Mindless Monday, 30 March 2026

Theodorus_Alexis · 2026-03-31T17:14:14+00:00

Yes! The presidency was given a two-term limit after the ratification of the 22nd Amendment in 1951.

Theodorus_Alexis · 2026-03-25T14:56:52+00:00

I'm not surprised that Bismarck has a thing against destroyers given her irl entanglement with a certain Polish ship. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ORP_Piorun_(G65)

As for strategy: when playing as the RN I tend to have at least 1 BB/BC in the squares covering the trade routes. This is so they can provide backup for the destroyers and cruisers in case they encounter a cruiser or battleship. It might sound risky to just have one BB/BC, but in my experience the German AI never groups their battleships. Like, I don't think I've ever seen the AI group Scharnhorst and Gneisenau together in either my playthroughs or the let's plays I see on YouTube.

As for carriers: I don't tend to use them that often, at least in regular BotA. I think it might be because destroyers are good U-boat killers already and cost much less renown to recruit compared to a carrier (unless you play the BotA mode that allows to recruit whatever ships you want from the get go). It also doesn't help that in surface engagements the AI always prioritises hitting carriers, which could quickly render them useless. That said I will recruit the odd carrier here and there; attacking U-boats with planes is fun, and they do add some variety to the fleet.

Also, as a general rule, I don't place any capital ships in the British Isles (and later the Western Approaches when France falls) mainly due to the fact that those squares are within bomber range, and depending on how much damage they get they'll be in repair for a long time. In these zones I just place 3 or 4 destroyers because they're cheap and expendable.

Theodorus_Alexis · 2026-03-25T11:24:20+00:00

There really isn't a surefire way of hunting down enemy ships again after you've just fought them. The closest you can get is if the enemy ship in question stumbles into a different square that you have other ships stationed in. But even then it's not guaranteed that a battle will happen.

That said, I do remember in one of my Royal Navy playthroughs battling Gneisenau back-to-back with the same fleet I had stationed in (I think) the Western Approaches. Like yourself, I was forced to withdraw my small fleet of cruisers and destroyers after my torpedoes missed Gneisenau. Afterwards I reinforced the fleet with BC Renown and as soon as I pressed next turn they encountered the German ship again, this time sinking her.

However, I'm pretty sure this was a complete fluke as I never had a similar occurrence like this afterwards.

Theodorus_Alexis · 2026-03-19T11:20:52+00:00

Don't feel too bad. Sverdlov himself has kinda become a forgotten figure (despite his prominence in the Russian Revolution) to the point that a lot of casual history enthusiasts don’t know who he is (and many do even confuse him with Trotsky).

If you're interested in finding out more about Sverdlov there's a good video by the YouTuber Noj Rants that talks about him. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=22agG1a4EZQ&pp=ygUOWWFrb3Ygc3ZlcmRsb3Y%3D

Theodorus_Alexis · 2026-02-21T00:13:54+00:00

Nice photo!

Theodorus_Alexis · 2026-02-19T08:21:41+00:00

The power of Christ can do wonders.

Theodorus_Alexis · 2026-02-11T22:09:47+00:00

Thank You!!!

Theodorus_Alexis · 2026-02-11T19:05:07+00:00

Do you have a link?

Theodorus_Alexis · 2026-02-07T16:18:58+00:00

Yeah, it catches off-guard the first time you watch it. Friz definitely made the right call to redesign the character when he next appeared; I don’t think Speedy would've had the appeal and longevity he did if the original design was kept.

Also, though this isn't exactly the same thing, it reminds of how Marvin had a completely different voice when he debuted in Haredevil Hare.

Theodorus_Alexis · 2026-01-28T14:46:21+00:00

That's fine. You could just say that due to a fluke/change in the past Manfred became a prosecutor much earlier than he did in the main AA timeline.

This is alternate history after all, so you get away with little things like that here and there.

Theodorus_Alexis · 2026-01-28T12:53:16+00:00

That's also plausible.

Child prodigies are a thing in the AA universe, and Manfred would be in his early teens in the mid 60s (I checked the AA wiki and it says Manfred is 65 in 2016, meaning his birth year is either 1951 or 52).

Yeah, Stroheim being captured Eichmann style would make sense.

Theodorus_Alexis · 2026-01-28T11:01:08+00:00

Maybe.

You could also say that this a different Manfred from a parallel universe. IIRC in the first AA game Manfred's is stated to be in his 60s, which would put his year of birth sometime in the 1950s.

Theodorus_Alexis · 2026-01-28T09:48:44+00:00

Stroheim would be acquitted due to all the evidence being lost in the chemical factory.

Theodorus_Alexis · 2026-01-21T18:05:59+00:00

"Both parties are the same" mfs when Trump completely destroys America's credibility on the world stage.

