are feeling)

ooc:Oh.. and I think my infantry need a nick-name. It can't just be Tommy.

Hm.

Wally?

Heh.

[ponders]

I vote for Wally.
All in favor?

aye

(Eh, well, you're the ones who're going to end up on the end of their bayonets, so I suppose it's only fair to inject some humour first* ;)

"Wallies enter Berlin!" Hm, I dunno)




*That reminds me! This is the armaments thread, so I suppose that I ought to add our deadliest weapon!

"Venn ist das nurnstuck git und slottermeyer?
Ja! Beigerhund das oder die flipperwaldt gespurt!"


[waits for people to die]

Time will tell how the Triploi stacks up against the likes of Jerry's MP-38 (or 40, depending on how pressed for resources they are feeling)

What with the differences between the actions taken by my nation here and the actions of Germany in RL, there will be no production of the MP-38. Consider it to be the prototype for the MP-40, and the milled steel construction was one of the changes made by the Armaments Board before production was allowed.
I need to cut all the corners I can, since the Kaiser Wilhelm II is running me about 240 million marks.... :wink:

In Ercolanan newspapers headlines might read I maiali sono stati macellati in reference to the Wallies :twisted:

[prohpetically dangles a butcher's hook for Russolini's benefit]

(Yay, you remembered the name!! *sends a box of canoli*)

[nervously eyes the invading foodstuff and considers dipping it in batter for security purposes]

Why am I not sleeping now?
One can only watch so many subtitled Russian films before.. er.. finding oneself engaged in running the affairs of a fictional 1940s state with the ability to argue based on future events in another dimension.

Oh good Lord, I think that (dental) anaesthetic is belatedly kicking in...

(Alexander Nevsky is such a brillant piece of filmography!)

Presently experiencing once more Channel 4's obsession with Burnt By The Sun.

But I think, despite having nowt to get up for, that I ought to head now for bed. Somehow bleeding from the mouth seems to have worn me out a little.

Hm.

Toodle pip.


PS. [sprays you both with .40 automatic fire ;) ]

Hey! Bad form!
Sorry to hear about your mouth though. Maybe it's Mad Wally Disease?

Oh, wait.... that's foaming at the mouth. My mistake.

The first Walmingtonian Super Weapon?

Rumour of Nazi wonder weapons, while generally denied, rubbished, or otherwise talked-down, have of course impacted the defence agencies of the empire.

Talk of rockets, giant airships, monster battleships, 88mm anti-tank guns, fast U-boats, and so on, as well as Hainanese super heavy tanks and other Asian weapons progress, have long given food for thought.

Allied developments too -suspected Calarcan intentions with heavy tanks and high performance aircraft, on-going Iansislian naval development and expenditure- have caused movements suggesting dangerous under-investment, or a failure in peaceful Walmington to grasp the gravity of the worsening global situation.

Perhaps as a compromise, the Defence Ministry has continued to resist calls for Walmingtonian super battleships -too expensive! We are already building carriers! We need more resources for cruisers!- and instead has concentrated on tanks- long considered Walmington's strong-suit.

Recently the Germans, and unbelievably even Ercolanans and Asians, have taken steps ahead of Walmington in armour technology. The Ercolanans are said to be building -if they have not already deployed- tanks mounting 75mm guns. The Asians are said to have 85mm gun tanks, and though this is disputed, it is known that they have and are willing to proliferate high velovity 57mm anti-tank weapons. Reports of frightening super-heavies lend support to the notion of still bigger weapons.

Walmington's Cavalry Cruisers and light Marching Tanks, while proving effective in pushing back the Italians in Libya, will certainly more than meet their match in Ercolanan 75mm gun tanks, and German Panzer IVs. Super heavies- and if the Asians have them no one expects the Germans to be long in catching up- would be untouchable.

The oft mentioned Project Armadillo has finally born fruit.

This monster is Walmington's super battleship on land. Quite out of character for the nation say some, the vehicle is not meant to replace present tanks, but to ensure that Walmington's presence on the battlefield, once attained, will not be lost.

Initially the tank was refered to as "Battlefield Supremacy Tank Mark I". Perhaps the tag "BS MkI" struck a little close to the bone, because the production models are to be renamed "Field Supremacy Tank Mark I", and the FSMkI Armadillio is born.

The giant's first prototype was powered by the 345hp engine used in the MTMkIII Tortoise (which was in turn based on that of the sub-20-ton CCMkIII Lancer!), but it was found that even on good going the vehicle could not make seven miles per hour. A new diesel unit was developed for the early production models. While fairly reliable, and certainly an improvement, this still results in a top speed short of the desired 12+mph. It is likely that the new unit will eventually be used in later production -probably up-gunned- MTMkIII tanks, which may, so a few observers suggest, actually end up replacing the Armadillo.

FSMkI Initial Specifications-
Crew: 6
Engine: 500hp diesel
Combat Weight: 79,205kg
Maximum Speed: 10mph (road)
Range: 99.07 miles
Height: 9’11”
Width: 12’11”
Length: 32’10”
Armour: 41mm to 232mm steel
Armament: 1x3” (18pdr) anti-tank gun, 1x bow mounted .303 machinegun, 1x AA machinegun.

