LoGH ML Archive: Re: The ships of LoGH
Reinhard-Siegfried (h9407313@hkusua.hku.hk)
Tue, 05 Nov 96 20:45:28 -0800
Hello,
So someone has finally noticed warfare in the Logh is "3-D Napoleonic"
warfare. But one should understand the fact that Napoleonic warfare and
attritional warfare are 1000 light years apart. Besides all the "elan" on
the battlefields, there is "brain" off the battlefield. If one can
achieve a strategic advantage, it will be wasteful when one fails to
fight one's enemy in a decisive battle. Fighting in a battle is wasteful
only when the commander is incompetant enough not to plan his strategy.
Napoleon wasn't such a commander. Nor is Reinhard. It is an art how to
put as many soldiers on the (decisive) battlefield as possible. Both
Napoleon and Reinhard are great artists. Yang is great as well.
Of course, if the technology of one side is much more advanced than the
other side, then technology will count. We have the example of the
nuclear bombs in the Second World War. No one will doubt the Reich will
drop some super-nukes on Heinessenpolis if they can while the FPA can't.
The same thing explains why the Cold War didn't become a Hot
(Thermonuclear) War. The fact is that both sides have approximately the
same (however advanced) technology! So only difference counts! (This is
also a fact in the Napoleonic Era. Both sides possessed virtually the
same technology at its start. There was virtually no advance in
technology on both sides as well. But what a brilliant era in (military)
history!)
The Anime might not have done enough to show how battleships defend
themselves against missiles, etc. There is enough explanation for the
defensive work in the books though. "Each ship generate some EM-field
to shield itself against enemy missiles..." (extracted from the books)
The design of the ships and the troop formation are directly related.
If the ships are packed closely, the fire power and the "armour" of each
ship is reinforced. (It's Yang's favourite tactics, isn't it?) They are
more easy to manoeuvre on the battle field (Imagine what would be like if
each of the 10000 ships under your command moves in its own direction!)
Now if two such "blocks" of ships come face to face, can the commander of
one "block" attack the flank of the other, i.e. the sides of enemy ships
so easily. Again it's an art of war how to manoeuvre to the flank of the
enemy without the enemy knowing it before too late. Nuff said.
Reinhard-Siegfried