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91
History and Tall Tales / Re: This Day in History
« Last post by besilarius on March 31, 2024, 07:40:39 PM »1187. Prince Arthur, Duke of Brittany, nephew to Richard Lionheart, possibly murdered by his Uncle John, 1203
1671. HMS Sapphire (36), Cptn. John Pearce, run ashore at the Isles of Scilly by Cptn. and 1st Lt. to avoid capture when 4 sail sighted and was wrecked. They proved to be friendly and the officers were subsequently sentenced to be shot for cowardice.
1822. The Massacre of Chios: Ottoman troops slaughter the rebellious populace, raising Western sympathy for Greek independence
1854. Commodore Matthew C. Perry and Japanese officials sign the Treaty of Kanagawa, opening trade between the U.S. and Japan. The treaty also provided protection for American merchant seamen wrecked in Japanese water
1889. The Eiffel Tower is opened to the public
1842. William G. K. Elphinstone (1782-1842), arguably the worst battalion commander in any of the armies during the Waterloo Campaign (when he commanded the British 33rd Foot), later went on to prove quite possibly the most inept officer ever to command an army, when, as a major general during the First Afghan War (1839-1842), he dithered on so heroic a scale tha, of his 4,000 troops and 10,000 camp followers, only one man escaped death or capture.
1914, some German troops were issued ready-made nooses in the event that they encountered franc-tireurs (irregulars) during the invasion of France and Belgium, with the result that hundreds, perhaps thousands, of innocent civilians were hanged on the slightest pretext.
1945 Soviet Marshal Georgy Zhukov threatened to have the “field service wife” of First Guards Tank Army commander Mikhail Katukov arrested by Smersh as a spy because the general was spending so much time with her he was neglecting his duties.
1671. HMS Sapphire (36), Cptn. John Pearce, run ashore at the Isles of Scilly by Cptn. and 1st Lt. to avoid capture when 4 sail sighted and was wrecked. They proved to be friendly and the officers were subsequently sentenced to be shot for cowardice.
1822. The Massacre of Chios: Ottoman troops slaughter the rebellious populace, raising Western sympathy for Greek independence
1854. Commodore Matthew C. Perry and Japanese officials sign the Treaty of Kanagawa, opening trade between the U.S. and Japan. The treaty also provided protection for American merchant seamen wrecked in Japanese water
1889. The Eiffel Tower is opened to the public
1842. William G. K. Elphinstone (1782-1842), arguably the worst battalion commander in any of the armies during the Waterloo Campaign (when he commanded the British 33rd Foot), later went on to prove quite possibly the most inept officer ever to command an army, when, as a major general during the First Afghan War (1839-1842), he dithered on so heroic a scale tha, of his 4,000 troops and 10,000 camp followers, only one man escaped death or capture.
1914, some German troops were issued ready-made nooses in the event that they encountered franc-tireurs (irregulars) during the invasion of France and Belgium, with the result that hundreds, perhaps thousands, of innocent civilians were hanged on the slightest pretext.
1945 Soviet Marshal Georgy Zhukov threatened to have the “field service wife” of First Guards Tank Army commander Mikhail Katukov arrested by Smersh as a spy because the general was spending so much time with her he was neglecting his duties.
92
History and Tall Tales / Re: This Day in History
« Last post by besilarius on March 31, 2024, 01:13:46 AM »1282 "Sicilian Vespers" begin: Palermitans massacre French occupiers, initiating a successful war to transfer the island to the Catalans
1512 at the Battle of Ravenna on April 11, 1512, all of the dozen Spanish regimental commanders present were killed in action, as were 75-percent of the mercenary German regimental commanders in the service of the victorious French, and the French commanding general, the youthful Gaston de Foix.
1639. Massacre of Aberdeen: Montrose's Scots Covenanters slaughter the Royalists
1844 Paul-Marie Verlaine, French poet who wrote "Wound my heart with a monotonous languor", d. 1896
1939 Batman, in "Detective Comics" #27
1945. Building a warship takes a long time, years in fact. But during the Second World War the United States, by adopting innovative techniques such as modularization, standardization, and prefabrication of many components, plus the adoption triple-shifts in shipyards, was able to realize a dramatic reduction in the time required to construct almost every type of warship.