The present test vehicles, armed with 3" guns, may not be indicative of production vehicles- the status of the programme to prepare a 4" naval gun for the tank role has not been revealed. If this gun is not fitted initially, there is some suggestion that a later class of Armadillo including said gun may also feature a rumoured 650hp engine.

http://mailer.fsu.edu/~akirk/tanks/GreatBritain/GB-HeavyAssaultTank-Tortoise-A39.jpg
Prototype FSMkI

"Remember, skeptics" Said an apparently confident Field Marshal LeMesurier attending the unveiling of the tank at Norbray before politicians, militarymen, and allied ambassadors "..that for the tonnage involved in the latest Iansislian battleships, Walmington could build almost a thousand of these battlefield-dominating machines."

"And can they float? And indeed make thirty knots while they do it?"

"Can a battleship capture Addis Ababa?" Replied the supreme commander of WoS ground forces in the field to young Master Pike's unwanted question.

"An impressive piece of machinery!" was the considered opinion of Supreme General Sir Ian O'Bannon on the newest Walmingtonish tank. He promptly set to begging the Minister of War for additional funds for the Army Corps' long delayed (and many say permanently stalled) armor program.

The Iansislean Armor Development Project has become a major source of embarrassment to the proud Shell Syndicate, manufacturers of almost all Iansislean heavy artillery, naval guns, and rounds. Even with a major grant of generals, roughly eighty per cent of the Army Corps’ acquisition budget five years ago (and smaller donations since), Shell’s latest effort, the AX (Armor/experimental)-13 was performing well - until it was tested off road, where it promptly ground itself into the earth and refused to budge.

More bad news for the Shell Syndicate comes from the front lines of south-east Asia, where early reports indicate that its H-1 3” (17 pounder) field gun has been unable to keep up with fast Chiangese formations. MoW and Shell officials insist that it is simply due to “the Gallagan’s innate inferiority as a fighting-man when compared to the Iansislean” and that regular R.I.A.C. units would soon be using it to cut down Chiangmen left and right. Behind closed doors, a meeting convened to consider taking the AX-11’s proven chassis, grafting a H-1 onto it and slapping on a thin layer of frontal armor, but the ungainly, impractical Frankenstein’s monster was soon shouted down.

In the meantime, the R.I.A.C. high command, ignoring jeering from their navy counterparts, sent a congratulatory fruit basket to Great Walmington along with A-47, a fast convoy departing from Fort Jackson.

This tank design seems like a throwback to the Great War, where a tank was meant to smash through stationary defenses and come up against nothing more lethal than a machinegun. These tanks seem like they'd be poorly suited to a rapidly moving army or mechanized warfare. I'll be watching closely to see how these new tanks are deployed and what role they play.

In Ercolana it has taken the mocking name "Char3".

Hvan has stepped up its Armour research with the release of this new tank.

Demonstrations and trials continued even as the Armadillo went into production in Chassire and near Port Perry.

The Defence Ministry remained assured that the tank was actually impervious to any Axis anti-tank gun. Even the 88mm, it was asserted, could not punch through its more than 9" armour. This thing was tougher than many capital ships, and late production models were slated for armament not out of place on a destroyer.

"Of course one can imagine how this machine will dominate the vast open battlefields of North Africa!" LeMesurier continued to convey virtue after virtue, even as one demonstration vehicle became seriously bogged down on a minor unpaved road. On the proving gounds of Norbray never was a fuel truck more than a few miles away. Meanwhile in Libya, III Corps racing east frequently found themsleves far from fuel dumps, and at times even Marching Tanks struggled to keep up with the Cavalry Cruisers
and Gun Cars, one could only imagine how this 79ton monster would keep pace.

An Armadillo struggled on rugged terrain to track its 3" gun after a slow moving dummy target.

In Ercolana it has taken the mocking name "Char3".

Damn...that was a good one. Try researching the Char 2 people!!!!

Pff. The Armadillo is invulnerable to the Char 2's piffling armament, and is capable of knocking it out from hundreds of yards. This is a thorougly modern weapon!


Really!

[basic army composition added to first post]

In Southshire a seemingly heavy-handed governmental affair comes to a close with the arrest by military police of a Mrs.Rebecca Appleton, 57, of Tumble Fold, Kentonshire.

Mrs.Appleton was caught with data on a new speed unit -a five bladed propeller- related to the MFMk IV programme. It is feared that the suspected Nazi sympathiser may already have transfered to Berlin information related to the larger project, and that the Luftwaffe could already be planning a counter to the new fighter.

Across the empire awareness campaigns are on the rise- remember, even the tea-lady could be a fascist!

Development of the Mono-Fighter Mark IV, the Wychwood Siren-

Brainchild of one mister Bromley Davintosh, former harbour-master at Cape Town, the Siren had been an entity existing in the mind of its creator for nearly four years prior to the completion of the first prototype. The exact manner of Davintosh’s aircraft was unknown even to himself until the MFMkIV was finally made an Air Force project.

The RWAF’s mainstay in the beginning of 1941 was the MFMkII Wren, a fighter designed before metal skins became the norm, and frankly lucky to show a low-wing configuration or to carry a single seat. The all metal skin of the large and powerful MFMkIII Nexus showed Fighter Command the way forward, but the aircraft was expensive and difficult to build, and many thought its speed increase over the Wren was insufficient compensation for the drastic loss in manoeuvrability.

