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Situation at the Front (SPOILERS FOR RTH)

"Hell's Gate" and "Hell Hath No Fury", by David, Linda Evans, and Joelle Presby, take the clash of science and magic to a whole new dimension...join us in a friendly discussion of this engrossing series!
Re: Situation at the Front (SPOILERS FOR RTH)
Post by Howard T. Map-addict   » Mon Jun 20, 2016 2:24 pm

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You are correct, Thierfielder
(and the other person upthread who also posted this).

I can only deduce that what must have happened was that
Presby & Weber were writing so fast that they forgot which
fort was where. Of course the Third Dragoon Division came
out of Nairsom, took the fort and camp guarding the portal
to Thermyn (which was named in R2H, but I lack my copy now),
then split, sending two brigades to Ghartoum, heading for
Failcham, Ft. Mosanik, and Karys, and the other brigade to
Ft Brithik & New Uromath on its way to Hell's Gate.

Then it was in Failcham that the dragons saw them,
their field artillery killed the Red foolish enough to get
too close, and the others fled with the (belated) news.

We must remember that the authors concentrate on the story,
more than on the geography.
Another example: in HHNF (book 2) Weber & Evans established
that Thermyn's Portal to Nairsom was near Durango, Mexico, but
in R2H (book 3) it is near El Paso, Texas, on the Rio Grande.
That makes it more than 1/3rd of the way closer to the other
two Thermyn Portals, easier for the Third Division.

HTM

Thierfielder wrote:You are both right, but I'm not wrong. I went back and reread very carefully the last chapters of the book and I think I solved the mystery. It is true that I got the locations of Fort Ghartoun and Fort Brithik wrong, but so does the book. :o

{snip much accurate data - htm}

[...]

It’s twelve hundred miles from Ghartoun to Brithik, but Third Brigade’s only got eight hundred and fifty miles to go from Coyote Canyon.


And in the next chapter they have their dragon encounter... still in Thermyn.

Chapter 42 wrote:Which didn’t make the three-day flight from Traisum all the way back to Hell’s Gate any less boring. For that matter, why couldn’t he and Sky Sabre stop here in Thermyn, spend three or four days hunting, and then pick up a fresh transport flight on its way back to the front? It wasn’t as if—


And, as the skirmish unfold, we see yet again the Forts location messed up:

Chapter 42 wrote:“No, you idiot!” Yoril Jerstan shouted, even though there was no way in the world Hostyra could have heard him. He groped for his flare projector, triggering off the yellow-yellow-green sequence that ordered Hostyra to break off, but the young twenty-five paid no attention. His dragon’s dive angle only steepened, increasing his airspeed, and Jerstan swore again.
He fired the break off sequence a second time, and banked Grayscale hard to the right, away from the oncoming Sharonians. The other transports followed him promptly, but Hostyra’s wingman hesitated. He held on in Sky Sabre’s wake for a handful of seconds before he slowly, grudgingly brought his own dragon around to follow the transports back towards Fort Brithik.

[...]

Most of the Arcanan dragons had broken off, and chan Werkan’s jaw tightened as they headed back towards the Failcham portal through which they must have come.


Interestingly enough, that only happens in that chapter. When a bit earlier the escapees and mutineers plot their run, they actually have to traverse both Thermyn and New Uromath to reach Hell's Gate. So I guess at some point during the writing process both Forts got switched, and the mistake wasn't detected before publishing either.

It's not that big an issue, since both Brithik and Ghartoun have now been retaken, but it seems to me that considering this, the advance must necessarily have stopped at Ghartoun, in the Thermyn - Failcham portal. Of course, I could still be wrong, and I'd appreciate if someone could confirm whether that's the case.[/quote]
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Re: Situation at the Front (SPOILERS FOR RTH)
Post by StealthSeeker   » Mon Jun 20, 2016 7:50 pm

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Astelon wrote:I don't recall that conversation, but their is the one in chapter two of Road to Hell, where the sharonian officers discuss the arcanan drahons, and what distance viewers see if them. In that conversation there was a reference to pushing the arcanans further back among the approach once the big guns arrived.



That may be the conversation I remember, not sure, my book is back at the library now. But I am fairly sure that the big guns that were referred to have indeed arrived. They just haven't been used yet. So, as I said, The first thing I'm going to do, once I know the blocking force is in position, is to use those big guns to destroy every dragon in range. I want to take away all the mobility I can from the Arcanan army. I want them well and truly trapped and defeated. I want lots of prisoners from whom I can collect information.

