Tales of the Aztec Sultanate

[The Rock Doctor]

There is a distinct possibility that Piotr might also be on a cadet cruise, of course...

[TacCovert4]

There is a distinct possibility that Piotr might also be on a cadet cruise, of course...

Quite.  Just keeping this thing going in the background of everything else.  In some ways it would be almost funny if they were and ended up on opposite sides of the planet on them unintentionally.

[TacCovert4]

July 5th, 1933

HMS Hammerhead pounded through the moderate seas, making her way up the Albion Channel en route to her more northerly port stops.  Down in the aft magazine, Midshipman Anacaona is thinking little about the journey or the destination.  Rocking back and forth, for the third watch in a row, she supervises preventative maintenance on the ship's shell and powder hoists.  Grumbling as each set of interlocks for first the 180mm guns, then the AA guns, are greased, tested, and then tested again, she dutifully fills out the checklist, confirming to the Corvette's gunnery officer that the hoists are indeed certified safe to operate. 

[TacCovert4]

August 2nd, 1933

HMS Hammerhead anchors in the roads of Gdansk, one of the last port stops on her training cruise, having engaged in some gunnery practice against worn-out ship's boats carried for the occasion in the North Sea out of the sealanes, giving each of the cadets a chance at the ship's 30 and 40 millimeter anti-aircraft guns.  While Cadet Anacaona had been impressed with the modern electric and hydraulic controls for the four barreled rotary 40mm gun, she had noted its propensity to jam and other issues that seemed to plague the chief gunner's mate assigned to each of the two mounts.  Clearly the gun had been put into service before all of the gremlins had been worked out.

As she goes to her locker, pulling out a dress for her 'transformation' from Cadet to Princess, Anacaona's heart flutters, just once.  After all, Gdansk was a port where she might see someone she hadn't seen in person in a few years.  Maybe she wouldn't be interested in him, maybe she would. Maybe he had a Vilnius or Roman or Parthian or Byzantine girl on his mind now.

Stepping aboard the motor launch for the quick transit to the pier, Princess Anacaona looks out over the bustling port city, spying a number of warships in the harbor, though none quite painted in the brilliant white and green that was the Aztec peacetime scheme.

[TacCovert4]

August 1st, 1933

Oaxaca Province

The assembled officers walk around the odd vehicle sitting on the range.  A concept dreamt up by a Captain of Maori heritage, one of the first of that tribal group to be inducted into the ranks of the Jaguar Warrior Society.  The basic design of the light tank was unchanged.  What was different, however, was the small armored trailer to be towed, and that the tank was only armed with a single machine gun in addition to the weapon replacing the bulk of the turret.  Instead of the short barreled 70mm gun, there was a metal pipe shrouding several tubes.  The demonstration had been impressive, a large piece of overgrown foliage had been scorched away in just a few minutes after being sprayed by the 'armored flame projector'.  The mixture of paraffin and fuel oil, ignited by a magnesium igniter, was merely an upgrade of the same flamethrowers used by Jaguar Warrior infantry as an assault weapon and more commonly a defoliator to maintain the cleared lanes on the jungle fortification lines along the Aztec/Mayan border. 

Most of the conversation is about how the concept is impressive, and truly a brilliant idea for jungle warfare. The flame being able to be projected twenty meters was indeed very impressive and better than double what the backpack units used by the infantry could do. However the quite old tank design has inadequate room, with the driver and commander/gunner being very cramped with the additional equipment.  And numerous questions about the vulnerability of the tank, and especially concerns with its necessary trailer getting stuck or being otherwise incapable of easy maneuver.  Of course the other question was whether the light armor would withstand moving such a vehicle up in combat, especially against the sorts of fortifications along the Oaxaca line. 

Ultimately, it was concluded that while the experiment should continue, especially in light of newer and more advanced armored vehicles in development, none of the existing tanks in inventory would be converted from their 'assault' 70mm short-barreled gun to the flame projector.

[Kaiser Kirk]

What I find humorous is I was thinking about tank design and came across a picture of an Italian tankette modified for flamethrowing, starting thinking about how to include that...and then thought of the steppes and desert of my border with the Horde. It's  cool piece of kit, but not likely to be foremost in the design considerations of the Parthians...well until we become envious of the Aztec toys :)

[TacCovert4]

What I find humorous is I was thinking about tank design and came across a picture of an Italian tankette modified for flamethrowing, starting thinking about how to include that...and then thought of the steppes and desert of my border with the Horde. It's  cool piece of kit, but not likely to be foremost in the design considerations of the Parthians...well until we become envious of the Aztec toys :)

The Aztec 'Warrior Society' system lends towards drastically different doctrines and kit.  In this case, with armored vehicles, the Snake Warriors which predominately operate in the deserts and scrublands up north are trending towards fast vehicles and tanks armed with machine guns and long-ranged weapons.  While the Jaguar Warriors, which predominately operate in Oaxaca province which is highland jungle with extensive fortifications....are trending towards assault guns and other close-combat weapons like flamethrowers and flame-tanks.  The Seal Warriors draw from both to a limited degree.