The long-range Nexus could hold its own for the time being, and was likely to remain a useful patrol and reconnaissance aircraft long into the future. However the Air Force feared that it would not be long before the Luftwaffe and others began to field dedicated fighters both of superior ability and in greater number.

Davintosh’s design was keenly put forward anew following several dismissals prior to the outbreak of war, and work began on making a serviceable modern fighter of the inexperienced designer’s concept.

Could the harbour-master’s vision produce an affordable fighter plane that would have all the other characteristics demanded by fighter command? The Mk IV would have to be manoeuvrable like the Wren and faster than the 374mph Nexus without giving away too much of that fighter’s impressive range, given Walmington’s mid-Atlantic isolation.

A two bladed wooden propeller driving Davintosh’s imagined aircraft was replaced by a three bladed piece by the prototype stage, while a five bladed unit was planned for late production models. The fighter is some five foot shorter than was the Nexus and rather lighter, while retaining a similar engine power through a tweaked unit giving marginally better reliability and performance at altitude.

It is said that the new fighter, while unable to consistantly out-turn the Wren, does out-perform said aircraft at speed (and of course is capable of attaining much higher speeds). It is at least significantly more manouverable than the Mk III and, though they have of course not been tried side-by-side, it is said to out-turn the German 109, as well as out-run it, where the Wren was capable only of the former advantage. The advent of metal skinned aircraft has also provoked the mounting of guns heavier than the .303s carried by the Wren, which in tests often dent and partially hole 109 level armour rather than cleanly piercing it.

The range of the Mk IV may fall slightly below that desired, perhaps due to a less than perfect fuel economy in the tweaked Nexus engine, but it has become apparent that the rate of climb far exceeds expectations. Bomber Command may be on the way out in Walmington's air force, but Fighter Command has not negated the possible need to intercept incoming enemy bombers.

Maker: Wychwood Automation and various subcontractors including Stockley Motors, in factories at Little Stockton, Southend, Birminghampton, Chaspot, and several Norbray workshops.
Crew: 1
Weight Empty: 5,200lb
Weight Maximum: 8,100lb
Span: 33’9”
Length: 30’7”
Engine: 1,900hp Stockley Raven piston engine (improved Nexus)
Top Speed: 427mph (up to 447mph anticipated with improved prop)
Ceiling: 38,600ft (up to 41,500ft anticipated with improved prop)
Climb Rate: 4,280ft/min
Range: 720 miles, 1,100 miles with tanks
Armament: four wing mounted .55” machineguns and two .303” machineguns, or two wing mounted 20mm cannon and six .303” machineguns.
When in the former configuration the .55” guns are mounted side by side close to the wing-roots, with the .303 guns marginally apart from them mid-wing, an easily able to be angled inwards somewhat. In the second configuration the 20mm cannon are in the wing-roots –reportedly to reduce accuracy-loss from wing warping due to recoil, and to help the aircraft in rolls compared to the situation were the heavy guns mounted further outboard. The six .303s are mounted mid-wing in a tight group. Ammunition stowage for the .55” and 20mm weapons is said to be good, possibly at some degree of expense to the smaller weapons.

It appears that Fighter Command would prefer most of its Mk IVs to be of the latter armament configuration, and fitted with the five-blade propeller.

http://www.wwiitech.net/main/britain/aircraft/spitfire/fig16.jpg

http://users.pandora.be/Luchtoorlog_Warplanes/Images/spit_xii/ragz.jpg

(Just keeping it alive- hasn't been touched all year!


I'm talking about this thread, you.. -tuts-)

Dammit. I better pop out the Fw-190 sooner than I thought!

ooc:Heh, yeah I got bored whenever I came up with that.. I had been hoping to come up with something *other* than a Spitfire or Mustang, but as you can see I failed. There's plenty of German projects that never were, but looking for inspiration in the allies is less productive. Oh well.

But don't worry, the Siren is likely to remain for some time in a defensive role over Walmington, and the Wren will certainly remain more widespread for months or even years.

Just when it was thought that Walmington had resigned itself to non-competition in the battleship race..

Fourth Eden Class battlecruiser laid-down; new class cruiser launched; third post-Dreadnought battleship launched!

After a period of unsettling quiet on the launch ramps of Walmington's wartime shipyards today came thunder. HMWS Henry dove its more than eleven thousand tons into the Atlantic off Port Perry.

The launch of Walmington's first new capital ship of the year and the birth of the Wayne Class of heavy cruiser was overshadowed before the day was out. Before today HMWS King Godfrey I and HMWS Queen Mavis were; at 43,400 tons fully loaded; the largest ships ever to serve Walmington, and the only modern battleships available to the empire.

Westonbury's coastal waters saw all that changed with the putting to sea of HMWS Indefatigable, first of the Glamorgan Class battleships.

With uncontested air-superiority over their islands and a remote north western location chosen for the construction of the Indefatigable the Walmingtonian Royal Navy hopes to have presented the fifty-thousand ton warships as a complete surprise to the reeling Axis.

Under all of this news the announcement of a fourth Eden Class battlecruiser -no less than the belated name ship of the class- being laid-down went almost unnoticed as Walmingtoners speculated over rumoured launches of super-ships.