I want to collect examples of Arcanan technology. I want lots of voices having access to prisoners to learn languages from so the crystals don't have to be relied on. I want the Sharonan military to get their hands on a copy of Arcanan rules of war and see where it is stated how prisoners should be treated. I want that intelligence officer who did all those "enhanced" interrogations to get captured.

I want the mules, guided by a port hound, to cross that 700 miles to capture that end-of-chain Arcanan fort just after Hell's Gate. Arcana is forced to use boats/ships to get to it so once Sharona occupies that fort, and brings forward some big guns for shore defence, it will be a great choke point to hold Arcanan forces from moving forward. I want the rail line extended all the way to that fort.

I'm not asking for to much I don't think. It can be done!
-
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Re: Situation at the Front (SPOILERS FOR RTH)
Post by Howard T. Map-addict   » Tue Jun 21, 2016 12:47 pm

Howard T. Map-addict
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Posts: 1392
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 11:47 am
Location: Philadelphia, PA

If you are confused by some details, StealthSeeker,
then that is a Sign that you are ready to reread the book!

Howard True Map-addict

StealthSeeker wrote:I am in awe of the detail many of you are able to keep track
of in this story. I, on the other hand, get so confused
that I simply start taking things into generalities.

{snip - htm}

Beyond that, I drown in the detail.
Though I enjoy the telling of how it is done.
{snip}
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Re: Situation at the Front (SPOILERS FOR RTH)
Post by Howard T. Map-addict   » Tue Jun 21, 2016 1:07 pm

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Posts: 1392
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StealthSeeker,
I numbered your paragraphs for ease of reference & response.

1 There is a Problem with "destroying every dragon within
range" which is that the Arcanans are being careful to keep
their dragons back out of range!

2 We all agree with all of these!

3 Three Problems: First, Arcana's Fort Rycharn is not near
any Portal, so Portal Hounds are not the Talents to find it.

Second, between HG Portal and Ft Rycharn is the Great Swamp
and Rain Forest north of the Amazon River. Not good territory
for tanks and half-tracks to try to drive across, or to try
to run a railroad across.

Third, if Sharonans do take Ft Rycharn (@ Belem, Brazil)
and garrison it with heavy artillery,
Then the Arcanans can simply set up another port on the
coast of Brazil, which is very long and has many port sites,
not to mention sites in Venezuela and the Guianas.
So I must disagree here.

HTM

StealthSeeker wrote:
1 That may be the conversation I remember, not sure, my book
is back at the library now. But I am fairly sure that the
big guns that were referred to have indeed arrived. They just
haven't been used yet. So, as I said, The first thing I'm
going to do, once I know the blocking force is in position,
is to use those big guns to destroy every dragon in range.
I want to take away all the mobility I can from the Arcanan
army. I want them well and truly trapped and defeated.
I want lots of prisoners from whom I can collect information.

2 I want to collect examples of Arcanan technology. I want
lots of voices having access to prisoners to learn languages
from so the crystals don't have to be relied on. I want the
Sharonan military to get their hands on a copy of Arcanan
rules of war and see where it is stated how prisoners
should be treated. I want that intelligence officer who
did all those "enhanced" interrogations to get captured.

3 I want the Mules, guided by a Portal Hound, to cross that
700 miles to capture that end-of-chain Arcanan fort just
after Hell's Gate. Arcana is forced to use boats/ships
to get to it so once Sharona occupies that fort, and brings
forward some big guns for shore defence, it will be a
great choke point to hold Arcanan forces from moving forward.
I want the rail line extended all the way to that fort.

I'm not asking for to much I don't think. It can be done!
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Re: Situation at the Front (SPOILERS FOR RTH)
Post by StealthSeeker   » Fri Jun 24, 2016 2:58 pm

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Posts: 240
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Interesting ideas, let me challenge them a bit if I can.

Howard T. Map-addict wrote:
StealthSeeker,
I numbered your paragraphs for ease of reference & response.

1 There is a Problem with "destroying every dragon within range" which is that the Arcanans are being careful to keep their dragons back out of range!


I believe that the Arcanans are camped where "they" believe they are beyond the Sharonan guns. They have no clue as to the range of the new larger guns that have never been fired. They only know the range of the smaller guns used in their defeat at the last fort they attacked. My reading of the book says that they are actually well within range of the new "big" guns.

