M
Millzy
Guest
In the book for WC4, it states that Paladin took on the role of the hero at the end of the war b/c Blair wanted nothing to do with it and Tolwyn was seen as a failure b/c of the destruction of the behemoth...
Which of These Terran Governments would you join in 2681?
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In the book for WC4, it states that Paladin took on the role of the hero at the end of the war b/c Blair wanted nothing to do with it and Tolwyn was seen as a failure b/c of the destruction of the behemoth...
t.c.cgi
Vice Admiral
Well first off it never said it was kamikazi only, and it was probably originaly intended for recon. Being as they can't replace ships, making a recon ship *faster* (able to get in and out lickity split) would be a very good idea. They don't realy say what the mod was for. However thats just it. They were fighting in their home system. The enemy had antimatter warheads and had already laid waste to one planet (mabey even used strontium or whatever that uber warhead was) and was moving in on the next. They didn't have the resources or time to do things the smart or rational way. And kamikazi wasn't the biggest risk they were taking, read the book, you'll see what I mean.
Ladiesman^
Spaceman
Well, there you go then...still, Blair was still considered a hero by some...Catscratch, the youngin's talking to Maniac, Barbara Miles "the Confederation's greatest hero died today..."
I should read that one again...I forgot alot of the little details like that.
M
Millzy
Guest
i just read the book.... i found it at a used book store... they have a couple of other ones that i'm going to pick up tomorrow... i think they have fleet action and another one... unfortunatly they don't have the WC3 novel...
Bandit LOAF
Long Live the Confederation!
Blair *was* considered a huge hero -- but he disappeared from the public eye *intentionally* after the war...
FlamingLlama
Spaceman
Look at used bookstores, i found Heart of the Tiger there along with the [Shudder] Wing Commander Movie Novel.
Ladiesman^
Spaceman
I've found Amazon.com (if your in the US, I guess) to be a GREAT source. I bought almost every one of my WC novels off of it. I got an End Run in pretty good condition for 3 dollars. The only WC books I bought at a bookstore were Action Stations and Pilgrim Stars...
Yeah. An example of the former is when Spirit flies her Sabre straight into the Kilrathi base in WC2.
As for the "manned torpedo" concept, the original Kamikaze corps in WWII were created primarily as a method of disposing of pilots who had brought shame upon themselves. A dishonored pilot would be assigned to the Kamikaze Corps, and from that point on he would be considered to be "walking dead"--everybody not associated with the Kamikaze Corps would speak as if he had already died. The Japanese military also took measures to ENSURE that Kamikaze pilots died in their missions--their planes were not given enough fuel for a return flight, the bombs were bolted onto the planes with NO release mechanism (they could not be dropped away from the plane so the only option was to crash into the target), AND there was no ejection mechanism in the planes. Kamikaze missions were considered to be a pilot's equivalent of honorable suicide.
As far as Japanese Kamikazes go...
By the time that the kamikazes began to be an institutionalized part of the Japanese military, it had nothing to do with dishonor and shame. The Japanese were encouraging ALL newly recruited airmen to volunteer to become Kamikazes. Yes, you had to volunteer to become a suicide pilot, but the leadership used every social constraint they could come up with to encourage new pilots to volunteer. And in Japan, those social pressures can be quite strong. So it wasn't that dishonored pilots were compelled to become suicide pilots - it was the threat that if you didn't become a Kamikaze pilot, you'd be harming your family's honor.
IIRC, WW2 ejection mechanisms on anything smaller than a medium bomber consisted of sliding the glass canopy open and jumping out. I'm not 100% certain on that, but I don't think actual ejection mechanisms came until later. The Japanese were afraid that their kamikaze pilots would jump out of their planes at the last minute, however. For pilots flying regular bombers as kamikazes, the Japanese resorted to such measures as using wire to tie the feet of the pilot to the pedals of the plane. The Japanese also created purpose built kamikaze craft, and those types of planes often had cockpits that could be sealed shut, trapping the pilot inside.
