Kolkata War 1916

[Desertfox]

Oh, I was saying that it should have more holes than it already had.  The few zeppelins germany deployed over the western front were all shot down or badly damaged in their first few flights. I think none survived more than three flights. Deploying zeppelins over battlefields during the day is very dangerous, especially the early ones that can't fly very high, even when there is no fighter opposition.

[Guinness]

Yeah, but how high would it need to fly to be largely safe from small arms fire? 5000 feet? More? Less?

Or do we think that Bharat would be shooting bigger stuff at it?

[maddox]

Desertfox. What would you use as the Bharat invading army to shoot a French airship that sails over you.

Remember, Bharat isn't employing aircraft, nor had they have time to get non standard infantry/cavalery weapons to the front.

Machine guns?
Artilery?
Sniper rifles?

[Desertfox]

Anything that can fire in the geneal direction of the airship, be it: flares, rifles, field guns, howitzers, mortars, machineguns, trebuchets... well maybe not the last one.

A good sniper can hit a human size target at 2,500 feet. Hitting a battleship size target at 5,000 feet is not particularly difficult. Any weapon with the range to hit the airship can do so, and I'm pretty sure that even period rifles have the range to hit an airship at those altitudes.

Aircraft and dedicated AA guns are not required. To be reasonably safe the airship would have to operate at least 10,000 ft altitude, or over its own lines. All the german Zeppelin losses over battlefields happened in the first month of the war. After that no airship operated over the battlefield during the day.

[Carthaginian]

Anything that can fire in the geneal direction of the airship, be it: flares, rifles, field guns, howitzers, mortars, machineguns, trebuchets... well maybe not the last one...

Not a bad idea, but...

A good sniper can hit a human size target at 2,500 feet. Hitting a battleship size target at 5,000 feet is not particularly difficult. Any weapon with the range to hit the airship can do so, and I'm pretty sure that even period rifles have the range to hit an airship at those altitudes.

A good sniper has a helluva lot of trouble hitting a 4' long target moving at 40 mph at half a mile... and that's about how hard it would be for him to put one in the engine of an airship, which is the only part that a man-portable rifle can harm. Even a .50 caliber round would have a hard time doing any real damage to the airship, especially if it's lifting gas has been 'poisoned' to prevent easy ignition.

Aircraft and dedicated AA guns are not required.

Again, if your gunners are good enough (read 'experienced enough') to figure out the right range, elevation (and how to devise a method of super-elevating their guns to reach the target) and lead distance to make it work... yeah, sure, it could be done- well, as long as the guns were emplaced in such a way that they had a full range of mobility and could track the airship.

[ctwaterman]

I think someone has an over inflated opinion of the ranges of a rifle. :-[

Some of the Heavy Machine Guns and such maybe.

On the other hand if you want to have all 50,000 troops firing their rifles up into the air Im sure eventually cumulative damage would be effective.  But I dont want to be under the rain of lead falling back down. ;D

Rule of warfare - Friendly Fire Isnt... Friendly....

[Desertfox]

I'm not saying to hit the engines, but just have enough people shoot at the airship. Put enough holes in it and it won't be combat capable in a hurry. What gas would you use to 'poison' the hydrogen? Helium is nonexistant. Carbon monoxide and methane are both flammable, and using nitrogen wont do much good.

The theoretical maximum range for a standard 30 cal rifle is well over 50,000ft. However the effective range is closer to 5,000ft. It is definately possible to hit an airship operating under 10,000ft over enemy lines, with a standard issue rifle.

If you fire straight up, yeah the rounds might hit you (but won't kill you), but if you aim at ana ngle towards the enemy lines, those rounds will be doing double duty...

Besides, all I am saying is that it was done before without airplanes or dedicated AA guns. All german zeppelins operating over the battlefield in WWI where destroyed or heavily damaged in their first sorties. I don't recall how the allies did it, but they where able to.

[maddox]

Tides of war then. 
Or are you so eager, Desertfox, to see France lose an airship as soon as possible?

Rest assured,  Airship IX had a direct warzone carreer of 15 days.  Is that fast enough for you?

[miketr]

March 11th

During the night the Gurkha's and Maratha Infantry continue to work around the defenses of Durgapur.  Several raids and counter raids are launched in this time period.  During the night elements of the Bharat 9th Corps have arrived on the southern side of the river across from Durgapur.  The rest of the 9th Corps has a slow advance towards Bankura 20 km to the south from its current location.  The French and Hapsburg's prepare to fall back down river once again.   

At 8 AM local time in the Bay of Bengal the Gran Columbian Ship Guyana is missed by two torpedos. No firing ship was visible.

8th Corps reaches Kajilgarh the French J Brigade has already fired the town and has begun its retreat towards a crossing for the Haldi River at a town called Baghdoba 15 km away. In the mean time the 3rd Kolkata Armed Car Regiment screens the withdrawal.  The crews while new to their vehicles have a number of Italian instructors with them.  There mission is also rather simple.  When Bharat Infantry come into sight the armored cars open fire.  Forcing the Bharat Infantry to ground and to then call forward artillery support.  Then the armored cars retreat a bit up the road and repeat the maneuver again; some times a French 75 is in support or some dug in infantry.     

