Britannia Rules The Waves - A HOI3 AAR

[Hightemplar]

"The British army should be a projectile to be fired by the British navy"
-Sir Edward Grey

After the slaughter of the Great War more and more of the British establishment began to take this quote seriously, after all the Navy hadn't lost millions of men in the fields of France. This culminated in the Navy Act of 1935, Disbanding the RAF and the British army, and authorising the expansion of the Royal Marines and the Fleet Air Arm


-in game effects
From the 1936 start all British divisions are disbanded. Only marines and MPs may be built (and aircraft built must be focased on the navy)


Mild interactivity approved by Mr.C on 27 April, 2018

 

[Hightemplar]

Part 1 - The politics of the Empire

As head of state the Empire has HRH King George V who's stern imperial attitude encourages the workers of Britain to work harder

Next we Have Stanley Baldwin as Prime Minister and Minister for Security. As a man of the people he increases the country's leadership at a time where it is desperately needed
Stanley also spends a large amount of his time in backrooms stabing opposition politicians. While this does increase support for the Conservatives it annoys the trade union to no end who in retaliation for their favourite politicians being murdered work slower

As Foreign Minister we have Anthony Edan an Ideological Crusader. As a result he spends a large amount of time in the holy land teaching the people there about conservatism, as a result he has a very small impact on the country

As armament minister we have Neville Chamberlain who's only tallent is making people desire less in life. Less achievement, less eastern Europeian countries and most importantly less consumer goods

For the military roles we have a chief of the Marines who is fixated on guns and butter, a First Sea Lord who believes that a decisive battle will take place at sea (but where is the question), a chief of the Fleet Air Arm who believes that his job is important. The First Lord of The Admiralty believes in fit marines who can run faster

Lastly the head of intelligence is a man who can't be fired because of the state services Union

 

[stnylan]

Got to approval of a naval AAR.

 

[Hightemplar]

Part 2 - The Great Fleet Review

The Admiralty decided a fleet review was in order and so recalled the entire Royal Navy to Portsmouth. The public turned out in their thousands to witness the full might of the Royal Navy concentrated in one place. Upon seeing such a glorious sight King George V promptly died knowing the Empire was on safe hands. He was succeeded by King Edward VIII

The big winner of the fleet review was the Far-East fleet and the big loser was the Home fleet, Royal Navy planners having come to the conclusion that Germany's navy was very small while Japan's was very large and so ajusted their fleets accordingly with the Far-East fleet gaining a carrier task force and a large battle group as well as all of the fleet's submarines, the home fleet on the other hand was reduced to a battlecruiser taskforce as well as a number of cruisers and destroyers

Deployment in Full
Home Fleet (Hull)
-BC HMS Hood
-BC HMS Renoun
-BC HMS Repulse
-CA HMS Devonshire
-CA HMS London
-CA HMS Shropshire
-CL HMS Enterprise
-CL HMS Emerald
-CL HMS Achilles
-CL HMS Capetown
-CL HMS Caledon
-CL HMS Calypso

Cruiser Command (Scapa Flow)
-CA HMS Dorsetshire
-CA HMS Hawkins
-CA HMS Berwick
-CA HMS Cornwall
-CA HMS Cumberland
-CA HMS Suffolk
-CA HMS Kent
-CA HMS Sussex
-8 DD

Transports (Plymouth)
-CA HMS Effingham
-CA HMS Norfolk
-5 DD
-11 TT

Auxiliary Transports (Dover)
-1 DD
-2 TT

6 Escort Flotilla (Liverpool)
-3 DD each

Total ships in home waters
-3 BC
-13 CA
-6 CL
-32 DD
-13 TT

Mediterranean Fleet (Alexandria)
-BB HMS Barham
-BB HMS Valiant
-BB HMS Malaya
-BB HMS Warspite
-BB HMS Revenge
-BB HMS Rodney
-CL HMS Arethusa
-CL HMS Dragon
-CL HMS Ajax
-CL HMS Leander
-CL HMS Carlisle
-CL HMS Diomede

Force H (Gibraltar)
-CVL HMS Argus
-CVL HMS Eagle
-CVL HMS Hermes
-CL HMS Caradic
-CL HMS Calcutta
-CL HMS Colombo

Total Ships in Mediterranean
-6 BB
-3 CVL
-9 CL

Far-East Fleet (Singapore)
-BB HMS Nelson
-BB HMS Royal Sovereign
-BB HMS Royal Oak
-BB HMS Resolution
-BB HMS Ramillies
-BB HMS Queen Elizabeth
-CL HMS Neptune
-CL HMS Coventry
-CL HMS Curlew
-CL HMS Delhi
-CL HMS Despatch
-CL HMS Durban

Far-East Carrier Command (Hong Kong)
-CV HMS Furious
-CV HMS Courageous
-CV HMS Glorious
-CL HMS Cairo
-CL HMS Galathea
-CL HMS Dunedin

