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Atlantic Friend - Indeed flying boats are for me one of the quintessential inter-war aircraft, I always think they should be full of late 1920s gents getting stylishly drunk.

On shell life of seaplanes you are mostly correct, but Churchill is Air Minister. He's taken against all biplanes (not modern enough!) and will not let facts or reality deflect him. I couldn't have WSC be too rational or sensible, just wouldn't be right.

DonnieBaseball - I was worried the industrial plan was a bit too neat, but unless people get ridiculously pig headed and wilfully act stupidly it was the most likely outcome.

On the Japanese I still think they would be more worried about the US, China, looking north at the Soviet and indeed almost anyone else. It may hurt London's pride but Britain probably isn't the biggest IJN concern, I would imagine the USN still holds that crown.

In flight refuelling was indeed entirely possible at that point, the Imperial Airways trials were entirely OTL. The Short Empire lacked trans-Atlantic range so had to be refuelled every crossing by a converted Handley Page Harrow. When they entered regular mail service in late 1936 Alan Cobham had developed a fully automated probe and drouge system complete with flow control and safety cut outs. However the RAF couldn't see the need so it faltered somewhat, especially as newer aircraft capable of crossing the Atlantic without refuelling became more prevalent. TTL, well who knows? ;)

Bafflegab - Glad you liked it! I think that's the one area I've really got better at these last few years, having the confidence to make more stuff up and being a lot less literal in conveying game events and actions.

On the Canadian Hurricanes, I couldn't possibly comment! :D

Vann the Red - I hoped you'd like some aircraft porn, I had to cut myself short at the end as I realised I was in danger of writing a few hundred more words on maritime patrol aircraft alone! Rest assured though, those words will appear later. ;)

Thanks for the kind words as well.
 
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A very enjoyable read, El Pip. :)

Ohh and it might have killed Holden cars post-war, but I'm sure that'll have no impact...

I have never heard of them.
 
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Great update Pippy. I had always banked on 400 or so planes so the update fluffed my ego suitably!

I think the CAC is a feasible plan (shock horror!). Certainly from the "Game Notes" bit it will all be useful stuff when/if the Jap onslaught begins.
 
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Lovely update Pip old boy!

No Holden... oh well, there goes our post war car culture. I hope no one liked Sir Jack Brabham! Or Mark Webber! :D

Also you just gave a boost to public transport and put a crimp in Bob Menzies appeal at the 1949 general election... you might have just saved the Chifley Labor Government! :p

Cheers,
Dury.
 
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Always nice to see a new update. This one, I note, appears to be describing something like a coherent, rational plan for Imperial defence (sure, the lack of boots on the ground is going to bite them, but that's typical of 1930s thinking). What happened to the Foreign Office we all know and love? Come to that, what's happened to the Air Ministry we all know and love (motto: "If it's rubbish, give it to Coastal Command, if it's really rubbish, send it to the Far East")? I suppose Churchill has them all planning airborne invasions of Moscow or something and no-one's left for foresight-prevention duties.
 
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Atlantic Friend - Indeed flying boats are for me one of the quintessential inter-war aircraft, I always think they should be full of late 1920s gents getting stylishly drunk.

Funny, that. I always imagine them with eager airmen training binoculars over the horizon, hoping to detect the Bismarck or the conning tower of a U-boat.

I couldn't have WSC be too rational or sensible, just wouldn't be right.

As long as you don't have him too sober or too joyful. ;)
 
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Nathan Madien - Holden is an Australian institution. Like Arkum Asylum. ;)

Le Jones - They'll be useful if they all turn up, far from guaranteed I'm afraid. As for the CAC plan I'm glad you agree.

Duritz - Post-war car culture? You mean the annual fight between Ford fans and Holden fans at Bathurst? While I accept it's the highlight of the Australian cultural calendar surely fights between Alvis and Wolseley fans would be just as edifying? ;)

As you can see I wont condemn Australia to public transport, expect a torrent of British car manufacturers saving you from a fate worse than bus.

C&D - Amsterdam will see... events. I have to keep a sense of surprise somehow. ;)

merrick - The Air Ministry has worked out that unless they take the Far East seriously;

1. The RAAF will out perform them again. That will be very embarrassing down the club, being shown up by the damned upstart colonials twice!

2. They wont get any money and for the Air Staff getting some planes is better than none at all. Pig headedly insisting on Heavies gets you nothing, saying yes to GP bombers gets you Wellingtons (which they can steal and use as Heavies).

As to the Foreign Office, they've been a little squeezed by the Indian Office and Dominion Office. The latter two had a solid plan full of the buzzwords the Treasury liked ('shared costs' and 'savings' being high on that list) and similar for Chamberlain ('Imperial unity' and such). The FO either had to produce a better plan (and bear in mind appeasement is in the dustbin post Abyssinia) or nod along. They chose to nod.

Rest assured though as we head back to Europe they'll get back to their old selves. :eek:

Atlantic Friend - I suppose it depends on the flying boat. A monoplane like a Short Sunderland or a Breguet 730 does indeed look like a sub-hunter. However a Loire 130 or a Saunders Severn looks louche, decadent and just a bit silly. Could just be me though.