Wayne Class Heavy Cruisers (“Wayners”)

HMWS Henry (undergoing sea-trials)
HMWS Admiral Coney (under construction)
HMWS Tarriff (recently laid-down)
HMWS Raven (planned)
HMWS Rock Dove (planned)
HMWS Kite (planned)
HMWS Wendsleybury (planned)
HMWS Alexander Vale (planned)

Dimensions:
Length (overall): 608’4”
Beam (overall): 64’9”
Draft: 21’2”
Displacement (full): 13,709 tons

Crew: 831

Power and Performance:
Engine: four Wychwood boilers, oil-fired
Horsepower: 112,000
Shafts: 4
Max Speed: 33.7 knots
Range: 8,200nm at 12 knots, 5,100nm at 22 knots

Armour:
Belt: 3.5” to 5.8”
Deck: 2.25” to 3.5”
Main Turrets: 2.5” roof, 2.75-4” sides, 6” face
Conning Tower: 2.5” to 4.25”

Armament:
Main: Eight 8”/56 guns (4x2)
Secondary: Eight 4” guns (along broadsides; 2x2, 4x1)
Anti Aircraft: Sixteen 2pdr guns, twelve 2x20mm

Radar:
Air Search: Walmington Model A MkI
Surface Search: Walmington Model B MkII
Fire Control: Walmington Model D MkII

Aircraft: Two, catapult launch

Notes: The Walmingtonian 8”/56 gun fires a 320lb AP shell to 32,680 yards at two rounds per minute. It is hoped that the "Wayners" should, in squadrons, out-run Axis raiders and such, picking them off with relatively light but massed and accurate fire, aided significantly by their new high-tech radar and long guns. As part of heavy cruiser squadrons with Chaspots or ideally Edens they are supposed to form 30 knot capable groups with the capacity to engage many levels of threat, escort fast carrier groups, and support the sort of assaults likely to be required in defeating the Axis.

Glamorgan Class Dreadnoughts (Battleships)

HMWS Indefatigable
HMWS Mainwaring (laid down)
HMWS Churchill (planned)

Dimensions:
Length (overall): 804’2”
Beam (overall): 110’5”
Draft: 30’6” mean
Displacement: 48,200 tons standard; 53,700+ tons full

Crew: 1,983

Power and Performance:
Engine: eight boilers (oil fired) Tedley & Crooke
Horsepower: 140,000
Shafts: 4
Max. Speed: 28.9 knots
Range: 8,550nm at 12 knots, 5,200nm at 22 knots

Armour:
Belt: 7.5”-16” steel
Deck: 6.5”-8.25” steel
Bulkheads: 5.25”-11.25” steel
Main Turrets: 7.25”-18.5” steel
Conning Tower: 6.75”-12.5” steel

Armament:
Main: Eight 15.5”/47 guns (four turrets, two fore, two aft) (two+ rounds per minute; 2,150lb AP shell; 40,500 yard range)
Secondary: Twelve 6” guns (6x2; eight to ten rounds per minute; 19,000-yard range)
Anti Aircraft: Eight 3” guns (4x2, potential DP); thirty-two 2pdr guns (16x2); forty-four 20mm guns (22x2)

Aircraft: Three, catapult launch

Radar:
Air Search: Walmington Model A MkI
Surface Search: Walmington Model B MkII
Fire Control: Walmington Model D MkII

Notes: The Glamorgans will be fitted with new fire-control radar, unproven but said to be quite advanced and highly promising. Reasonably good optical sights will back this up.

The 15.5” gun is an improvement over the reasonable 15” weapons mounted by the nation’s other two battleships, those of the Godfrey Class, though some may wonder why the navy didn’t splash-out on 16”ers. In light of the heavy armour evident in the Glamorgan design (when reading basic armour-thickness data one should assume that distribution tends to favour the heavier end of a given range rather than the lighter) it may simply be a minor weight-saving effort.
Or it may be down to nothing more (or less) than stubborn Walmingtonian pride.

The quality of the design’s heavy armour is likely to be high. Walmingtonian steel has traditionally been considered quite fine, but recent years have only seen it improve as the industry attempts at once to stay ahead of uneasy American neighbours while, some say, quietly striving to better famous Iansislian steel.

Anti-torpedo protection is thought to be fairly good, partly (and again some credit is owed to Walmy pride) because Walmingtonian torpedoes are quite frankly not. Anything at which the nation is not good tends to be loathed, resulting in great efforts to ruin anybody else’s efforts in the given field.

All in all the Glamorgans are as a big sister to the earlier Godfreys, and likely to be superior one on one against any hostile ships in Europe. They will be in excess of a thousand tons heavier than the likes of Bismarck with which Queen Mavis was able to engage on roughly equal terms.

HMWS Tarriff (recently laid-down)

(ah, Mainwaring's influence, no doubt!

I must say, the design of the Wayne class took me somewhat by surprise; they may be the first Walmingtonish design to have a significant speed advantage over their Iansislean counterparts! (the Shield class at 31ish knots) Still, I suppose in a world where Iansisle's Admiralty can (begrudingly) admit that Calarca had the right idea about something, Walmington can skimp on armor for speed ;)

Overall, I'm very impressed by both vessels...and, if I'm not mistaken, this gives Walmington more capital ships than Iansisle! If I'm counting correctly, there's three Walmingtonian battleships (Godfrey, Mavis, and Indefatigable) against three Iansislean (Behemoth, Gargantuan, and Colossus...poor Undauntable bit the bullet in the South China Sea) and four Walmy battlecruisers (Eden and sisters) against three for the Ians (Queen Jessica and sisters)...a trend that will doubtlessly be viewed with some amount of consternation in Ianapalis!