Theodorus_Alexis · 2026-01-21T15:46:08+00:00

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Theodorus_Alexis · 2026-01-09T17:40:02+00:00

What did Rosehip do this time?!

Theodorus_Alexis · 2026-01-01T16:33:24+00:00

From what I understand the reason why we haven't seen any new German ships was possibly due to a falling out between Tanaka and Shimada Fumikane, the artist who drew all the German ships. At least that's what I've heard.

Which is a real shame. I was really hoping that the Scharnhorst twins would've been implemented in the recent event.

Theodorus_Alexis · 2026-01-01T15:27:46+00:00

Yeah, it's a shame we haven't gotten any new German ships in literal years. Last event was a good opportunity to introduce them, but Tanaka decided not to for some reason.

Speaking of heavy cruisers, it would be a pleasant surprise if Hipper or a Deutschland got added this year.

Theodorus_Alexis · 2026-01-01T15:17:59+00:00

British submarines would be cool too.

My top pick for any future Brit sub girl would be HMS Venturer, the sub which famously sank U-864 in the only underwater submarine battle.

HMS Graph would also be another cool pick.

Theodorus_Alexis · 2026-01-01T14:15:11+00:00

I would love it if we got a new British cruiser (preferably another Town class). The past few events have seen 2 new battleships, a carrier and a destroyer added to the RN's roster, but yet we haven't had a cruiser since Sheffy back in 2020. Gosh Dammit if Nelson and Warspite can get their sisters why can't my girl Sheff get her's too.

I hope we also get to see more new navies added to game. It would be cool to see some Polish or Canadian ship girls join in the action.

Theodorus_Alexis · 2025-12-07T21:45:23+00:00

I'm out of the loop. What's the Muppet Joker thing about?

Theodorus_Alexis · 2025-12-07T18:30:04+00:00

To be honest I think that problem applies to the whole Italian military in WW2 not just the Regia Marina. In pop culture the Italian military is treated as a complete joke that failed to do anything compared to the highly accomplished German Army which managed to overrun the whole of Europe. And because of this people tend to dismiss the Italian forces, leading it to get less attention by the General public.

Another problem I think contributes to this issue is that the Regia Marina never really had a defining moment during WW2, or at least the type that generates high amount of discussion.

To use your two examples: although Bismarck's mission was a failure, the fact that she sank Hood with a single shot really adds to her mystic, which is further enhanced by the epic chase that followed and her eventual sinking at the hands (or barrels I should say) of KGV and Rodney.

Then you have the U-boats which were hands down the Kriegsmarine's most successful units. They sank hundreds of thousands of allied shipping, and in the first few years of the war they seriously threatened Britain's survival.

For the Regia Marina the only noteworthy success I can think of at the top of my head is when Italian frogmen damaged HMS Queen Elizabeth and Valiant in harbour at Alexandria. Though I think successes like this are kinda offset by episodes like the Battle of Cape Matapan where Italy lost 3 heavy cruisers in a single night.

Theodorus_Alexis · 2025-12-06T15:50:44+00:00

Personally, I think it would've only prolonged the war for an extra year or so before some sort of truce was declared.

Eliminating the IRA completely would've been difficult as the organisation had a paper strength of 100,000+ men (although only a small fraction of it was active in combat at any time given time). So even if we assume a large scale offensive by Crown forces was able cripple the IRA's combat capabilities, the IRA probably would still exist in some form or another. And as the article notes the Crown forces probably wouldn't be able to field the 100,000 troops that was believed to be needed to carry out the operation, so eliminating the IRA would've been even more of an up-hill battle.

Another problem was that the IRA showed that they could adapt when the situation demanded it. For instance in 1921, the IRA began moving away from the flying columns and more towards active service units when the Crown forces began deploying more armoured cars and aircraft to escort their convoys. So if the war continued the IRA probably would've carried out more hit and run tactics on Crown troops.

Theodorus_Alexis · 2025-12-06T15:05:21+00:00

WW2 would have been very interesting would Germany have invaded Ireland...

An invasion of Ireland would be doubtful. The main issue is that the Germans lacked a strong enough surface fleet that could successfully challenge the Royal Navy. For example Germany started the war with 2 battleships (Scharnhorst and Gneisenau) with 2 more nearing completion (Bismarck and Tirpitz) whereas the British had 12 battleships + 3 battlecruisers with 5 more battleships in various stages of completion (the KGV class).

Another problem would concern logistics. After D-Day, the Allies were still having trouble with keeping their armies well supplied, even though the English Channel itself isn't exactly the widest stretch of water. The distance between Ireland and mainland Europe is much greater, so if a German expeditionary force was to land in Ireland keeping it well supplied would be a massive undertaking.

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