By the time that the kamikazes began to be an institutionalized part of the Japanese military, it had nothing to do with dishonor and shame. The Japanese were encouraging ALL newly recruited airmen to volunteer to become Kamikazes. Yes, you had to volunteer to become a suicide pilot, but the leadership used every social constraint they could come up with to encourage new pilots to volunteer. And in Japan, those social pressures can be quite strong. So it wasn't that dishonored pilots were compelled to become suicide pilots - it was the threat that if you didn't become a Kamikaze pilot, you'd be harming your family's honor.
IIRC, WW2 ejection mechanisms on anything smaller than a medium bomber consisted of sliding the glass canopy open and jumping out. I'm not 100% certain on that, but I don't think actual ejection mechanisms came until later. The Japanese were afraid that their kamikaze pilots would jump out of their planes at the last minute, however. For pilots flying regular bombers as kamikazes, the Japanese resorted to such measures as using wire to tie the feet of the pilot to the pedals of the plane. The Japanese also created purpose built kamikaze craft, and those types of planes often had cockpits that could be sealed shut, trapping the pilot inside.
t.c.cgi
Vice Admiral
All the while a single 20mm into the canopy turns a kamikazi into a dumbfire... using a man for a guidance system wasn't the best of ideas because of the sheer mass of fire put out by say... a battleship. The Iowa was bow to stern AA guns, 20mm's, 40mm bofors, and 5inchers. A broaside attack gave the biggest target, and inversly the most AA fire. Waste of planes, manpower, and just plain stupid. In the case of the Japanese Kamikazi I have to fully agree with junior.
Well, whether they were dishonored or not beforehand, Kamikaze pilots were still considered to be "walking dead", and great lengths were taken to ensure that the pilots could NOT bail out--the Japanese military commanders wanted to ENSURE that the pilots died in their missions.
On another note, since the Kilrathi have been likened to the Japanese so much, I am somewhat surprised that there were no suicide fighters in WC. It would have been kind of cool to have a Kilrathi suicide fighter (like a Darket with no guns) coming in on afterburner like a piloted CapShip missile, and you would have had to shoot it down before it could smash into the Victory or one of its escorts. anddo damage equivalent to a torpedo.
On another note, since the Kilrathi have been likened to the Japanese so much, I am somewhat surprised that there were no suicide fighters in WC. It would have been kind of cool to have a Kilrathi suicide fighter (like a Darket with no guns) coming in on afterburner like a piloted CapShip missile, and you would have had to shoot it down before it could smash into the Victory or one of its escorts. anddo damage equivalent to a torpedo.
Similarities between the Kilrathi and the Japanese only go so far. For example, to the best of my knowledge, the Japanese never considered other nationalities to be 'prey'.
Also worth keeping in mind is that at no point in the war were the Kilrathi ever losing as badly as the Japanese were toward the end of World War 2. The situation at the time of the Temblor bomb is roughly equivalent to the Doolittle raiders dropping A-Bombs.
Also worth keeping in mind is that at no point in the war were the Kilrathi ever losing as badly as the Japanese were toward the end of World War 2. The situation at the time of the Temblor bomb is roughly equivalent to the Doolittle raiders dropping A-Bombs.
t.c.cgi
Vice Admiral
Well they didn't encourage kamikazi like the Japanese. But they did have ritual suicide. The fact that you didn't get an ejection option in the dralthi in WC1 didn't seem great either. So I think while they didn't encourage kamikazi, it seems they didn't encourage retreat either.
That's the point I was making, though I admit it was a rather pedantic one. The methords WW2 crews used to bale out of their craft (all the way up to and including heavy bombers) were escape mechanisms, not ejection mechanisms. Ejection involves using explosive or rocket asssistance to throw the crew clear of the plane, and was developed in response to the speed of jet aircraft, which made manual baleouts too dangerous.
Best, Raptor