Interestingly as well, the trend in Walmington seems to be for bigger battleships, while I'm planning for Iansisle's next series to be smaller than the Behemoths...the financial disaster that was (and is) the unfinished, 70,000 ton Diomedes will blast the Admiralty (which ever has the tendency to overreact) into thinking that putting all their eggs, or even a majority, into one basket is foolish. I'm thinking the next series will be somewhere in the neighborhood of 35,000-40,000 tons and armed with the good old reliable 14"/45 double mount rather than the troublesome 16"/45 triple. Or maybe I'll try and pioneer a 15" gun.

Do you think it would be reasonable to mount five double 14" turrets on a ship that size? Or would the armor/hydrolics weight be too much?

Anyway, before I get too off track rambling about myself, I want to say again that I really like these new designs! Good work all around, if I may say so myself.

Aye, Walmington could no longer take it. Our most powerful battleships were barely ahead of British battlecruisers and our navy was only a few dozen ships strong. Since Mainwaring's all but resigned to having a long-term neighbour of Nazi Germany I supposed that we were going to need a long-term militarisation.. maybe something of a cold war situation. We still haven't all that many lighter escorts.. if there's ever a secure peace almost everything we have will probably have to be scrapped as spending comes down, where as I expect (baring advancement making them obsolete) Iansisle has a slightly larger destroyer force to hang on to.. -furrows brow- what do you have in the way of lighter cruisers?

Anyway, I'm not sure where I'm going with that.. I think I'm just trying to convince myself that we can afford it without collapsing the economy and letting America run away with the world. I believe at least that Britain had significantly more carriers than we, and come to think of it more of just about everything.. it's just that our intermediate vessels are heavy cruisers with 800 hands rather than relatively little cruisers.

Hm. I'm trying to think of good precidents for your vaguely proposed future project. It sounds a good idea, at least. I think you could probably get 5x2 14"ers on 40,000 tons (don't go and take me for an expert now! :) ).. I'm just trying to figure out whether it'd require a scornful nickname a la Tinclad. I don't imagine such a ship would be able to stand up well against its own fire, if that makes sense.

Yeah.. I'm just trying to pass the time until my sister's friends vacate the house and I dare brave the kitchen for some breakfast, heh. I just stopped myself from engaging in a consideration of emerging post-war threats and priorities for the Ians, and which of a capital ship's abilities will be most important..

Oh, heh, and thanks. I quite like 'em, I think (and yes, Mainwaring's hand indeed!).

I'm starting to wish now that I'd introduced some sort of triple mount 14" gun when I made Queen Jessica. Or a double mount 15"er. I'm trying to keep my guns fairly consistant, but the only really large caliber gun mounts I have are the 3x16", 2x14", and 2x12". Judging from King George V, I don't think something like a 4x14" would be a good idea.

I vaugely recall Dreadnought having 10x12" guns...was that in a 5x2 arrangment? I can't seem to find a website that details her armarment. It'd certainly look ugly...vaugely like Nelson up front.

In fact, the more I think about it, the more I like a 4x2 15" arrangment...I don't suppose there'd be anyway we could arrange to perhaps buy turrets off Walmington? I bet those'd be expensive to ship. Maybe our domestic manufacturers could just arrange for the plans to be brought in and build them in the Commonwealth instead.

Ever have one of those nights where you're thinking aloud onto the keyboard? I'm having one right now.

@light cruisers: that's actually another thing I've been meaning to address. We're still running the Aegean class of pre-Salvador days, albeit with heavy modifications. Nowadays, they're about 7,800 tons with 9x6" (3x3; reduced from 12 4x3), decent armor, and crappy speed: 26 knots; I'm so ashamed of 'em.

I suppose an eventual replacement is in order, especially now that the war's overish. For my post war requirments, I'm not quite sure...with the Calarcan and Ercolanian threats largely gone, I don't know how eager we'd be to maintain large fleets of capital ships. Or maybe the lack of a common enemy would lead to a resurgance of Iansisle-Calarca tensions?

At any rate, I think we'd at least need something fast to speed up and down the coasts of our colonies and drop off marines and provide fire support at key locations. I like a good heavy cruiser for that role, maybe even just more of the Shields. We'd probably also be willing to base a heavy squadron in WoS to help guard against German expansionism.

For carriers, I think Britain had seven fleet ships, with four on the docks, in 1939. Dunno how the war changed the totals. Say, that's another thing Iansisle needs, an smaller carrier.

[/ramble]

Yes, that is something of a problem here.. we fitted a total of sixteen 15" guns and then changed our mind. Everybody else seemed to be waving 16" guns about.. 'cept Jerry, but then being able to out-gun him was just as tempting as being out-gunned by everyone else was frightening. I should think elements in WoS industry would be delighted to keep producing the WoS 15" (two rounds per minute, 31,180yd range at 30 deg. Elev..I can't seem to find the length, but I'm supposing it similar or slightly above the British MkI at 42 cal.), but like you say, how much would that cost to transport? Maybe we could stick a couple of turrets on a carrier deck..heh. Man, that'd scare a few folk in Panama. Anyway, we'd be glad to sell the plans, and by we I mean Stockley, and by glad I mean forced.