The 15th Bharat corps has been forced to move slowly since the capture of Kharagpur on the 8th and is only halfway to Bali Chak 20km to east.  The Corps is not getting enough supply and has been forced to foraging off the countryside to sustain itself.  The French I Brigade has totally broken contact in its rush towards Tamluk.

March 12th

With threats to the west, north and across the river it will not be possible for the French and Hapsburgs to cleanly break out of Durgapur.  Walking wounded and a number of damaged battalions are selected to hold the lines while the rest flee down the river to Bardhaman.  When the Bharat troops attack 1,000 Hapsburg and 2,000 French are killed or captured for virtually no losses of their own.  The French D and E brigades begin a march of 60 km towards Katwa a town on the Hoogly river 50 km south of Baharampur.

The Bharat 21st corps has thoroughly scouted the area north of Baharampur and the Corps logistics have caught up with them and the near by 2nd Corps.  The French A, B and C Brigades with 15,000 men are trying to cover over 50km river front and so they can't be everywhere.  Also boats have been prepared and that morning the Hoogly is forced 5 km north of a town called Jiaganj which is 15 km north of Baharampur.  A battalion with 870 men is holding the town when an entire Brigade of the 21st Bharat Corps attacks.  The French hold for 3 hours killing over a 1,000 Bharat troops before they are driven back.  To the north of the town over half of the French A Brigade is just been cut off by the break through.  Bharat engineers quickly begin to erect a pontoon bridge.  The French begin a rapid retreat down the river while the cut off part of A Brigade attempts to escape.
         
The 3rd Bharat Corps arrives to the west of Bankura where the French F & G Brigades have been destroying the towns infrastructure.  At the same time detachments from the Bharat 9th Corps have arrived from the north.  The French rapidly flee the town.

The Bharat 19th Corps out of Puruliya breaks down into brigades to secure line of communication for Bharat troops in western French Calcutta.

French I Brigade is ordered towards Hakala on the lower Damodar river about 15 km north of Tamluk and the site of an important bridge.

March 13th Bharat 22nd corps arrives at Bishnupur.

With the situation grim the French Commander orders the 3rd Kolkata Corps to Keshabur 40 km south of Barddhaman.  The 3rd is still forming, has no artillery as of yet, few machineguns, is also short rifles and of course has only just begun training.  The 3rd will be used as a labor force to erect defenses at the town as a fall back position for the 2nd Corps and the Hapsburgs.  The 4th and 5th Kolkata Corps in much the same shape are ordered to do the same around Kolkata itself along with thousands of civilian forced labor. 

An old French Heavy Cruiser has arrived at Haldia where it is tied up as a floating battery, another arrives at Tamluk.  The 12" guns are pointed towards the Advancing Bharat troops.

March 14th After three days dealing with roadblocks, ambushes by armored cars and the like the Bharat 8th Corps arrives at Baghdoba the bridge is destroyed after the last Italian built armored car crosses over.  Scouts to the south of the river closer to Haldia are rewarded for their efforts with a 12" shell.   

Leading brigades of 15th Corps arrive at the town of Panskura after a march of 30 km since the 11th.  Just over 10 km more to the town of Hakala and the Damodar river.

French F & G Brigades arrive in Bishnupur 30 km east of Bankura.  There are Bharat troops close to the Brigades west the Bharat 3rd, the Bharat 22nd is operating someplace to their south and the 9th is close to their north.  The Brigades will continue their movement to the east, 60 km away Keshabpur is their destination.  No demolition will be conducted and anyone or anything that can't keep up will be left behind.

The Bharat 21st Corps has their pontoon bridge fully in place at last and can at last get their supplies and artillery across the Hoogly river.  In the mean time  the French have fled south and all but a single battalion of the French A Brigade has also escaped; the lone Battalion is fleeing east along the Ganges and then plans to go south to attempt to escape.

March 15th

Bharat 21st and 2nd Corps enter Bahrampur and start to drive south.

Hapsburg and French arrive at Barddhaman

French D and E brigades arrive at Katwa


Map March 15th
http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/6697/phase3.png

Some Naval stuff might follow

[Desertfox]

Considering that France can build a hundred airship a half without blinking, I don't think the loss of one will do much. Its just that its one of the areas where I actually know something, and happens to be the one role that airships where not suited for. Plus flying directly over the frontlines dropping 'stuff' is the best way to get shot down. As long as the airship stays at least 1 mile from the frontline and as high as possible, it will be near impossible to shoot down.

[maddox]

OOC

Desertfox, first of all, it's Miketr who's running the show of the Kolkatan war. 
Not me. I, as France, don't have anything else to do than issue orders. Even even if those are idiotic.

And, we're not "IRL".

Also, building 100 airships won't win any war. 

But thanks for the advice, the other airships will learn for the demise of the previous airships.

