My original post stated that the SLN has to bring a large enough contingent across the border to support an extended campaign. It is much too great a distance to Havenite space to keep trekking back and forth to League space by horse and buggy (the pace they'll be reduced to, governed by the best possible speed of their weakest links -- damaged combatants.)
Considering the force differential between the two combatants, the SLN is going to have to throw overwhelming odds at a target. Barring their ability to get inside the boxer's longer reach by a lucky translation right smack dab inside their own missile envelope, I can't see them dishing out much damage, and they in turn are going to take heavy losses limited only by the available missiles allocated in the system for a turkey shoot. And I don't see the RMN taking huge losses. That fact is owed to the advantage of their compensators. I can see the RMN taking huge losses of missiles, but then that problem is directly shared by the SLN...
"If we're running out of missiles it is because we have something to shoot at. And if we have something to shoot at. We're also running out of targets!"
The SLN doesn't have the luxury of dividing their large contingent into penny packing strike forces. They have to remain concentrated to have any chance at a successful campaign. But getting reamed while fully concentrated — thereby significantly reducing your force as a result — does not a successful strategy make. And adopting penny packets would get them defeated in detail. I don't see them having any luck at anything but giving the RMN a few black eyes and an annoying fly to swat with "Operation Fly Swatter."
If that large contingent is stumbled upon -- and chances are high being, that the entire Haven sector are eyes and ears for the GA -- the GSN, the RHN, the RMN and even the Andermani have APBs out for League ships. Someone's bound to report seeing a SLN contingent. Maybe even Bachfish will show up again with a sighting.
And if the GA discovers the Dunce Caps' base of operations. Lights. Camera...
I shortstopped the ordnance of a Missile Collier passing through.
Theemile wrote:n7axw wrote:Hummm... I hope the RMN isn't as full of its own elan as posters on this thread apparently are...
Don
-
Oh the SLN will get a victory or 2, especially if they completely overwhelm the defenders by sheer numbers. A well planned attack with the right hardware can blow away a convoy’s defenses, or shred the ready forces defending a translation point. But when you are trading a couple BCs for a handful of LACs or DDs, it quickly becomes expensive, especially when you require a massive fleet train of parts, consumables, and support resources to keep up the raids. And after a few such attacks, the GA, with the inside communications loop, will beef up whatever was vulnerable before and make such attacks even more expensive. And the SLN may even “win” some there – but is it truly a victory, when you lose more tons of combat power than your opponents? You may be able to afford 2:1, but 5:1 or 10:1 repeatedly?
No, for the reasons listed by those above, the strategy is ultimately a fool’s errand and doomed to fail.