3 Three Problems: First, Arcana's Fort Rycharn is not near
any Portal, so Portal Hounds are not the Talents to find it.


But port hounds would be able to tell the direction of the portal and fort Rycharn would be in that general direction as it would fall within (plus or minus some) the shortest route to the next portal.

Second, between HG Portal and Ft Rycharn is the Great Swamp
and Rain Forest north of the Amazon River. Not good territory
for tanks and half-tracks to try to drive across, or to try
to run a railroad across.


Well, once the Sharonans get across into that new world, they will be able to "star fix" what continent they are on and find a reasonable path forward. I think that they could carry enough provisions of enough weapons on horse back to be able to take Rycharn. The mules and trains would follow.


Third, if Sharonans do take Ft Rycharn (@ Belem, Brazil)
and garrison it with heavy artillery, Then the Arcanans can simply set up another port on the coast of Brazil, which is very long and has many port sites, not to mention sites in Venezuela and the Guianas. So I must disagree here.


Once they get the rail to Rycharn they can bring forward patrol boats with large enough guns to sink approaching Arcanan ships. Put a "far seeing" person on each of those patrol boats and don't give the Arcanan's the chance to (easily) build a new demarcation point. The ocean is to wide for dragons to fly across so they would go down with the ships they were on.
-
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I think therefore I am.... I think
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Re: Situation at the Front (SPOILERS FOR RTH)
Post by Howard T. Map-addict   » Sat Jun 25, 2016 2:38 pm

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Posts: 1392
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 11:47 am
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replies interspirsed - HTM

StealthSeeker wrote:Interesting ideas, let me challenge them a bit if I can.

Howard T. Map-addict wrote:
StealthSeeker,
I numbered your paragraphs for ease of reference & response.

1 There is a Problem with "destroying every dragon within range" which is that the Arcanans are being careful to keep their dragons back out of range!


SS:
I believe that the Arcanans are camped where "they" believe they are beyond the Sharonan guns. They have no clue as to the range of the new larger guns that have never been fired. They only know the range of the smaller guns used in their defeat at the last fort they attacked. My reading of the book says that they are actually well within range of the new "big" guns.

HTM: That would be where Harshu's *infantry* is entrenched to
defend the Portal. Those trenches are indeed vulnerable
to Sharonan artillery, I stipulate.

The Arcanan dragons ought to camp *way* behind the trenches!


3 Three Problems: First, Arcana's Fort Rycharn is not near
any Portal, so Portal Hounds are not the Talents to find it.


But portal hounds would be able to tell the direction of the portal and fort Rycharn would be in that general direction as it would fall within (plus or minus some) the shortest route to the next portal.

HTM: No, the next portal is in Cuba, north, even NE, of HG.
Rycharn is on the Bulge of Brazil, way to the east.
The angle between those directions is about 90 degrees,
a Right Angle, more or less.

Second, between HG Portal and Ft Rycharn is the Great Swamp
and Rain Forest north of the Amazon River. Not good territory
for tanks and half-tracks to try to drive across, or to try
to run a railroad across.


Well, once the Sharonans get across into that new world, they will be able to "star fix" what continent they are on and find a reasonable path forward. I think that they could carry enough provisions of enough weapons on horse back to be able to take Rycharn. The mules and trains would follow.

HTM:
There are very few "reasonable paths" in the Amazon Valley.


Third, if Sharonans do take Ft Rycharn (@ Belem, Brazil)
and garrison it with heavy artillery, Then the Arcanans can simply set up another port on the coast of Brazil, which is very long and has many port sites, not to mention sites in Venezuela and the Guianas. So I must disagree here.


Once they get the rail to Rycharn they can bring forward patrol boats with large enough guns to sink approaching Arcanan ships. Put a "far seeing" person on each of those patrol boats and don't give the Arcanan's the chance to (easily) build a new demarcation point. The ocean is to wide for dragons to fly across so they would go down with the ships they were on.


HTM:
Those "patrol boats with large enough guns" would be Major
Warships. They will be much too big to move through a swamp!
Next, the short way from Brazil to West Africa is only nine
hundred miles - well within dragon range.
But Arcana's ships would be approaching from Cuba, across
the Caribbean Sea. Dragons would not be on the ships. Their
route is Cuba-Yucatan-Panama-Columbia-Surinam-Amazon.

