Republic of Rossiya, Beast from the South

[Thiel]

Pretty sure he meant the first.

[JSB]

I was aware that you hadn't yet started your build-up, but are you sure that 1920s-1930s warships would be considered "obsolete" - bear in mind that the IJN was using some WWI refurbs at this point. The RN was using KGV-class battleships and the Nelson-class - both Treaty designs - too.

Just as a comparison (in commission 1941) Post WNT only,
(RRN/USN/RN/IJN)

BBs/BCs
Tarina class (10) + Torivok(10) / North Carolina (2) / N&R (2) + KVG (3) / Yamato (1)
20+2+5 v 1
CVs
Vostok (5) / Ranger (1) + Yorktown(3) + Wasp(1) + /Ark Royal (1) + Illustrious (4) /Ryūjō(1) +Soryu (1) + Hiryū (1) + Shōkaku (2)
5 + 5 + 5 v 5

CAs
Jodl(5) Tesla(5)/ Pensacola (2) + Northampton(6) + Portland(2) + New Orleans (7) + Wichita (1) / County(13) + York (2) /Tone(2) + Mogami(4) + Takao(4) + Myōkō(4) + Aoba(2) + Furutaka(2)
10+18+15 v 18

CLs
Arachne (20) / Brooklyn(7) + St. Louis(2) + Atlanta (1 CLAA) / Leander(8) + Arethusa(4) + Town(10) + Dido( 8) / IJN(0 after Morgami swap)
20 + 10 + 30 v 0

Yes this is unfair as the RN will be busy in Europe but its still execution rather than a battle and the IJN will realize that, I don’t think they can come south with this much of a fleet sitting in the Indian ocean just slightly helping the allies assisting free trade and neutrality etc,

JSB

[apdsmith]

Are you refering to the Japanese to try to cripple Rossiya's sovereign islands or just blockading Rossiya?

Hi Oberst,

As Thiel's stated, and given the disparity between Rossiya and Japan, I think the most sensible option for the Japanese would be an attempt to remove Rossiya's ability to make war, striking the sovereign islands. Blockading works best over the longer term and given the disparity in tech and production the worry for the Japanese would be that they are serving their fleet up to be taken out at Rossiya's leisure (also, the ongoing commitment of forces would probably sit badly with a nation that is planning - needs - massive expansion to supply their own military, unless there is a realistic prospect of actually conquering Rossiya and making Rossiyan resources their own).

As I said, it's your AU and you can have the various players do anything you want, but trying to look at it from a Japanese perspective I can't see why they'd go for the naval base when there is a much bigger prize on offer.

EDIT: Oh, and for the "blockade" stuff I was talking more about the effect on Svyatoslavovich Naval Air Base of the strike on Rossiya sovereign islands - the allies in WWII reduced Rabaul's effectiveness by preventing anything from getting to it and taking the territory around it away from the Japanese. This tactic would reduce Svyatoslavovich Naval Air Base's effectiveness by destroying the head end of the supply line, ideally. In both cases the target base ends up with no supplies, but Rabaul needed long-term dominance of the sea and the other one requires a decisive deep strike at your enemy - the second, from what I have read of WWII Japan, fits more with the mentality and is more practical for a nation at a disadvantage anyway (the IJN strategy wasn't to hold the Pacific, I think, it was to attrit and eliminate a hostile force over the course of a single strike, retaliatory or otherwise, by their enemies - which is why those win-loss ratios become so crucial)

Regards,
Adam

[OberstAmiruddin]

But won't the Japanese need worry about the Rossiyan Air Force, Army, Mountain Corps, Marine Corps, Airborne Corps, the three branches of the Rossiyan National Guard not to mention the shore batteries that line the Rossiyan coastline which are more concentrated to east because Protektorat, the capital is on the North East corner of the main island (the bigger one) so I highly doubt Japan is going to try attack the Rossiyan home islands

[Thiel]

It's that or don't attack at all.

[acelanceloet]

in addition, before WW2 the battleships were seen as the superior ships, against which even aircraft had no chance. if rossiya was blocked, the battleships damaged or sunk, the japanese could do whatever they wanted..... but they could not do so as long as rossiya had any counterattack power.

[OberstAmiruddin]

Anyway, here is the WW2 oilier of the Rossiyan Navy
Bierfass class oilier
While the Dokuritsu-Sei class made sure the soldiers, airmen and sailors were fed and their guns loaded, the Bierfass class oiliers ensure the ships of the Rossiyan Navy were always had fuel in their tanks. This class of oilier were armed with three 5 inch anti-air cannons in open mounts, four 40 mm anti-air cannons, two 20 mm anti-air cannons and four 15 mm anti-air cannons. There were about 90 of these vessels during the war.

[JSB]

I'm not sure that they can attack,
Historically the PH strike uses all the big CVs, so what do they send done south ? and how does it get past Malaya barrier without getting noticed ?

With Rossiya helping the British/USSR even if only like the US by trading/neutrality patrols then I don’t think you can hope that hey will stay neutral and due to number therefore a southern strategy doesn’t work ......

The question is what do you get instead ? China war until they run out of money/oil ? This will also affect the European war (and when/if does USA/R get involved with it ?) lots of butterfly to think through.

JSB

Edit Re oiler
- I would want one of the 5 inch guns to cover the stern/bow each(U boats as well as Air)
- probably to much kit for a 41 oiler (radar will be very limited to best fleet units)(to much light AA for 41, say 2x5' + 2x 40mm + 6x 20mm max)

[acelanceloet]

70 ships of a single class as fleet oilers? while the war evolved the ships stayed the same? I highly doubt that.

anyways, you have opened up a whole new set of problems here. you made the funnel smaller, which implies smaller machinery. you have made the ship longer, but I think she already sailed her hull speed so no real speed advantage will be gotten from that. your funnel is now exactly where I think the turbines or machines should go (as more aft then that are the shafts out of the hull, and forward of it is the hold). in addition, the hold was not bigger from the modifications you did. the stern is now lower, making it wetter. however, you put guns on that space, further crampening and lowering its usability. the new aft superstructure serves no real purpose other then housing the crew for all the new weapons you put on, for which I do not really see the need (who builds all those thousands of guns for your navy, as the US struggled to keep their equipment construction lines up with the build construction lines)

speaking of guns, you have some really big ones on quite flimsy supports in front of the bridge.

try to think your ships out and draw the baselines themselves. right now I just see ill thought out kitbashes in an 'blegh' setting, and please try to get the one or the other right, if you cannot get both.

[OberstAmiruddin]

I have redone the oilier and I dropped half of the guns