Average Construction Time in Months
Type Pre-War Wartime
Battleship 36-42 29-39
Carrier 30-40 13-25
Heavy Cruiser 30-40 20-24
Light Cruiser 27-38 13-23
AA Cruiser -- 19-24
Figures are based on the difference in construction time between ships laid down in the mid-to late-1930s, when America began to rearm, and those laid down after 1939, when the possibility of war became increasingly likely. Ships that were deliberately delayed of completion in favor of more desperately needed types, notably aircraft carriers and destroyers, have been omitted.
Some ships were completed in amazingly short times The “record” in each category is:
Battleship Indiana (BB-58) 29 months, though the considerably larger Iowa (BB-62) required only 30 months
Carrier Franklin (CV-13), 13 months
Heavy Cruiser Pittsburgh CA-72), 20 months
Light Cruiser Amsterdam (CL-59), 13 months
AA Cruiser Atlanta (CLAA-51) and San Juan (CLAA-54), 19 months
Figures for smaller warships, notably destroyers and submarines, are harder to calculate, as so many were built, and some shipyards staged publicity stunts in which they completed a ship in record time, often in mere days, but under conditions that could not possibly have been sustained for serial production. Nevertheless, it appears that destroyers laid down in the late 1930s, when rearmament was just beginning, required some 13-24 months, while those laid down after 1939 could be completed in some 4-8 months, with the record apparently being the Thorn (DD-647), in about 135 days, from keel laying to commissioning. For submarines in similar circumstances, the figures appear to have been 14-24 months prewar, and as little as 5 months at the peak of the war. And merchant ships, especially Liberty ships or Victory ships, could be churned out in as little as a month, literally on an assembly line basis.
1512 at the Battle of Ravenna on April 11, 1512, all of the dozen Spanish regimental commanders present were killed in action, as were 75-percent of the mercenary German regimental commanders in the service of the victorious French, and the French commanding general, the youthful Gaston de Foix.
1639. Massacre of Aberdeen: Montrose's Scots Covenanters slaughter the Royalists
1844 Paul-Marie Verlaine, French poet who wrote "Wound my heart with a monotonous languor", d. 1896
1939 Batman, in "Detective Comics" #27
1945. Building a warship takes a long time, years in fact. But during the Second World War the United States, by adopting innovative techniques such as modularization, standardization, and prefabrication of many components, plus the adoption triple-shifts in shipyards, was able to realize a dramatic reduction in the time required to construct almost every type of warship.
Average Construction Time in Months
Type Pre-War Wartime
Battleship 36-42 29-39
Carrier 30-40 13-25
Heavy Cruiser 30-40 20-24
Light Cruiser 27-38 13-23
AA Cruiser -- 19-24
Figures are based on the difference in construction time between ships laid down in the mid-to late-1930s, when America began to rearm, and those laid down after 1939, when the possibility of war became increasingly likely. Ships that were deliberately delayed of completion in favor of more desperately needed types, notably aircraft carriers and destroyers, have been omitted.
Some ships were completed in amazingly short times The “record” in each category is:
Battleship Indiana (BB-58) 29 months, though the considerably larger Iowa (BB-62) required only 30 months
Carrier Franklin (CV-13), 13 months
Heavy Cruiser Pittsburgh CA-72), 20 months
Light Cruiser Amsterdam (CL-59), 13 months
AA Cruiser Atlanta (CLAA-51) and San Juan (CLAA-54), 19 months
Figures for smaller warships, notably destroyers and submarines, are harder to calculate, as so many were built, and some shipyards staged publicity stunts in which they completed a ship in record time, often in mere days, but under conditions that could not possibly have been sustained for serial production. Nevertheless, it appears that destroyers laid down in the late 1930s, when rearmament was just beginning, required some 13-24 months, while those laid down after 1939 could be completed in some 4-8 months, with the record apparently being the Thorn (DD-647), in about 135 days, from keel laying to commissioning. For submarines in similar circumstances, the figures appear to have been 14-24 months prewar, and as little as 5 months at the peak of the war. And merchant ships, especially Liberty ships or Victory ships, could be churned out in as little as a month, literally on an assembly line basis.
