Dr Strangelove

[Desert Dave]

Awhile back I had raised the specter of possible mad-bomber kinds of play (... recall the terror bombing in Hitler's War?)

Now, I see that -- if you are Germany and building TOO MANY bombers, you are probably NOT sufficiently defending the Easter borders.

So here's a variation on that Stranglovian theme:

What if Germany decided to invest in bombers (research optional) to the extent that they would hammer British ports -- and, incidentally, keep some air fleets out of Egypt (... those Iraqui oil wells!).

The question is -- can you attrition the Royal Navy by reducing ports?

We know that supply/readiness is reduced, but can Britain be restricted in reinforcement terms as well?

Or, can factories be utilized for naval construction, so it wouldn't matter if the ports were reduced?

(sorry a long way to go, I know...)

[BloodyBucket]

When I read the title of this thread I thought it was going to be about including the A-bomb in the game (don't do it).

If the German side gets in to a position where it can build a big bomber fleet, I think damage to port facilities would be the least of the allies worries.

I don't know if ports can be reduced in effectiveness by air attack, nor if that would change the ability of the country owning the port to build ships.

Send the Bombers against the sub pens? How about mandatory missions against V-weapon facilities due to pressure at home? Speaking of the homefront, what if FDR doesn't get re-elected? The options seem endless...

[Desert Dave]

But, if you were bound and determined for Sea Lion, you would need to somehow counter the Royal Navy.

If bombing port facilities would enable that, then this would be a reasonable ploy.

Speaking of which, how can you prevent Britain from blockading Norway -- is access to the Baltic Sea restricted once Denmark falls?

Otherwise, Germany's small navy could not support a landing near Oslo, no?

Recall, the transports have to sit offshore for a turn, so Britain could wreak havoc, yes?

[BloodyBucket]

Well, the Germans might have had a better shot at a sea battle off England had the Norway operation not damaged her fleet, but probably the only way they could have pulled it off was through air power.

The window of opportunity for SEA LION was small, and blasting ports hoping to attrit the fleet would not bring the quick results needed.

At the time, the idea of airplanes sinking capitol ships was still something of a novelty, and proper AA defenses on board were lacking. SEA LION was really up to the Luftwaffe. Any German who hopes to slug it out with the RN in a surface action is going to be dissapointed.

Wait too long, as you build up your fleet, and the reception committee in England only gets larger...

[Desert Dave]

... Not to give away any strategic secrets that I MIGHT have in mind, but,

Let's say Britain has a task-force off the Norway coast around Oslo, and Germany counters that with an air fleet in northern Denmark (remember, one unit per hex).

If I am Britain, I might well have included a transport -- which could then invade northern Denmark and seriously hinder that squadron of ME 109s or sea-prepared Stukas, yes?

[Hubert Cater]

The question is -- can you attrition the Royal Navy by reducing ports?

We know that supply/readiness is reduced, but can Britain be restricted in reinforcement terms as well?

Or, can factories be utilized for naval construction, so it wouldn't matter if the ports were reduced?

Ports and factory strength can affect reinforcement as well as what can be built.

In order to build new units in a port or a factory, they must be able to draw a line to the capital as stated before, and the factory or port must have an operational efficiency of at least 50%. So if you damage all British ports it will not only affect their readiness and supply, but also their ability to build new units.

In terms of reinforcement of existing damaged naval units, the maximum reinforcement values are scaled by the current efficiency of the port being used to reinforce/repair naval units.

So strategic bombing could play a vital role in an invasion of England if that becomes part of your strategy!

[ May 01, 2002, 10:22 AM: Message edited by: Hubert Cater ]

[Mr. Clark]

Sweet! Yet more strategic options available!

[Hubert Cater]

is access to the Baltic Sea restricted once Denmark falls?

Nope

[BloodyBucket]

That is very good news. The ability to degrade ports will add another dimension to the game. Will you be able to damage ports and coastal cities with surface naval units?

[SuperTed]

Originally posted by BloodyBucket:

...Will you be able to damage ports and coastal cities with surface naval units?

BB,

Yup.