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Men and the occasional women affiliated with the Regalian military would have heard of a new publication; a journal of military science and treatises heralded through the von Kaiserman academy's publishing and under its alumni banner. The journal would be available in most military establishments, as well as provided freely by these establishments to presently-employed cabinet members of the military.
Naval Aviation
The author would like to first express sincere gratitude to …
… The esteemed Admiral-Baron of Athos, who provided much critique, insight and a reserved position on the presented topic. Thank you for highlighting the faults and forcing me to consider the negatives and risks of naval aviation, but also the great uses for it before and after engagements.
… The esteemed Admiral Karl-Gustav av Nyström, who provided immense insight and inspirations for offensive & aggressive uses of naval aviation presented and his insights on possible air-to-air engagements and the theory of "drop-bombing" ships.
… and Enki Ningishzida for his professional knowledge as a blacksmith on steam engines and the cost & logistics of aviation.
Introductions
Ever since the first Ailor glanced upon the sky and witnessed a soaring eagle, the seeds of flight have been germinating within our minds; the dream that once we would conquer the skies and soar much alike. The great respect for Avian creatures is reflected by the many noble houses carrying their depictions in their crests and symbolism. This dream of flight grew all-tangible with the advent of airship technology and the first successful Ailor flight utilizing Loftoren gas. This edition of the Wissenschlacht aims to promote knowledge of these flight-crafts and serves to pass a proposal for their first formal deployment as part of naval formations.
The "closing words" section on the bottom stands wholly on its own & also serves as a summary for the research paper for those who prefer a short and concise conclusion before devoting time to reading the whole research.
The origin & nature of airships
Airship development picked up pace from 303AC onwards as a result of Loftoren gas' discovery. Multiple vessel sizes and shapes have been devised. As this article deals with naval implementation of airships, it will disregard the commercial and luxury vessels created in Ithania and the southern lands and will instead focus on the Calderligan-Calemberger scientific developments.
A Kriegsfalke's steam engines leave it inherently impervious to the whims of wind, thus able to cruise with formidable speed in any direction at any given time. This earns airships an immense advantage in mobility. Their main vulnerability is the encasement balloon of the lifting gas, which must be patched and maintained in battle. If punctured and leaking, it can easily have the airship fall from the sky and be destroyed. It must be noted however, that compartment-based float-crafts can withstand one or two punctures before leading to a fall or descent.
An admiral thus must consider the airships as even more delicate than blockade runner scouting sloops, though also faster compared to those. While Calemberger Kriegsfalke are often armed with naval guns, this academic proposal does not precisely require airships to be fully armed; the proposed tactics and benefits can be derived from unarmed vessels too. Kriegsfalke can, however, prove vital for pursuit and to fend off enemy airships.
Ship-to-airship Combat
It must be noted that an airship's vulnerability is wholly circumstantial and there may be a situation where an enemy fleet completely lacks the necessary weapons (or the ability to angle cannons high enough) to attack float-crafts. Naval gunnery is mostly useless against airships due to the angle; howitzers and mortars may be able to take aim while conventional ballistae are much more dangerous and pose a proper challenge.
For those considering a possible foe who makes use of naval aviation, it must be of consideration to mount proper ship-to-air ballistae on a ship's forecastle. The maintenance of these weapons is low enough to be a reasonable "just-in-case" reservation for such engagements.
On Cost & Logistics
Airships are unfortunately rather expensive investments, thus their preservation and maintenance is even more paramount than for warships. Their crew must also be skilled in the precise operation of the vessels. A further consideration is the necessary coal to be carried, which potentially has to be refueled after longer voyages. This leaves airships most capable at operating close to ports where both fuel and maintenance are closely available.
On the precise costs; an interested admiral should consider that they don't necessarily need armored or armed airships for the below proposal; a more archaic, simpler and cheaper float-craft can fulfill the role quite well if they are capable of independent flight in chosen directions.