Howard True Map-addict
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Re: Situation at the Front (SPOILERS FOR RTH)
Post by StealthSeeker   » Sat Jun 25, 2016 4:54 pm

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Posts: 240
Joined: Sat Jan 24, 2015 2:31 am

----------------------------------------
Howard T. Map-addict wrote:
The Arcanan dragons ought to camp *way* behind the trenches!


Not far enough I don't believe.

Howard T. Map-addict wrote:
No, the next portal is in Cuba, north, even NE, of HG.
Rycharn is on the Bulge of Brazil, way to the east.
The angle between those directions is about 90 degrees,
a Right Angle, more or less.
.
.
.
But Arcana's ships would be approaching from Cuba, across
the Caribbean Sea. Dragons would not be on the ships. Their
route is Cuba-Yucatan-Panama-Columbia-Surinam-Amazon.



Aaaarrrggghhh!! Well, that is where my method of "interpreting" the books for my personal readability gets me into trouble. I never really bother trying to figure out where the next portal is. For me its "out there", "over the hill", "near the bright start if you travel till morning" kind of thing. I just take it on faith its there,... somewhere. (as long as RFC doesn't move it in the next book ;^)

But if your a map-addict, as you seem to claim, you most likely get a lot of enjoyment out of keeping track of where things are in relation to each other. But if the portal is in Cuba, why isn't the flight path for dragons from Cuba > Puerta Rico > St. Lucia > Guyana and points forward along Brazil's coast? It would seem to save a lot of time.

Second, why, if there is a land/flight path between the portals are they using ships? I guess a ship may be the most efficient way of moving a lot of supplies at a time. But it threw me a little then that the Arcanan's loaded a dragon onto the ship they brought the Sharonan prisoners back on. Was the dragon injured? Were they brining it back to healers? Why was it on that ship?


Howard T. Map-addict wrote:Second, between HG Portal and Ft Rycharn is the Great Swamp
and Rain Forest north of the Amazon River. Not good territory
for tanks and half-tracks to try to drive across, or to try
to run a railroad across.


The Sharonan's would still be able to map a way forward toward the next portal. It may not be the same way as the Arcanan's took, but it would get them there.

So, that river/stream that the Arcanan's used to approach HG during negotiations via boat, does it come out near the Arcanan fort? If so, the infantry/Calvary might be using that as the "pointer" to get to the next fort. Any idea as to what that river might be named?


Howard T. Map-addict wrote:Those "patrol boats with large enough guns" would be Major
Warships. They will be much too big to move through a swamp!
Next, the short way from Brazil to West Africa is only nine
hundred miles - well within dragon range.



Hmmm.... I grab my globe and using the given scale of 1" = 660 miles, I guesstimate the distance between Africa and Brazil to be about 2.5 inches, say 1,800 miles or more. Can a dragon cover that? Might be a bit of a stretch.

As for a boat, I figure the Sharonan's would only need something with a 4" gun up front and a pair of borfors guns aft. That's not to big... They can ship it forward in parts, some assembly required, kind of thing.
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Re: Situation at the Front (SPOILERS FOR RTH)
Post by Astelon   » Sun Jun 26, 2016 1:23 am

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Posts: 203
Joined: Fri Sep 12, 2014 8:13 pm

In regards to getting men and equipment through the sws now of Mahritha, you might want to consider the use of the Amazon River. It is navigable by even large ships for a distance (more than the seven hundred or so miles).

The sharonians just need to find an acceptable spot along the river to establish a port and shipyard. They can even use shallow draft barges to get through the swamp; though they might have to dredge out a few places, or do other improvements.

It is however a serious obstacle and will slow their advance. They will have to sit at the swamp, more likely at the relatively small portal, while they wait for the required equipment and materials to be shipped forward. Then they have to protect the chosen site and the supply line while they build the facilities. Lots of room for arcana to slow things down.

Eighteen hundred miles is to far for a dragon to cover. They can make fifteen hundred in a day, but require rest stops.
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Re: Situation at the Front (SPOILERS FOR RTH)
Post by Howard T. Map-addict   » Tue Jun 28, 2016 4:16 pm

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Posts: 1392
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 11:47 am
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replies interspiresed, again. HTM


StealthSeeker wrote:----------------------------------------
Howard T. Map-addict wrote:
The Arcanan dragons ought to camp *way* behind the trenches!


SS: Not far enough I don't believe.

