Mancunian Northumbria wrote:Ok so, one of my infantry division circa 1937 is gonna consist of two infantry brigades, an artillery brigade and a much smaller support brigade. Very roughly speaking how should I distribute AT guns?
Should I give the inf brigades an AT gun coy or should I concentrate a mobile AT force that can be deployed where its needed?
I already plan on having the AAA battalions distributed equally to act as cover and to provide direct fire-support where needed.
How much authority is delegated to the brigades? A more independent brigade would probably favor more distributed assets, while a more division-centric structure would probably favor a concentrated division-level force.
Also is stripping divisional artillery down to a small amount of howitzer and leaving it with mainly heavy mortars and such and concentrating artillery in a central army group force for breakthrough purposes a really bad idea?
I wouldn't say it's a really bad one, although it does leave the divisions rather vulnerable in the event they are attacked. Mortars and howitzers of the era are probably not sufficient to cover the entire division's expected area of operations though, at the very least some field guns would be needed.
Western Pacific Territories wrote:Unrelated but I've stumbled upon the meme machine known as
Zhang Zhaozhong. This guy right here is a employed military theorist for the PLA Navy and is living proof that Chinese dominance is probably a meme. Among other things, he has non-ironically stated the following:
- Stated that China's rampant smog pollution is beneficial, as it will render US military laser systems useless.
- Stated that the U.S. military would not take Baghdad, only hours before they seized Saddam's palace.
- Stated that Libyan rebels would never find Gaddafi AS THEY WERE DRAGGING HIM OUT OF HIS HIDEOUT.
- Stated that the seaweed fishing nets used by Chinese fishermen in the Yellow Sea could act as a effective determent against nuclear submarines.
- Stated that Chinese fishing boats could destroy the USS Zumwalt.
One wonders how anyone in PLA command takes this guy seriously.
I doubt anyone who has any real influence in the PLA does.
But it's good propaganda. Just like how the Russians like to issue ridiculous claims about world events, such as Ukraine or NATO itself shooting down MH17 even in the face of incontrovertible evidence that Russian equipment was used. Or claims about the performance of their future weapons development programs, which are either vaporware or end up radically scaled back. A supersonic blended wing transport with a 200-ton payload capacity and 80 units in service by 2024? Cool story bro. They're not trying to persuade Western analysts and experts, or even the Western general population. It feeds the base and keeps them riled up and supportive of the regime.
It's a useful distraction especially in a nation with carefully censored media that is broadly complementary of the regime even on a bad day. Who's going to publicly refute a PLA official?
Ironically enough, Donald Trump is a perfect example of how the whole thing works: get someone bombastic enough with little or no regard for the truth to continue repeating obvious falsehoods that appeal to a segment of the population and they'll eat it hook, line, and sinker. People can believe anything if they want to believe it, they just need to be "encouraged" by people with enough confidence.
Kassaran wrote:Can I get some thoughts and suggestions on a Circa 1820-1830 Chinese military garb?
I'm thinking because I have muskets and cannons and what not, I'm thinking some heavier headwear may be present to help preserve hearing for those whom still can remember what it is like to have good hearing. Some standardized uniforms are going to be in place, in part due to rising industrialization, so feel free to offer some minimalist, yet substantial gear I could be using to supplement my fighting men on the frontlines.
By the time hearing loss is a problem it's probably time to leave the service. Not like much attention was paid to it anyway, since there wasn't very much understanding of how it occurred and how to prevent it.
Any simple cotton or wool jacket and trousers will do. And a belt to hold the cartridge box. Everything beyond this is basically just flourish and aesthetics.