[Kaiser Kirk]

I've altered my preconceptions to better fit the Land Unit bit, but I expect to be a bit more of a 'Legion' basis - an infantry core unit with then additional organic battalions that vary by location. So the units in Sumatra, West Africa and the Orinoco basin will have different kit than my steppe/desert/mountain areas. But unlike Azteca, Jungle isn't the a 'home defense' area.

[TacCovert4]

The Air Ministry, The Old City, Tenochtitlan

Crown Prince Ali, this time in his role as heir apparent and not as Commander Ali RNAS, sits in the conference room as designs are reviewed.

"I agree minister, the Supermarine Spitfire has great promise.  The models in service now with just the four 12mm machine guns are quite capable fighters, and these improvements to a new 20mm aircraft autocannon along with the engine improvements should make them a positively excellent and mature fighter.  While I think that the Hawker Hurricane is far more mature at this point, within the next two years the Spitfire will have outclassed it in every notable area except ease of maintenance."

"What does your highness think of Hawker's newest design that's now in ground testing?"

"The Typhoon?  I like the firepower, and the engine certainly has power density, but I think that it's more suited to ground attack than air combat.  I can see why everyone is excited about it though, it will certainly eclipse the Northrop Nomad in its role as close air support, and it does fill the gap the Spitfire has in that role."

"But you don't think we can economize on it as a single fighter-bomber"

"Not yet.  Once the design is more mature certainly.  But Supermarine has devised an excellent product.  Do you agree it would be better to have multiple manufacturers develop fighters in case one is a flop?"

"Oh I agree your highness.  The Skua problem has certainly taught us a lesson there, as we didn't accept any of the other designs for testing because they were biplanes"

"Yes, that is certainly a painful lesson.  The Skua has been quite the disappointment, though Blackburn seems to think they can iron out most of the problems.  Still, I will take responsibility for pushing a monoplane that can function as a fighter, the success of the simpler Shark as a torpedo bomber has proven that we should have let the biplane options for dive bomber into the competition rather than single-source"

"Speaking of the Shark, we have not had many new designs for Torpedo bomber put forward.  And what about your request for all carrier aircraft to be fighters?"

"With the naval environment and the necessity to have small airgroups on carriers that can both attack and defend, I believe that single-seat aircraft that can do both roles is going to be invaluable. However, I concur that for now we will need to keep that as a request and not a requirement.  With the Typhoon appearing to be a superior close air support platform and the role of light bomber really not being necessary, what about asking Northrop to continue development of the Nomad?  They have put forward some modifications, both as a floatplane and a torpedo bomber.  The Vindicator is sufficiently good as a floatplane, so they should be encouraged to make the Nomad a torpedo bomber to replace the Shark."

"Very well your highness.  Speaking to the other fighter, Lockheed's offering seems to be quite impressive."

"Yes, it's larger than the Typhoon, but also faster.  And if the new engine isn't a success the Lightning would be able to fulfill the attack roles as well.  It also has the legs that the current Spitfire lacks, so it can function as a long range escort or interceptor"

"Looking more at the Navy, are you certain about Vought's offering?"

"I believe it is going to be a most excellent fighter.  Not without its own teething troubles, so the Hurricane should be maintained in production.  But the Corsair has promise to be very fast, and unlike the Hurricane it could potentially double as a dive bomber, which would reduce the number of different airframes in service."

"And on the subject of maritime patrol?"

"The pilots like the Catalina.  The Coronado just hasn't been the success we thought it would be, it's too expensive for the role compared to the Catalina."

"The Coronado did give us some advances though"

"Certainly, it's our first four engined aircraft, and our first big bomber.  The RAF specification seems to have born fruit, as Consolidated is getting close to producing the Liberator, which could potentially replace the Coronado as a patrol plane and give us our first bomber that can seriously threaten Mayan industry"

"I note that you deleted the requirement for a replacement for the Blenheim?"