HTM: Weber & Presby will decide that.
That is, if they put a battle at Salby Portal at all.
Harshu's force might retreat, and try to escape the trap.
---------------------------------

Howard T. Map-addict wrote:
No, the next portal is in Cuba, north, even NE, of HG.
Rycharn is on the Bulge of Brazil, way to the east.
The angle between those directions is about 90 degrees,
a Right Angle, more or less.
.
But Arcana's ships would be approaching from Cuba,
across the Caribbean Sea. Dragons would not be on
the ships. Their route (as given in Book One) is
Cuba-Yucatan-Panama-Columbia-Surinam-Amazon.


{snip - htm}

SS: But if you're a map-addict, {snip - htm} you most likely
get a lot of enjoyment out of keeping track of where things
are in relation to each other.
(HTM: YES!)
SS: But if the portal is in Cuba,
why isn't the flight path for dragons from Cuba > Puerto Rico >
St. Lucia > Guyana and points forward along Brazil's coast?
It would seem to save a lot of time.

HTM: Excellent point, SS!
The Leeward/Windward Islands route is indeed much shorter.
Let's see ... dragons are carnivores, who need big animals
to eat. Maybe the hunting on those relatively small islands
isn't good enough for so many dragons, more than two hundred
of them. Maybe Weber & Evans decided that it wouldn't be,
when they set the Central American Route for the dragons,
way back in Book One.
But a single Courier Dragon might go that way.
------------------------------------------------

SS: Second, why, if there is a land/flight path between the portals are they using ships? I guess a ship may be the most efficient way of moving a lot of supplies at a time. But it threw me a little then that the Arcanan's loaded a dragon onto the ship they brought the Sharonan prisoners back on. Was the dragon injured? Were they bringing it back to healers?
Why was it on that ship?

HTM: That was much further along in their journey to Arcana.
That ship was crossing the Pacific Ocean, and that dragon
was special for them, having shown a liking for Shaylar.
And yes, ships carry much more than dragons do.
A 20th century merchant ships can carry as much as one
hundred railroad cars (which carry more than dragons).

Howard T. Map-addict wrote:Second, between HG Portal and Ft Rycharn is the Great Swamp
and Rain Forest north of the Amazon River. Not good territory
for tanks and half-tracks to try to drive across, or to try
to run a railroad across.


SS: The Sharonan's would still be able to map a way forward
toward the next portal. It may not be the same way as
the Arcanan's took, but it would get them there.

So, that river/stream that the Arcanan's used to approach HG during negotiations via boat, does it come out near the Arcanan fort? If so, the infantry/Calvary might be using that as the "pointer" to get to the next fort. Any idea as to what that river might be named?

HTM: No, that stream goes to an "island" either on the coast
or within the swamp (we here in this forum made assumptions,
and then looked hard for evidence supporting one or the other
of our assumptions, but could not find any).
That "island" is about forty miles from the HG Portal.
But, both island and Portal are seven hundred (700)
miles from Fort Rycharn.
That is a long slog!

Howard T. Map-addict wrote:Those "patrol boats with large enough guns" would be Major
Warships. They will be much too big to move through a swamp!
Next, the short way from Brazil to West Africa is only nine
hundred miles - well within dragon range.



SS: Hmmm.... I grab my globe and using the given scale of
1" = 660 miles, I guesstimate the distance between Africa
and Brazil to be about 2.5 inches, say 1,800 miles or more.
Can a dragon cover that? Might be a bit of a stretch.

HTM: The *average* distance across the South Atlantic is
indeed that far. The Flight Route, for American Airplanes
(during WW2) or for Arcanan Dragons, goes from the bulge of
Brazil to the bulge of West Africa. So go back to your globe,
and look for the shortest distance between the two.

SS: As for a boat, I figure the Sharonan's would only need something with a 4" gun up front and a pair of borfors guns aft. That's not too big... They can ship it forward in parts, some assembly required, kind of thing.

HTM: I am not a Naval Architect, but I know better than to
make Thomas Jefferson's mistake, that a single big gun can
be successfully used on a small gunboat. The big gun will
have a Big Recoil, which will damage or destroy a small boat.
That is why 4" guns are put on Navy destroyers, which mass
about a thousand (1000) tons. For a 5" gun, the warship mass
will be at least 1,500 tons.

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Re: Situation at the Front (SPOILERS FOR RTH)
Post by StealthSeeker   » Sat Jul 02, 2016 11:58 am

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Posts: 240
Joined: Sat Jan 24, 2015 2:31 am

For readability, I'm going to shorten and clean up a few things. Forgive me if I clip something you consider important.