93
Saturday Night Fights & Tabletop Simulator / Re: General d'Armee 2
« Last post by bayonetbrant on March 30, 2024, 11:41:34 PM »Saturday Night Fights! ~ The Battle of Quatre Bras (2) for “General d’Armee 2”
https://wp.me/sae4WL-tn033024
https://wp.me/sae4WL-tn033024
94
Intel Dump / Re: The PODCAST now known as "Mentioned in Dispatches" !
« Last post by bayonetbrant on March 30, 2024, 09:04:43 AM »Mentioned in Dispatches Season 12 Ep 8 ~ Practitioner Wargaming
Brant is joined by Chris Weuve (chair of the Connections Online committee) and Pete Pellegrino, longtime professional wargamer and instructor. This slightly-rambling episode looks at some of the history of wargaming at the Naval War College, how and why it’s withered today, and what we can do about it.
https://www.armchairdragoons.com/podcast/s12e8/
Brant is joined by Chris Weuve (chair of the Connections Online committee) and Pete Pellegrino, longtime professional wargamer and instructor. This slightly-rambling episode looks at some of the history of wargaming at the Naval War College, how and why it’s withered today, and what we can do about it.
https://www.armchairdragoons.com/podcast/s12e8/
95
History and Tall Tales / Re: This Day in History
« Last post by besilarius on March 29, 2024, 05:56:43 PM »61 BC Pompey the Great hitched elephants to his triumphal chariot, but when the procession reached the walls of Rome, he found that he had to switch to the more conventional horses, because the beasts were too big to pass through the gates
1686, an English regiment of the foot totaled about 600 officers and men, and if at full strength annually received in pay from King James II £10,922 12s 6 d, today perhaps £15.9 million based on average earnings.
Each regiment consisted of a staff of eight officers and specialists, plus ten companies, of which the colonel was also captain of the first, while the lieutenant-colonel and major might also command their own companies. Companies comprised three officers, five NCOs, a drummer, and 50 private soldiers.
Staff Pounds Shilling Pence
£ s d
1 Colonel 0 12 0
1 Lieutenant-Colonel 0 7 0
1 Major 0 5 0
1 Chaplain 0 6 8
1 Surgeon 0 4 0
1 Surgeon’s Mate 0 2 6
1 Adjutant 0 4 0
1 Quarter-Master and Marshal 0 4 0
Total for Staff 2 5 2
Each of Ten Companies
1 Captain 0 6 0
1 Lieutenant 0 4 0
1 Ensign 0 3 0
2 Sergeants @ 18 d each 0 3 0
3 Corporals @ 1 s each 0 3 0
1 Drummer 0 1 0
50 Privates @ 2 d each 1 13 4
Total 2 15 4
So total daily pay for a full regiment, including 8 d a day for the colonel as commander of the first company, came to £29 13s 6 d. Although the lieutenant-colonel and the major might also commanded companies, they had to settle for the same 6 d that ordinary captains earned.
By the way, under existing military regulations, the colonel and most other officers were allowed a percentage of any accounts that they were required to handle, so their actual income was higher than what is indicated here, even without the possibility that they were engaged in less licit skimming.
Of course, the private’s two pence (“tuppence” -- about £12.60 today) was subject to deductions for uniforms, rations, and even arms and equipment, but on average he probably made out at least as well as a common agricultural worker. Agricultural wages, which were seasonal, were usually about a penny a day when there was work, and might rise to 1½-2 pence during harvest time.
1805 French fleet under Pierre-Charles Villeneuve sails from Toulon.
1899 Born Lavrenty Beria, Chekist, Marshal of the Soviet Union, Stalin's executioner, executed, 1953
1942 Barents Sea: British light cruiser 'Trinidad' torpedoes herself
1945. During World War II about a quarter of the approximately 100,000 women who served with the Yugoslav partisans died in action.