[The Rock Doctor]

11 March 1916:  The Bay of Bengal, North of the Andaman Islands

"The big question right now is what happens to the Muslims and Christians", Rear-Admiral Ramsey remarked, sipping at his sherry.  "Buddhists and Hindus are welcomed, but the Burmese government is not fond of Muslims or Christians.  They'll have to re-locate."

"The NEI would be a logical destination for the Muslims, Sir", Captain Chumley observed.  "Perhaps Firanj, but it's further away.  Have there been discussions on the matter?"

"Not that I'm aware of", Ramsey replied.  "However, there's no reason to think I'd be kept in that loop."

"You do seem to be in the loop on the matter, Sir", Chumley noted.

"Strictly as a result of reports from our liaison team in Rangoon.  They can see and hear the refugee camp - they can't see or hear the government at work."

"I wonder if the Burmese are ready for a second wave now that the balloon is up", Chumley mused.  "Calcutta is one thing, but you might think that the remaining non-Hindi population in Bharat would be inclined to-"

Chumley stopped as a ship's horn began blurting out a staccato call for attention.  Goblets were set down on the table, chairs were pushed back, and they marched out of the day cabin, down the corridor, and into the bridge.

"-starboard.  Execute!", the XO was ordering as they arrived. 

"Status report!", Chumley called over both the sentry's announcement of their arrival and the signalman's acknowledgement of the order.

"Guyana reports that she has just been missed by a torpedo, Sir.  I've ordered an general emergency turn to starboard", the XO replied as Warrior's deck began tilting to starboard. 

Four thousand yards ahead, Chumley could see that the protected cruiser was hard over in an emergency turn of her own, the attached blimp swinging out from its mooring mast like a child hanging off a merry-go-round.  "Call for battle stations.  Prepare for torpedo damage."  He paused long enough for the orders to be repeated, then added, "Are there foreign ships in the area?", he asked, as the deck began to tilt to starboard.

"None seen, Sir", the XO replied.

"Submarine", Chumley said, glancing towards Read-Admiral Ramsey. 

"A submarine that isn't very good at identifying national flags", Ramsey commented to a smattering of nervous chuckles.  "Signal Puyo that she is to suppress and if possible sink the submarine."  To Chumley he mused, "A shame we don't have the A-9 overhead.  I imagine they would be able to see a submarine at periscope depth."

"Possibly, Sir.  An interesting scenario to consider in the future".

The next few minutes passed by very slowly.

The entire squadron reversed its course and now steamed west at eighteen knots in somewhat ragged formation.  Chumley would have preferred to be travelling at Warrior's own best speed of twenty-seven knots, but that would both disrupt the formation and expose the refugee-laden Senora Isabella, currently a thousand yards ahead of the armored cruiser, to whatever torpedoes were approaching.  Warrior was large enough that she ought to be able to survive one or two hits; the troopship was not.

"Possible torpedo broaching on the starboard quarter", came a call from above. 

"Hopefully we've outdistanced them all", Ramsey remarked.  "We'll continue on this heading for another fifteen minutes, then come south.  We'll make a broad loop around the likely location of this fellow while Puyo works him over."

"Yes, Sir.  Twelve depth charges and just one submarine should be academic", Chumley observed.

"Indeed.  But we'll adjust formation on the assumption it isn't", Ramsey said.  "And we'll be sure to relay this incident to headquarters once we have access to a telegraph system."

[Carthaginian]

*Transmission to the UNK vessels bound for Kolkata*

DO NOT REPEAT DO NOT DROP BELOW 15 KNOTS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES SAVE MOST INCLEMENT WEATHER STOP INSTITUTE BLACKOUT PRECAUTIONS AND ZIG-ZAG ON IRREGULAR PATTERS AS PER WARTIME POLICY STOP IN CASE OF SUBMARINE ATTACK ESCORTS ARE TO PROSECUTE TO DRIVE OFF STOP G.L. STOP G. S. T. K. END

[Sachmle]

Carth: I presume that wireless was sent on like March 13th or so, after the GC telegraph arrived, was decoded, and then leaked to someone, who leaked it to someone else, who gave the UNK the info. :D

[Carthaginian]

Carth: I presume that wireless was sent on like March 13th or so, after the GC telegraph arrived, was decoded, and then leaked to someone, who leaked it to someone else, who gave the UNK the info. :D

The transmission was sent a couple of days after the ships set sail (coincidentally, this is after the GC incident... but likely some days before it is known), when the Admiralty received two pieces of information- word of the French cruisers setting sail for Kolkata and word of Kolkata naval forces setting sail- some of which will likely not be 'naval vessels' but commerce raiders disguised as merchantmen. The submarine specific orders are SOP for the Royal Navy- we weren't aware of a sub threat at this time, but they are included as a matter of course.

The orders are consistent with avoiding vessels of this type as well as submarines: maintain a speed high enough a converted merchant will have trouble trailing you, and change course randomly and often to throw off pursuit or prevent planned interceptions. A second transmission is forthcoming, notifying the ships of more specific hazards... say about 18 March.