Operation Unicorn May 22 Part I

Re: Operation Unicorn May 22 Part I

feeds@yuku.com (TomB1) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 21:01:04 GMT

It was the 109th Brigade not the 108th Brigade that is subordinated to the West Riding Division in Clare.

Re: Operation Unicorn May 22 Part I

feeds@yuku.com (Rapidkreuzer) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 01:19:20 GMT

Don´t forget about the German "SCHNEID".

Re: Operation Unicorn May 22 Part I

feeds@yuku.com (TomB1) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:32:56 GMT

Very funny. Though it could be argued that the RN had something similar called the Nelsonic spirit.

Re: Operation Unicorn May 22 Part I

feeds@yuku.com (TomB1) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:28:39 GMT

And 3 of the Courbet and Voltaire are still in the yards from Battle of Cattaro Gulf. The Bretagne class are not yet complete (Provence is almost done though)

Re: Operation Unicorn May 22 Part I

feeds@yuku.com (miketr) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:15:06 GMT

Rapidkreuzer wrote:

What I have meant, but you described it more accurate. Beside the 3 Radetzky-Battleships are Semi-DNs and to call the Liberte-class a Semi-DN is quite optimistic I think.

Not really the range of the French main weapons is very limited. Yah the Danton's have 240mm wing turrets to the Liberte 194mm but both are about equally useless vs. a Modern DN I think.

Michael

Re: Operation Unicorn May 22 Part I

feeds@yuku.com (Vordarian) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:00:55 GMT

Ah, mon ami, but they have something the HSF lacks- elan!

Re: Operation Unicorn May 22 Part I

feeds@yuku.com (CJvR) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:20:24 GMT

real question is what can France hope to do if they do move their ships north?

It would depend on the lighter forces available rather than the battleline. If they want to do something alone they are rather restricted in their options. The French could move subs and TBs to the channel to help prevent the HSF from using it like an Irish-German Autobahn with a few PDN at Brest in support.

If the objective is to keep the Atlantic ports open then the basic strategy...

Re: Operation Unicorn May 22 Part I

feeds@yuku.com (Rapidkreuzer) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:24:06 GMT

What I have meant, but you described it more accurate. Beside the 3 Radetzky-Battleships are Semi-DNs and to call the Liberte-class a Semi-DN is quite optimistic I think.

The solution to this problem will be interesting, because I don´t expect Clemanceau to calculate with British help.

Re: Operation Unicorn May 22 Part I

feeds@yuku.com (miketr) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:38:18 GMT

The Hapsburgs have 3 DN's and 3 PDN's with a collection of coast defense ships to back them up but only 4 modern cruisers and a few DD's/TB's. Right now the French can keep them bottled up fairly effectively. France also has a good collection of PDN's themselves; 10 in total as a I recall and those are only the most modern ones with mixed 12" and 9.4" batteries. They have a number of older ships.

The real question is what can France hope to do if...

Re: Operation Unicorn May 22 Part I

feeds@yuku.com (Rapidkreuzer) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:51:12 GMT

Can the french really afford to transfer so many ships to the Channel? Right now there are just the 5 Dantons, 4 Courbets and 2 Bretagne class ships who are a real threat to the KuK-Navy. The British forces consist mainly of PreDNs, so I wonder if it will encourage Haus for another sortie or the Turks to send Goeben and Breslau.

Re: Operation Unicorn May 22 Part I

feeds@yuku.com (TomB1) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 13:09:24 GMT

There are 3 British divisions plus 2 brigades (108th and 31st) in and around Limerick now plus the remants of Welsh Division not too far away. The next meeting of the War Committee early next post has some hard choices to make.

Re: Operation Unicorn May 22 Part I

feeds@yuku.com (TomB1) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 13:05:08 GMT

My thoughts about the deltas on American politics is not of a wholesale shift towards the CP but a widening polarization. There are those in the US who will applaud the news of DeV's execution starting wih HCL.

Re: Operation Unicorn May 22 Part I

feeds@yuku.com (CJvR) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 09:02:40 GMT

So about a day or a day and a half from Ireland depending on convoy speed. The HSF should arrive a bit sooner likely. With one brigade, one international brigade's worth of voluntaries and a cavalry division landing in the next days the British position is rapidly becoming disasterous. If the Germans can scrape up enough horses for the cavalry they might pocket the entire Limerick force by charging through the gap opening up in the British lines, that is what? Three divisions or so......

Re: Operation Unicorn May 22 Part I

feeds@yuku.com (miketr) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 18:13:30 GMT

Problem is von Steuben is burried in the US and not Germany. No tomb for Pershing to go and visit.... Unless he visits it before he leaves or we return the body when we enter the war... if we were to enter the war.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steuben_Memorial_State_Historic_Site

I wonder if the British can do enough damage with their Campaign in Ireland to push congress that...

Re: Operation Unicorn May 22 Part I

feeds@yuku.com (TomB1) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 14:02:51 GMT

It was his American origin that caused DeV's death sentence to be commuted to a lengthy hard labor sentence (which is turn was shortened postwar). The impression I get from de Rosa was that the commutation was by no means a sure thing.

Re: Operation Unicorn May 22 Part I

feeds@yuku.com (Vordarian) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 09:30:42 GMT

Mhm... guillotining US citizens will not be going down well there...
Baron von Steuben, we are here!?

Re: Operation Unicorn May 22 Part I

feeds@yuku.com (TomB1) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 21:19:24 GMT

De Valera's death will present a special set of problems in the US.

Re: Operation Unicorn May 22 Part I

feeds@yuku.com (miketr) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 07:58:42 GMT

Grrr...stupid Yuku ate my post...

I think these deaths are going to create some press problems for the British in US cities with large numbers of Irish immigrants.

Michael

Re: Operation Unicorn May 22 Part I

feeds@yuku.com (miketr) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 07:45:47 GMT

Unless the British resupply their troops and get some coal and other goods to the French they are in for a world of pain. I suspect that without such respupply the British forces will become totally combat ineffective and face collapse in the face of a determined attack.

I agree that getting supplies won't make the world all roses but without them leads to defeat.

Michael

Re: Operation Unicorn May 22 Part I

feeds@yuku.com (TomB1) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 07:03:44 GMT

I based the first leg of the Clemenceau Offensive, the Battle of Compiegne on the historical Second Artois, where the French initially had some limited success because they used both an extended bombardment and Petain but after that ran into the Law of Diminishing Returns. The French casualties at Second Artois were 102,500 (source A. Banks) in a battle that lasted a month. Given Clemenceau's fanaticism Compiegne is probably very close to that figure already. There are 2 other legs of...

Operation Unicorn May 22 Part I

feeds@yuku.com (TomB1) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:13:31 GMT

Part I posted below for aesthetic reasons.