Ridgerunner
Vice Admiral
"Fixed fortifications are monuments to the stupidity of Man."
General George S. Patton, United States Army
General George S. Patton, United States Army
WW2 has many examples where a static defense failed. However, the Wing Commander Universe features a limited number of jump points (even though there are "secret" jumppoints which sometimes get discovered (not so often like in Freelancer, but still they are found).
Sonntag said:1. The Maginot Line. Completely useless, as the Germans simply went around it.
Bob McDob said:Straightforward ... but when you build pillboxes and defenses on a beach, it also means the enemy can shell you with battleships and bomb you from the air. And that's exactly what happened.
Or completely bypassing the island you've decided to make a super mega fortress of impossible capturing. I believe we did that with the one island the Japanese focused their defensive strategy around (forget the name of it). Instead we starved them/prevented their redeployment by sinking any and all transport ships we could see, meanwhile taking all the other less defended "important" islands.
Well, Bob, Considering that the Maginot Line's greater objective was protecting france from German invasion, I still think it failed... Because the Germans suceeded in invanding France, after all.
It would appear that Confed used a rather elastic line of defense as opposed to fixed fortifications on the frontier. Looking at the Nephele system in 2673, we see two outposts, Orlando and Bluepoint, both would seem to be easily fabricated, manned by a minimal crew, and carry a squadron or so of light fighters.
Dragon1 said:Every time in Wing Commander that we have seen a forwardly deployed large base, like Pegasus or Skyhook, it is subject to ambush and destruction. Confed it would seem developed the concept of allowing the Kilrathi to temporarily take the beaches (to use LOAF's excellent analogy), contain them with the mobility of insystem forces and militias, use the fleet to provide the hammer strike where needed, and use 'escort' and small forces to attack the Kilrathi rear and supply lines. A strategy that seemed to work perfectly and would have ended the war had it not been for the false armisitice of 2668.
Dragon1 said:This brings up another interesting insight into Confed strategy. At least two military depots on the fringes of Confed space, this could be a part of a greater plan. Perhaps a logisitics network for planetary operations.
Bandit LOAF said:I like what you're saying, but this specific example isn't accurate. Orlando and Bluepoint weren't fortifications -- they were depots (Orlando Depot, Bluepoint Depot)... and they weren't manned by a minimal crew. As Maniac says (of Orlando), "Son-of-a... 3000 people aboard that crate and he just..."
Todd Marshal said:Wait! Nav computer's picked up Bluepoint Station. Not sure we can make it...
This brings up another interesting insight into Confed strategy. At least two military depots on the fringes of Confed space, this could be a part of a greater plan. Perhaps a logisitics network for planetary operations. Nephele connects to the H'rekkah, K'n'Rek, and Tyr systems. Was Confed fueling wartime ground-based operations in any of these directions?
Yeah, while what you're saying is generally right, every large forward base is necessarily destroyed. Torgo and Perry were very close to the front lines, but they seemed to hold their space fairly well over the years.
It's Orlando depot and Bluepoint Station...
Inflight the models are pretty much the same though.