"I did.  Currently the large fighter bombers we're developing, like the Typhoon, Lightning, and Beaufighter can all carry similar bomb loads to the Blenheim, and are faster and more survivable.  We'll see if there are improvements later, but for now I think that we have what we need and should economize our engines towards the best aircraft possible"

The Air Minister begins to roll up the various blueprints and spec sheets laid out on the table before them.  "Is there anything else your majesty can think of?"

"One thing, more something to keep in mind.  As we're moving towards single-seat fighter/bombers in the Navy, we should keep our eyes open for a design of a three seat long range aircraft.  Currently the Skua is performing the role of air control and scout.  But it's a job for more than a single person and the pilot needs to focus on flying and navigating.  I will say that we've lost some capability since we retired the Blackburn Blackburn, and having an aircraft that can perform all weather scouting and control over long overwater distances from a carrier is a capability we need to try to return to."

The other staffers finish taking their notes and everyone departs.  Ali looks at the artist renderings a bit wistful, knowing that he might never get to put a Spitfire, Typhoon, or Corsair through its paces.

[TacCovert4]

Elsewhere, the debate rages amongst aeronautical experts and enthusiasts.  Within the Sultanate, this debate has been ongoing since the early 1920s.  Are bigger guns better, or more of them?  In the RAF, especially amongst the fighter arm, there has been a see-saw between more 8mm MGs and fewer 12mm MGs.  In the previous generations the actual aircraft performance was the deciding factor, with the 12mm designs having too few guns to have what was considered a functional 'barrage' of rounds to achieve hits on target.  But with newer designs including things such as light armor for the pilot, fuel tanks that are harder to puncture, and more importantly the performance to carry 'useful' numbers of the larger guns, the 8mm has fallen out of favor in the RAF.  The consistent expectation is that the 12mm MG can achieve enough greater damage to kill an enemy aircraft 3x more often than the 8mm MG, and the 8mm MG can only be mounted in 2x the numbers to the 12mm MG. 

Meanwhile, in the RNAS, the sheer quantity of 8mm ammunition and the number of redundant guns against jamming has continued to encourage the 8mm as the primary weapon of RNAS fighter aircraft.  The thought in the RNAS is that individual fighters on combat air patrol will have to engage in longer dogfights and that 8mm MGs are sufficient to force enemy planes to break off their attacks on shipping, meaning that being able to shoot at proportionately MORE aircraft is more important than individually more telling shots.

This has meant that the RAF's Spitfire fleet are equipped with 4 x 12mm MGs, while the RNAS's Hurricanes are equipped with 8 x 8mm MGs.

Hawker's new plans for a fighter-attack aircraft in the Typhoon have turned the debate on once again, as a new 20mm autocannon has been planned.  At a similar weight to the 12mm MG, the 20mm cannon has explosive shell which promises to be even more effective, though the rate of fire drop-off is substantial compared to even the 12mm MG.  The RNAS seems to be dedicated to it's philosophy of sheer numbers of rounds however, with the planned Corsair having an almost obscene 10 x 8mm MG and large quantities of ammunition per gun, with the ability to select between firing all guns, inside guns, and outside guns. 

Another element to the debate is what the expected targets are, whether they are single-engined fighters or bombers, or large multi-engine bombers.  But the potential damage of the new autocannons have begun to cause a slow swell within the Naval Aviation community, as some thinkers believe that a mixed battery of machine guns and autocannons will give the endurance for longer defensive engagements while also giving the sheer firepower to take down vital or hard to kill targets in just a few hits, and that those targets are less maneuverable and thus will not need the long bursts typically found in a fighter on fighter maneuvering dogfight.

[TacCovert4]

On one of the quiet verandah's of the palace, Sultan and Crown Prince sit, sipping tequila and smoking cigars.  "So long as Shirin doesn't smell it on me, I won't have to hear about it" Ali chuckles to his father. 

"Son, about these aircraft carriers, I have several admirals quite put out that we are only slowly producing battleships while focusing so much capital on aircraft, carriers, and research"

"And you want to know if it's truly worth it?"

"Something like that.  We have poured capital into projects before that turned out to be dismal failures in practice.  And that's what some are saying now"

"Well father, the best way to explain it is like this.  The Monarch was laid down in 1919.  While it's slow compared to the new ships, and small, it's still very viable as a capital ship.  It does need an update, which will be rather expensive, but that is all.  By comparison, the Buzzard I flew against the Mayans just a few years ago had an eighteen liter engine producing three hundred horsepower.  The airplane could carry a couple of bombs that were more glorified grenades, and had a pair of machine guns.  The design I approved today from Vought is for an airplane with a forty one liter engine, pushing almost two thousand horsepower, and can potentially carry a thousand kilos of bombs and ten machine guns.  The large torpedo boats we had in the Mayan war could carry four to six torpedoes at a bit over thirty knots.  Our current carriers can deploy the torpedo load of four of those GTBs, without risk to the ship, at just over one hundred knots."