Pre-deployment
Before an engagement, airships can be a vital asset to scout enemy formations, sea-bottom and weather.
The versatile movement (independence from winds) afforded for airships allows them safe scouting opportunities to track enemy formation movements once the airships discover the enemy. Thus, a crafty admiral will arrange for patrols around landmarks and straits to catch formations and then safely track them.
The high vantage point of airships makes them perfect for weather observation. Measurements of humidity and pressure have long been used to predict a brewing storm; these are far more accurate if taken directly from the skies. Furthermore, the high angle allows airships to map shallows and mark depths for a future naval passing. A well-prepared admiral may deploy naval markers from airships to warn his ships against a dangerous reef or protruding rock formation.
Pre-deployment skirmishes are also possible, where airships must rely on hit-and-run tactics to shield their vulnerabilities and inflict great damage in a very small time-frame. Ideal proposals for this are incendiary weapons to damage enemy sails, or the harassment of naval infrastructure (ports, harbors, landing crafts). Another major proposal is to simply "drop" cannonballs on the enemy ship; most modern warships are reinforced in their hulls and not their decks.
Engagement
During engagement, airships must be shielded due to their vulnerability. However, their high vantage point remains an immense advantage. Maintaining a proper angle towards an admiral's battle line allows airships to communicate deviations from the battle line to individual ships (thus help in maintaining formations), and hasten communication that would otherwise run down the line ship-by-ship with signal flags (and can instead be done by signalling to an airship which relays this to the whole battle line).
Post-deployment
The speed and maneuverability of airships makes them perfect for post-engagement pursuit of damaged enemy vessels. A trio of airships could possibly track a damaged vessel, wait until they anchor for repairs and stage an ambush to capture the vessel. If an ambush is impossible due to overwhelming manpower, an airship can still track enemies and co-ordinate a pursuit of traditional nature.
In case of a defeat, airships can be made into a perfect rear-guard to slow enemy pursuit. While possibly sacrificed to save the greater naval formation, a rear-guard of airships can wield incendiary weapons and skirmishing tactics to damage enemy sails and hinder their pursuit.
Proposed implementation into existing naval formations
Each of the above proposals correspond to one existing land troop formation's role in warfare: picket troops, or with another term, skirmishers. The main aim is to allow fluid retreat for airships behind a protective main vanguard, from where they can emerge immediately after victory or defeat and fulfill their post-deployment roles.
The author suggests squadrons of three airships used and no less. Reliability issues and maintenance works will likely leave only two of these three available for any individual engagement, thus creating a skirmishing pair (and a possible skirmish chain of multiple squadrons). Each airship should be governed by a sky-captain; each squadron led by a wing-commander with authority over all three ships.
In our example, we deploy three airships with a formation of twelve two-deckers. Pre-deployment, the airships maintain a loose line formation to maximize spread with maintained communications. During engagement, the airships retreat and form a line parallel to the main battle line and keep to a communications role. Post-engagement, the airship line crosses over the battle line and tracks enemy movements. In case of scattered enemies, the airships break formation and follow vulnerable enemies in groups of three.
Closing Words
Both the author and the references for this paper regard naval aviation as a field with great future and prospects. The military Intelligentsia are encouraged to embrace this new innovation and share their experiences so that theory can be implemented in practice. Naval aviation could play a vital role in reinforcing Regalian naval dominance over the known world.
The author suggest any interested admiral to invest in a set of the more archaic (and much cheaper) Dwarven Kazaraks and deploy them in naval practice to see their use and potential. If the admiral judges that he can make great use of the advantages provided by these primitive and simple air-crafts, he may consider a serious investment into proper vessels.
Written contributions, proposals and critique are all welcome, addressed to the Dame in letter or through personal discourse. The journal will seek to always involve acclaimed references in all topics to maintain accuracy and credibility.
(( Thanks for the relevant RP and brainstormings to all those involved; both remarked & not-remarked @Carcalla @Bertramqaz @festiveCorvid @Eronoc ))