Yes, I believe Dreadnought had 5x2 12"/45 guns.

I am not one to argue with you on the 4x2 15" thing, not by more than half an inch, anyway. Hood's just so darn pretty that everything WoS ever builds over 40,000 tons is pretty much going to be a rip-off there of.

On carriers I am still trying to decide whether the Sparrows are small enough to turn out a few more, or whether we'd be better converting some really small merchants to take just a couple of Swordfish on ASW patrol. Ah, pff who cares, it's a minor matter, why am I even typing on it?

I suppose things may change rather when Calarca comes back.. assuming he can get his nation reactivated.. maybe there's no certainty of him continuing in the same manner if not.
Ahem.. pending the outcome of the oft neglected Eastgate Federal Dispute there might be a Pacific "power" full of either A)imperial ambition, or B)revolutionary furvor. Either way, when they find out that WoS still exists and that you're on their side.. ;)

[finally forces self to make breakfast]

I've decided that Iansisle's experiments with a 16"/45 have proven fairly ineffectual...I'd say the gun leans more towards the British version than the Japanese or American guns.

It's kind of hard shifting my paradigm...Are these ship launchings coming after the conclusion of the war, which was presumably a year or two after where we were when D.K. was forced to leave? If so, Iansisle had Goliath and Titan, the last two Behemoths ordered starting construction...I guess they'd be finished fairly fast, though maybe not in time to take part in the war.

I've also been trying to assess the ship losses during the war. I'd hate to say I came out of the Gallagan Ocean battles with no capital ship losses, but I don't know the strength of Erco's Karachi fleet...or if it'd even seek an engagement.

hmm...I'm going to spend the next couple days thinking of if Iansisle needs another capital ship soon, and if so what form it'd take. If there were no losses during the war, I rather think 5 45,000 ton battleships would be more than enough for the immediate future...hell, we could probably be secure in the Pacific with 3.

Unless N.E. does decide to take a belligerent stance towards us? That'd be interesting..Iansisle having the technological advantage over someone! :shock:

D'you know, I actually heard someone say once the Hood was an ugly ship. Naturally, after I had suppressed my instinct to challenge them to a duel on the spot, I asked what had brought out this opinion of theirs. Turns out the idiot had seen a picture of the final sinking of Bismarck and had thought KGV was Hood :?. How they managed that one, I'll never know.

You know, I'm not too sure about the launching dates.. I think probably Indefatigable will only have been afloat right at the end of the war.. maybe she'll see one action, or perhaps be too late. Ooh.. maybe I should lose a Godfrey..
I'm thinking that Erco's fleets won't end up seeing much action (unless he turns up and interjects), with Russolini being over-thrown before ordering any serious clash. Maybe ANCAT will clash with the Italians in the Med or something, and with the Axis fleet there beaten and Erco cut-off from its colonies except around the WoS-held Cape.. well, the war's won but for mainland Europe, and only a few major engagements needed.

Oh God, must get out of chair before I get inspired and decide to conclude the Federal Dispute in one morning.. [runs/waves]

(Heh, it's astounding that in this day and age there can be men alive who have not at least seen Sink The Bismarck!)

Oh God, must get out of chair before I get inspired and decide to conclude the Federal Dispute in one morning.. [runs/waves]

(Heh, it's astounding that in this day and age there can be men alive who have not at least seen Sink The Bismarck!)

See ya, man! Sorry, didn't mean to keep ya!

Isn't it though? That film was such a masterpiece..well except for the whole romance bit. But really, compared to most war movies, even that wasn't too bad.

BWO- The Matilda is yet to enter service! It's due in my next announcement


woohoo! I was going to say you were missing a very important tank. I recommend though you already start dreaming up something heavier, probably called a 'Churchill'

Hey, I've been...away for a while, from this RP atleast. Now, ummm...I would really like to get back in it. Anyone want to catch me up on whats going on???

Hey, Ag! Great to see ya again! ;)

Well, um, D.K. had to leave - his National Guard unit was activated, I believe - so WoS and I are trying to work out what would have happened with the rest of the war. Naturally, now that you're back, we can RP out the Iansisle-Erco interactions in Gallaga and East Africa. Or we can just hammer out the details of how things happened, and then I'll type it all up in a history book style.

My official plan, after the stabilization of the Chiang Maï front and the start of a counteroffensive, was to lend support indirectly to Allied forces in North Africa by putting pressure on Ercolana in East Africa. A R.I.N. squadron including two battleships and a battlecruiser was tasked with either destroying the Erco Gallagan Ocean fleet or bottling it up in Karachi while nearly 80,000+ men (50,000 sepoys and 30,000 ish R.I.A.C. troops) were shuttled from Gallaga and Fort Manly to Mombasa. They'd then try and support the British in the Sudan, or else march to and occupy Ercolanian East Africa should that prove impractical.