The Sultan sips his drink.  "The way you say it, the battleship is already done forever."

"Oh not quite.  That's the extremists talking.  Battleships function in all weather conditions, at night, and can immediately engage an emerging threat without needing to turn into the wind and launch aircraft.  They have a purpose.  Certainly on the defensive, a battleship is a formidable foe, especially if it is supported by fighters that can keep opposing strike aircraft out of envelope.  But as a primary striking arm, yes, the days of the battleship are numbered.  I would suspect another ten years before we perfect nighttime operations and the ability to bomb and torpedo ships at night over long distances.  When that happens, the battleship will be too vulnerable, and the independently operating battlecruiser will be subject to a death sentence once it gets within two hundred miles."

[TacCovert4]

October 1934, Tuscon, Arizona Province

SgtMaj Metzli leans on her cane as the prototype new vehicles for Queen Fatima's Light Cavalry line up on the parade ground.  Captain Atla looks at her, "magnificent, aren't they?"  "They're certainly a far cry from riding horseback into battle against machine guns over open ground" Metzli replies with a grunt.  "Does take the soul out of the cavalry though, we won't be using horses for much longer".  "Oh we'll still need horses, the terrain in the backcountry along the Parthian and Roman border is still poor enough for vehicles that horses probably won't go away for at least another two decades.  But we won't have to ride into battle like that again, no." Atla says. 

The new "M8" armored cars, much sleeker than the open topped box affairs currently in use as supporting arms stood proud, their six big tires appearing ready to cross any terrain.  "What are they armed with?" Metzli asks.  The much younger woman replies "a 30mm autocannon, developed from the navy's anti-aircraft gun but shortened somewhat.  And a machine gun.  And they're armored against anything 12mm and less."  Metzli whistles. "And there's talk of a version without a turret, with a partially open gun mount for a short 70mm field gun to give high explosive support to the cavalry on the move.  With these, you can move across the sagebrush at 40 kilometers an hour and even properly fire at least some of the guns at ten or fifteen."

"What are those?" Metzli asks, looking at the weird partial trucks.  "Oh, those are halftracks.  You can put a whole squad in one with a machine gun.  And they can cover terrain the current armored trucks can't handle.  With those, you can deliver troops directly to the front line, and rush across open terrain to avoid shellfire.  there's even talk of mounting the rockets to one." Atla replies.  "Certainly is a modern age" the old sergeant major says, smiling a little "I'll almost miss it when I retire next year, but twenty years in the northern provinces and a Roman bullet is enough for me"

[TacCovert4]

The end of prototype trials by the four major societies had yielded an almost expected polyglot of results:

The Snake Warriors viewed the halftrack trucks and medium tank offerings, and even the light tank offerings, as unsuited to their primary purpose of long-distance and high speed maneuver in the vast plains and scrub deserts.  Ultimately, while a few odds and ends were decided to be considered for procurement, all designs distilled to two basic chassis, the 6 x 6 M8 armored car chassis, with a variety of turrets, superstructures, and arrangements considered for the 'light cavalry' battalions within their brigades.  The extreme speed of the fully tracked M18 vehicles, while thin skinned, were loved and efforts redoubled to build a variety of 'cavalry tanks' using this basic chassis as the primary combat vehicle of the 'heavy cavalry' battalions.

The Eagle Warriors settled on pushing for an updated tankette with a pair of turret-mounted 12mm MGs on its two-man hull as something capable of being carried by aircraft and lining up with their doctrine of air mobile infantry.

The Seal Warriors primarily liked the 'light tanks' and insisted on a full variety of vehicles built on the M3 Light chassis, including an assault gun, tank, flamethrower vehicle, artillery carrier, and so forth, with these being considered to be light enough for landing across a beach using the basic amphibious equipment currently available. 

The Jaguar Warriors opted for series production of the Half-Track, as a cost saving and efficiency measure.  While they acknowledged it was not as capable as the 'Kangaroo' designs the Snake Warriors wanted, the ability to carry larger numbers of men cheaply matched their war plans of supporting infantry operations in Oaxaca Province or in set-piece warfare against the Romans.  The M3 Medium series, despite its ungainly appearance, were considered to be fine tanks for fighting on the Oaxaca line, with the ability to fire from both a 40mm and a 70mm gun in the attack or defense to be a desired design feature.