1686, an English regiment of the foot totaled about 600 officers and men, and if at full strength annually received in pay from King James II £10,922 12s 6 d, today perhaps £15.9 million based on average earnings.
Each regiment consisted of a staff of eight officers and specialists, plus ten companies, of which the colonel was also captain of the first, while the lieutenant-colonel and major might also command their own companies. Companies comprised three officers, five NCOs, a drummer, and 50 private soldiers.
Staff Pounds Shilling Pence
£ s d
1 Colonel 0 12 0
1 Lieutenant-Colonel 0 7 0
1 Major 0 5 0
1 Chaplain 0 6 8
1 Surgeon 0 4 0
1 Surgeon’s Mate 0 2 6
1 Adjutant 0 4 0
1 Quarter-Master and Marshal 0 4 0
Total for Staff 2 5 2
Each of Ten Companies
1 Captain 0 6 0
1 Lieutenant 0 4 0
1 Ensign 0 3 0
2 Sergeants @ 18 d each 0 3 0
3 Corporals @ 1 s each 0 3 0
1 Drummer 0 1 0
50 Privates @ 2 d each 1 13 4
Total 2 15 4
So total daily pay for a full regiment, including 8 d a day for the colonel as commander of the first company, came to £29 13s 6 d. Although the lieutenant-colonel and the major might also commanded companies, they had to settle for the same 6 d that ordinary captains earned.
By the way, under existing military regulations, the colonel and most other officers were allowed a percentage of any accounts that they were required to handle, so their actual income was higher than what is indicated here, even without the possibility that they were engaged in less licit skimming.
Of course, the private’s two pence (“tuppence” -- about £12.60 today) was subject to deductions for uniforms, rations, and even arms and equipment, but on average he probably made out at least as well as a common agricultural worker. Agricultural wages, which were seasonal, were usually about a penny a day when there was work, and might rise to 1½-2 pence during harvest time.
1805 French fleet under Pierre-Charles Villeneuve sails from Toulon.
1899 Born Lavrenty Beria, Chekist, Marshal of the Soviet Union, Stalin's executioner, executed, 1953
1942 Barents Sea: British light cruiser 'Trinidad' torpedoes herself
1945. During World War II about a quarter of the approximately 100,000 women who served with the Yugoslav partisans died in action.
96
4X Gaming / Re: Millennia by Paradox
« Last post by ojsdad on March 29, 2024, 12:48:31 PM »^This!
I loved the "space layer" in the original Call to Power.
And good to hear from you again, ojsdad!
Thanks.
The space level was good, but I really liked the sea/underwater development that could be done.
97
Intel Dump / Re: Wargame Design Studio News Thread + Latest Sale Titles
« Last post by bayonetbrant on March 29, 2024, 10:12:40 AM »Woohoo!
98
Intel Dump / Re: Wargame Design Studio News Thread + Latest Sale Titles
« Last post by rahamy on March 29, 2024, 09:45:58 AM »Wargame Design Studio is pleased to announce the release of the next installment in the Panzer Campaigns series today - Spring Awakening '45 - you can read about it here, and of course grab a copy of it for yourself in our Store now!
https://wargameds.com/blogs/news/panzer-campaigns-spring-awakening-45-released
https://wargameds.com/blogs/news/panzer-campaigns-spring-awakening-45-released
99
4X Gaming / Re: Millennia by Paradox
« Last post by bbmike on March 29, 2024, 08:58:32 AM »^This!
I loved the "space layer" in the original Call to Power.
And good to hear from you again, ojsdad!
I loved the "space layer" in the original Call to Power.
And good to hear from you again, ojsdad!
100
4X Gaming / Re: Millennia by Paradox
« Last post by ojsdad on March 28, 2024, 07:48:53 PM »I still wish someone would to a Call to Power remake. Always thought it was a lot better than Civ