HI Bob,

On Mon 2038-Jul-05 18:10, Bob Ackley (1:300/3) wrote to Richard Webb:



 RW> YEp, I'm awaiting a book from the library entitled "how the
 RW> south could have won .... " don't have full and complete
 RW> from the catalogue in front of me, but the author's argument is
 RW> similar to one I"ve made, that the south could have won if they'd
 RW> attacked the north's industrial base.    According to the writer one
 RW> confederate general wanted to do just that.

BA> Decades ago I had a Civil War board game - similar to the old
BA> Avalon-Hill military board games.  I actually won the game (once) as
BA> the South - by doing exactly what you suggested.  I.E. attacking the
BA> North's industricl and population bases, in this case west of
BA> Appalachia.

BA> I managed to prevent the North side from using its industries and
BA> population centers west of Appalachia ('course, I couldn't use them
BA> either) and that gave enough of an edge to allow me to win.

I can believe that.  Any war is about cutting of the enemy's methods of
resupply.  wIpe out those logistics and support
functions!  THe old adage an army travels and fights on its
stomach.
GUns need ammo, soldiers and sailors need vittles.

BA> Had Lee managed to do effectively the same thing - confine the North
BA> to its Atlantic Coast states - the South might have prevailed.  But
BA> remember, the South was defending itself against an attack by the
BA> North, it did not have designs
BA> on conquering territory outside of its borders;  of course, the
BA> North did... 

OF course, but short sighted to think that one can just
"defend onself."  My strategy when pushed would always be to
inflict enough damage on my opponent that he can't continue
to fight.  That's the only intelligent way to wage war.

BA> Were I running the Axis during WW II I'd've made it a whole lot more
BA> expensive and
BA> made it last a lot longer - and maybe even forced the US to a truce.


INdeed, it could have worked as you surmise too.  THing is,
they were playing with some experimental technologies and
hoping that putting most of the eggs in that basket would
do, i.e. the v-2 rockets.  VOn Braun et al pretty much got a blank check iirc.

But, that blank check Von Braun and co. got allowed a lot of the groundwork
to be laid which put Neil and Buzz on the
MOon.

Regards,
           Richard
... 10% of everything isn't crap, watch closely or you'll miss it!
--- timEd 1.10.y2k+