I can't have too much 'Black Dog' on WSC; if he's too depressed he wont have the energy to muck everything up at the Air Ministry with crazy schemes and mad designs! :D
 
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Nathan Madien - Holden is an Australian institution. Like Arkum Asylum. ;)

Holden is a great piece of marketing. GM's branded with a different and unique name to make Australians think we make and buy Australian cars when in fact the profits end up in Detroit... to pay down GM debt... :D

Arkum Asylum... sorry Pip, that one's gone over my head...

Duritz - Post-war car culture? You mean the annual fight between Ford fans and Holden fans at Bathurst? While I accept it's the highlight of the Australian cultural calendar surely fights between Alvis and Wolseley fans would be just as edifying? ;)

Oh, if only they limited it to Bathurst once a year! :(

There's a girl in my office who considers Ford as the 'F' swear word. People buy Holden and Ford paraphenalia like it was Arsenal or MunUre. Our police force splits its fleet so no one is forced to drive a car they don't want to...

The insanity of it all astounds me!

It's always been my theory that a sport that needs to put the word sport in its name is no such thing... Motor Sport, bah! :mad:
 
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Holden is a great piece of marketing. GM's branded with a different and unique name to make Australians think we make and buy Australian cars when in fact the profits end up in Detroit... to pay down GM debt... :D

Who needs government bail-outs? Just sell cars to Aussies.
 
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Nice update Pip! Like I said before, I think Japan is going to have quite the surprise in store for them when they try to roll over the Empire.

And I like the hints at later Imperial continuation! No mealy-mouthed 'Commonwealth' for these guys, eh?

@Atlantic Friend: Indeed, it seems that maritime patrol aircraft in general last longer than fighters or attack aircraft--look at the P-3. Though the dynamics of post-WW2 (and especially post-1960) aircraft development are quite different than the interwar era.
 
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I believe I have come to an elegant solution to the No Holden problem in this timeline - Vauxhall.

There is always more than 1 back door to get in through.
 
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Atlantic Friend - I suppose it depends on the flying boat. A monoplane like a Short Sunderland or a Breguet 730 does indeed look like a sub-hunter. However a Loire 130 or a Saunders Severn looks louche, decadent and just a bit silly. Could just be me though.

Seaplanes often have something a bit baroque about them, as if someone had said "let's design an art deco kind of plane".

The Loire 130... Looks just like a rowing boat one'd take to the lake for a spot of fishing, with a closed cabin because it might rain and two wings and a propeller because I don't feel like dragging the thing all the way from the boathouse. Ah well, it's just a spotter plane anyway!
 
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Duritz - I wouldn't worry about the future of Holden, now it's part of American Leyland it'll soon disappear in a puff of (very expensive to tax payers) smoke. :D

The reference is an old saying "xxxx is a great institution. Like Broadmoor". Her Majesty's Prison Broadmoor being a relatively famous hi-security mental hospital. As I figured many readers were unlikely to have that good a knowledge of British lunatic asylums I tried to think of a more internationally known one, having seen Batman on TV recently Arkham Asylum seemed a good pick. Apparently not though.

Nathan Madien - Truly the parallels between the newly nationalised US motor industry and the British experience are terrifying, British Leyland (Australia) was supposed to save it's parent company as well..... :eek:

truth is life - I figured closer Imperial co-operation has to be on the cards, now Australia has a Merlin production line and a growing nucleus of 'British' aero-engineering skills the slow drift towards buying American has been stopped in it's tracks.

Davout - The problem for GM is how many boats did it burn by mucking around over CAC? And how big a gap have they left for British manufacturers?

Hawker has come over as part of CAC and they have a car subsidiary (Armstrong Siddeley). Sure luxury cars, but that's normally how such markets starts, at the top then working down. OTL Austin, Standard-Triumph and the Rootes Group also came over post-war, perhaps they might be encouraged to start earlier?

Then there's the big one; what chance the Australian government, seeing the success of CAC, going for an auto-motive version? ;)

Atlantic Friend - It's the art deco/baroque look that means I refuse to take flying boats seriously. Seaplanes are fine, but most flying boats can only be used for frivolous pursuits and ridiculous adventures, like crossing the Atlantic blind-folded for a bet made at ones club.
joenods8fpyw6.gif
 
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Holden is a great piece of marketing. GM's branded with a different and unique name to make Australians think we make and buy Australian cars when in fact the profits end up in Detroit... to pay down GM debt... :D

Hahaha! Oh, that is genius.
 
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Duritz - The reference is an old saying "xxxx is a great institution. Like Broadmoor". Her Majesty's Prison Broadmoor being a relatively famous hi-security mental hospital. As I figured many readers were unlikely to have that good a knowledge of British lunatic asylums I tried to think of a more internationally known one, having seen Batman on TV recently Arkham Asylum seemed a good pick. Apparently not though.

The 'old saying' ain't one I've heard of here so I missed the refernce completely. Happy with the sentiment now it's explained... ;)

Now, don't you owe us some diplomatic porn or something?!? :D

Dury.
 
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Hmm...

...Eager though I am, (and everyone else in the squadron is too, don't you know :D) to see a resumption of events, I can't help but shudder when I hear the phrase "full frontal diplomacy". The thought of Lord Halifax without even a thong :eek:, in a roomful of equally wizened greybeards, is making it hard for me to keep my breakfast down!

Here's a thought - why not let dear old Winston lead the diplomacy? If he organises the late night sessions, and is allowed a free hand with the alcohol selection, then before you know it the entire Amsterdam Conference will be resolved by who can hold the most booze - and even the losers will be "yer b-best Mates ferever!" :rofl:
 
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