Subs (Hong Kong)
-9 SS

Total Ships in Far-East
-3 CV
-6 BB
-9 CL
-9 SS

Colombo Station (Colombo)
-CA HMS York
-CL HMS Cardiff
-CL HMS Ceres

St John's Station (St John's)
-CA HMS Exeter
-CL HMS Curacao
-CL HMS Danae

Lagos Station (Lagos)
-CA HMS Frobisher
-CL HMS Dauntless
-CL HMS Orion

Total Ships in Royal Navy
-3 CV
-12 BB
-3 BC
-3 CVL
-16 CA
-30 CL
-32 DD
-9 SS


Notes
I will not be doing that
I also need a name for the Submarine unit please comment with any suggestions
Oh and in other news Edward VIII just abdicated. Bow down to King George VI

 

[Hightemplar]

Part 3 - The George V Memorial Navel Build Program

With the completion of several battleship components complete, the Admiralty decides now is the time to begin construction of the new King George V class battleships. Six will be built enough for an entire battlegroup. However due to their immense cost almost all British industry must be devoted to their construction

 

[stnylan]

Well an obvious suggestion would be something to do with dolphins - given that is what the RN submariner insignia is.

 

[Macke11]

Welcome to AARland, I hope you will enjoy your stay!

My first thought upon seeing this AAR was a naval focused AAR. Then I realised that it was in fact naval based! A very interesting concept!

As for the name of the submarine, I must confess that I have no good idea right now, but I'll think about it.

 

[Bullfilter]

Well an obvious suggestion would be something to do with dolphins - given that is what the RN submariner insignia is.

The HMS Flipper

 

[markkur]

I also need a name for the Submarine unit please comment with any suggestions

Happy creating with this AAR.

Regarding the ideas; I'm fond of Neptune and his Trident but that could be cliché now. Of course there are inspirations for you to create your own. A Dolphin with Dracula-Fangs comes to mind.

Btw, I do hope it is aok, Here's a link (WWI-pics) that maybe you or your readers might it enjoy for hmm...naval inspiration?
Of course some of these same ships are in your fleets.

Scapa and a Camera by C. W. Burrows
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/45583

 

[Hightemplar]

Ok so so far the vote seems to be leaning towards some sort of dolphin (possibly a vampire one)

Oh and something popped up
Nationalist China wants to join the Allies. The year is 1938 and I have no army. Even New Zealand has a larger army than me (and ours is two guys and a sheepdog called Fred). Our new Battleships have NOT finished

So vote
1. Let them join
2. Wait till later
3. Britannia walks alone (apart from the French who start in the Allies, oh and my puppets and New Zealand who I let in)
4. Write in vote

Votes under Florida rules so vote early and often (but not to often, once per day)

Voting ends when I feel like it

 

[racebear75]

A naval approach is always interesting for me. I vote for "2". China ha to wait until Japan has already declared war on the allies, so probably late 1941 or so...

 

[Bullfilter]

1

 

[El Pip]

"The British army should be a projectile to be fired by the British navy"
-Sir Edward Grey

You had my interest at this line. Everything since has been both great and a bonus.

Given the subject and the voting system, ancient rules dictate there is only one way I can possibly vote - Tanks.

 

[Hightemplar]

Ok the votes as they stand
1. Let them join - 1 vote
2. Wait till later - 1 vote
3. Britannia walks alone - 0 votes
Write in for tanks - 1 vote

(May I remind El Pip that as marines we do not have tanks. So a tanks win could be tricky)

Voting closed when this three way tie is broken

 

[Bullfilter]

Ok the votes as they stand
1. Let them join - 1 vote
2. Wait till later - 1 vote
3. Britannia walks alone - 0 votes
Write in for tanks - 1 vote

(May I remind El Pip that as marines we do not have tanks. So a tanks win could be tricky)

Voting closed when this three way tie is broken

I vote 1 again get them in, who cares if they get hammered!

 

[El Pip]

May I remind El Pip that as marines we do not have tanks. So a tanks win could be tricky)

If the Marines don't have tanks, someone should tell the Royal Marines Armoured Support Group. They look a lot like Marines driving around tanks.

My duty remains clear and so I vote Tanks.

 

[racebear75]

And I vote "2" again

 

[Hightemplar]

Great now we are tied again
Soon I will have to flip a coin

 

[Bullfilter]

But really, you need the Nats in while you can get them, so if Japan attacks they have to worry about a land war in Asia (think of the sound advice from The Princess Bride about never getting involved in them)!

Vote 1, for a Strong and Secure Region!

PS: while I strongly support El Pip’s single-minded advocacy for Tanks - on both fact and sentiment (this is an old tank troop leader talking here), I point out the vote is about getting Nat China into the Allies before someone else influences them away again later and you miss the chance. Britain could then share their tank technology with China if they really wanted to. With Britain ruling the waves and not having much in the way of ground troops in Asia - or anywhere - yet, wouldn’t it be good to have them as your proxies?

 

[El Pip]

But really, you need the Nats in while you can get them, so if Japan attacks they have to worry about a land war in Asia (think of the sound advice from The Princess Bride about never getting involved in them)

Also one of Field Marshall's Montgomery's Rules of War.

I choose to vote tanks, not because it is easy, but because it is hard, because the challenge will serve to organise and measure the best of our authors energies and skills, because that challenge is one I am willing for him to accept, one I am unwilling to postpone and one I intend him to win.

That said, in the interests of getting a decision, you could meet the requirements of the vote by naming all the submarines after tanks and related armoured vehicles, leaving the other category to win. Never let it be said I am not helpful.