(DB- yeah, we brought out the Matilda I as the Turtle, and it has since been largely withdrawn and handed to allies. We never used the famous Matilda II because I thought it too much a cliché.. of course the Valentine's only slightly less so, but we introduced that as the Terrapin, and it's still in service today (when I say we introduced it as.. I don't mean it exactly.. WoS tanks are based loosely on real efforts but built with a Walmingtonian mentality). The Churchill too was deemed too big a cliché, and so I went with plan B- the A33 assault tank which was never put into full production because the Churchill came along. It's quite similar but with heavier armour, in our case. We call it the Tortoise, which is rather confusing as we're also producing the British Tortoise as the Armadillo. That's the British Jagdtiger, essentially.. but even better protected. It was meant to be invulnerable to any German anti-tank gun, even the 88mm. Not sure how it'd handle a 128mm though. Of course we haven't many of those- four deployed in Africa and more on the assembly line. In truth it's damn difficult to deploy them- they weigh 80 tons.)

Er, oh! Hello, Ag! You're just back in time to keep me from writing up the history of the SOW-backed assassination of Russolini! Heh.
As Iansisle says, DK is gone and we were supposing the war RP to be on its way out, and were planning compilation of a history..
Just before DK left I announced Operation Minos, which was going to be a pretty secret affair, but now everyone knows it to be the invasion of Sicily by WoS forces with British support- Churchill supposes he's convinced his allies of the soft underbelly plan, but Mainwaring has no intention of following up Sicily's eventual liberation (of course we assume we're going to win :) ) with an attack on the continent.

Essentially WoS means to attack Sicily as Britain resists the Germans and Italians in Egypt and Iansisle attacks your eastern holdings. The plan, as Mainwaring sees it, is to cut-off Africa and force the Italian and German forces to surrender. By winning the north African war and taking Sicily Britain, WoS, and Iansisle's fleets should be able to completely cut-off Erco from East Africa and Karachi. Hopefully that would greatly reduce Erco's economy as well as being a huge propaganda victory against the all conquering Axis. I thought maybe it'd be the end of Russolini, too, and that'd trigger the end of Mussolini, leaving Germany all alone to occupy the continent. DK had contacted me about having Der Fuhrer killed, too, and SOW already has certain friends in high German places. That'd not win back the continent, but it'd probably end the war with Germany on the end of a string of defeats and happy to consolidate what it had, and the allies unwilling to invade the continent with Hitler gone.

Okay, that was long-winded, but now you know just about everything I do. And of course with Erco active again you can make it all go horribly wrong if you like :) Mainwaring couldn't possibly get anymore confident or arrogant right now.

(OOC: All right, so Walmington has moved on a few years, and I've idly tapped out a few new tools of the military trade, but haven't updated this accordingly. Partly because of the messed up chronology, I suppose. I'll gather them all here, but it should not be read that they all appeared at once in some orgy of defence spending. In quick succession, maybe, but not one announcement (Empire Day's public displays aside).

Some of these things listed aren't new, but they're what's now in service. Any retro-tech nations out there should be aware that older equipment is likely available for export, either as ex-service or in production-rights format.)

Air Force/Naval Air Arm

Mono Fighter MkIII* Nexus
Crew: 1 or 2 (ASW role et cetera)
Weight Empty: 8,411lbs
Span: 40'8"
Length: 35'7"
Engine: 1,900hp Stockley Nexus piston engine
Top Speed: 374mph
Ceiling: 30,200ft
Range: 1,200 miles
Armament: Armament: four wing mounted .55” machineguns, one nose mounted 20mm cannon plus ten 54lb rockets or up to 1,850lb other ordinance.
Largely used by the RWN as an ASW platform and carrier-based fighter, a role in which it is aided by the wings’ ability to ‘break’.

Mono Fighter Mk IV Siren
Maker- Wychwood Automation and various subcontractors including Stockley Motors, in factories at Little Stockton, Southend, Birminghampton, Chaspot, and several Norbray workshops.
Crew: 1
Weight Empty: 5,200lb
Weight Maximum: 8,100lb
Span: 33’9”
Length: 30’7”
Engine: 1,900hp Stockley Raven piston engine (improved Nexus)
Top Speed: 447mph with improved (five-blade) prop
Ceiling: 41,500ft with improved prop
Climb Rate: 4,280ft/min
Range: 720 miles, 1,100 miles with tanks
Armament: Two 20mm cannon and four .55” machineguns
The 20mm weapons are mounted close to the wing-roots and have impressive ammunition stowage, their positioning being intended to minimise recoil-induced warping of the wing and to help the aircraft in a role (by their considerable weight which would be a hindrance further out)

DAMkI* Musca
Crew:2
Length:38'11"
Span:52'10"
Power Plant: Two Calarcan R-4360 3500hp radial piston engines
Top Speed:480mph+
Range: 1,780 miles with extra internal tank
Ceiling:32,700ft
Armament: six nose mounted 20mm guns. Up to 2,900lb of bombs in internal bomb-bays in-stead of extra fuel tank; up to four 54lb rockets or 250lb of bombs under inboard wing section

JFMkI Cricket
Length:36'2"
Span:48'7
Weight:10,175 lb empty 16,250 full
Power Plant: Three Graye-Hudson Model 1,966lb thrust 3G turbojets
Top Speed: 648mph
Cruising Speed:420mph
Range:1,040miles+ at cruising speed.
Ceiling: 39,000ft
Armament: Eight 20mm aviation cannon- four in front fuselage, and four in wings