HTM: The Arcanan dragons ought to camp *way* behind the trenches!

SS: Not far enough I don't believe.

HTM: Harshu's force might retreat, and try to escape the trap.


I think its going to take them a while to organize a retreat and flying dragons through the "throat" of a portal defended by Sharonan guns will cause the loss of a few dragons in each pass. Harshu is already very short on transport (dragons) so I don't think he can do that. Second, Harshu believes he is at a defensible point to his front, so that would offer a "protection" in that direction (or so he thinks), distance provides protection in the other. Not so sure if he could retreat to what would be a more defensible point without being able to cross a portal.

With out an immediate surrender, I think he is going to take a massive pounding.

HTM: No, the next portal is in Cuba, north, even NE, of HG. Rycharn is on the Bulge of Brazil, way to the east.


Now I know I'm nit-picking here, but I just have to say it. Cuba is North West of the bulge of Brazil, way north west.


SS: But if the portal is in Cuba, why isn't the flight path for dragons from Cuba > Puerto Rico > St. Lucia > Guyana and points forward along Brazil's coast? It would seem to save a lot of time.

HTM: Excellent point, SS! The Leeward/Windward Islands route is indeed much shorter. Let's see ... dragons are carnivores, who need big animals to eat. Maybe the hunting on those relatively small islands isn't good enough for so many dragons, more than two hundred of them. Maybe Weber & Evans decided that it wouldn't be, when they set the Central American Route for the dragons, way back in Book One. But a single Courier Dragon might go that way.


What? 200 dragons? Uummmm.... it seemed that they were lucky to have a couple of dragons flying to Hells Gate. So I don't think it would be a question of food for the dragon. Besides, the dragons go days with out feeding. Surely they could last the few island hops till they reached South America again.


SS: It threw me a little then that the Arcanan's loaded a dragon onto the ship they brought the Sharonan prisoners back on. Was the dragon injured? Were they bringing it back to healers? Why was it on that ship?

HTM: That was much further along in their journey to Arcana. That ship was crossing the Pacific Ocean, and that dragon was special for them, having shown a liking for Shaylar.


OOPS,... My bad.

SS: The Sharonan's would still be able to map a way forward toward the next portal. It may not be the same way as the Arcanan's took, but it would get them there.


HTM: No, that stream goes to an "island" either on the coast or within the swamp (we here in this forum made assumptions, and then looked hard for evidence supporting one or the other of our assumptions, but could not find any). That "island" is about forty miles from the HG Portal. But, both island and Portal are seven hundred (700) miles from Fort Rycharn. That is a long slog!


If it got them to the coast, that would still be helpful. And as far as the railway goes, there has never been a portal that the Sharonan's haven't been able to put rails through. They will find a way this time as well. Not enough of an engineer to know how, but they will! ;^)

SS: Hmmm.... I grab my globe and using the given scale of 1" = 660 miles, I guesstimate the distance between Africa and Brazil to be about 2.5 inches, say 1,800 miles or more. Can a dragon cover that? Might be a bit of a stretch.

HTM: The *average* distance across the South Atlantic is indeed that far. The Flight Route, for American Airplanes (during WW2) or for Arcanan Dragons, goes from the bulge of Brazil to the bulge of West Africa. So go back to your globe, and look for the shortest distance between the two.



I had always thought that the aircraft were ferried via the North Atlantic ark of Canada>Greenland>Iceland>England. But I went and looked, sure enough, they did ferry aircraft from Brazil to Africa. However, to do it, they landed at a British airfield halfway between. Georgetown I think, the lettering on the map I found was hard to read. But there is no "short" route between Brazil and Africa, it's still at least 1,800 miles. Longer if you stop at that island.


SS: As for a boat, I figure the Sharonan's would only need something with a 4" gun up front and a pair of borfors guns aft. That's not too big... They can ship it forward in parts, some assembly required, kind of thing.

HTM: I am not a Naval Architect, but I know better than to make Thomas Jefferson's mistake, that a single big gun can be successfully used on a small gunboat. The big gun will have a Big Recoil, which will damage or destroy a small boat. That is why 4" guns are put on Navy destroyers, which mass about a thousand (1000) tons. For a 5" gun, the warship mass will be at least 1,500 tons.


A 4" gun isn't that massive, the British easily mounted 4" guns on corvette class ships. Those aren't that big of a ship. Something that I think could easily be brought forward in parts and assembled
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