JFMkII Tern/JFMkII* Ocean Tern/JFMkIIC Super Tern 2-seat nightfighter
Length: 32’5”
Span: 39’10”
Weight: 8,983lb empty; 15,150lb max takeoff
Power Plant: One Wychwood Automation 1-W Little Bear 6,000lb turbojet
Top Speed: 662mph at sea level; 604mph at 36,000ft
Range: 1,100 miles
Ceiling: 41,500ft
Armament: 2x20mm aviation cannon in nose; 2x1” Chasshire aviation cannon in wing-roots; two underwing hardpoints for 500lb bombs, fuel tanks, 6x2” “Grapeshot” rockets

JFMkIII Hussar
Length: 47’4”
Span: 32’1”
Weight: 23,500lbs empty; 37,900lb max takeoff
Power Plant: Two Stockley Motors-Wychwood 1-W-2 Red Bear 6,000lb/8,000lb afterburning turbojets
Top Speed: Around 740mph (Mach 1.1) at 36,000ft
Range: 550 miles
Ceiling: 48,000ft
Armament: 2x1” Chasshire aviation cannon; four underwing hardpoints for 500lb bombs, fuel tanks, 9x2” “Grapeshot” rockets

DBMkI Stockley Oak
Maker: Stockley Motors
Crew: 7
Span: 101'2"
Length: 64'10"
Engines: Four 1,100hp Wren piston engines
Top Speed: 274mph
Cruising Speed: 202mph
Range: 2,100miles with 8,500lb payload
Ceiling: 27,800ft.
Defensive Armament: Six .55" machineguns (two nose, two top turret, two tail)
Payload: 12,500lb+

Wychwood AARMkI Grapeshot 2” Air-to-Air rocket:
Unguided air-to-air rocket to be carried in pods and generally launched en masse against bomber aircraft.
Warhead weight of 5lb. Effective range of around three thousand yards; actual range over five thousand yards.

Overview: Walmingtonian aviation has come on in leaps and bounds since the 1930s, when but one low-wing monoplane fighter was in service. The two-seater MFMkI Highwayman struggled to reach 300mph in a dive, and was hopelessly outgunned over Dunkerque while covering British and French evacuations at the start of the 1940s. It is thought that several were shot down by Stukas before German fighter cover even arrived. The single-seat MFMkII Wren, also in service by 1940, was an improvement, but still provided nothing that other European powers hadn't done years before.

Many in Walmington attributed this deficiency to inexperience, as the nation had not become heavily involved in the Great War, and had remained out of the proving grounds of the Spanish Civil War. The nation's advanced information technology industry, epitomised by its world beating radar defence grid, naval fire control, and domestic high-power wireless radios and automated telephone exchanges, proved that Walmington could keep pace if she tried. And try she did, though not without running into problems.

Attempts to acquire jet technology from friendly Iansisle were long thwarted by German espionage, but finally payed off in the form of imported Graye-Hudson Model 3G turbojets. These would soon power Walmington on Sea's first jet aircraft, a joint project helped off the ground -surely to the annoyance of the RWAF's Iansislian benefactors- by south Pacific power Calarca. The JFMkI Cricket (Sledgehammer in Calarcan service) remains part of the RWAF to this day, employed mainly as an interceptor against hostile bomber formations, its eight 20mm cannon and three engines meaning that it is now considered too clumsy for dogfighting, despite some advanced aerodynamic features imparted by the combined knowledge of three great powers.

The modern generation of Walmingtonian jets is a fresh leap ahead, spurred by a feeling of shame, perhaps, at relying on allied charity to get the domestic jet programme off the ground. If not, then certainly by continued stories of Nazi terror weapons, or wonder weapons as certain up beat characters insist on calling the long range bombers and ever more accurate rockets. Unconfirmed reports of massive rockets being launched and even guided against aircraft over the continent meant that new and impressive performance characteristics were sought in the design of the likes of JFMkIII Hussar.

The Hussar employs afterburning turbojets to produce extra-sonic speeds, as they're termed in Walmington. Not yet a fine-tuned technology, the expensive powerplants take time to produce, and are expensive, meaning that relatively few Hussar are yet in service. On top of that, they eat fuel at an alarming rate, and require extensive skilled upkeep.

Still, WoS's air defences have never looked better next to the capacities of potential rivals, and attention turns to the offensive: Bomber Command, almost completely defunct despite the best efforts of one "Bomber Billy", has made the beginings of a come-back thanks to Operation Re-vere. Two new bomber aircraft are thought to be entering advanced design stages, one said to be a jet driven Wychwood effort, while the other is perhaps more a massive and evolved offspring of the venerable Stockley Oak. Remote controlled gun turrets as seen on the obsolete TBMkI Barrow, more powerful piston engines (possibly 1,900hp Ravens or even 3,500hp Calarcan units) giving greater range, speed, ceiling, and payload, new radio and radar equipment and more features will likely be part of this new heavy bomber. Some suspect that Wychwood mean to make a long range medium bomber able to out-run top of the line piston engine and even early jet interceptors, and to climb above flak.

http://www.pbenyon.plus.com/RN/Photos/Images/Albion-SeaVenom_launch58.jpg
Air Commander Walker's JFMkI* Ocean Tern leaves the deck of a Phoenicia Class carrier


[more later]

[reserved for the latest on the Royal Walmingtonian Army]

[Reserved for Royal Walmingtonian Navy]