Tag: analysis

A Complete Analysis of the Upcoming Siege of Winterfell Part 1

Wars and Politics of Ice and Fire

Introduction

“Tell me, turncloak, what battles has the Bastard of Bolton ever won that I should fear him?” (TWOW, Theon I)

One of the most anticipated plotlines from The Winds of Winter is the Siege of Winterfell. The Siege, originally intended to be included in A Dance with Dragons, was cut to The Winds of Winter. But even though The Winds of Winter hasn’t been released yet, I believe there are significant clues how the Siege of Winterfell will unfold and what the outcome will be.

But to say that the battle will have significant consequences would be understating it. For Stannis Baratheon, it’s a zero-sum game. If he wins, he rejuvenates his claim to the Iron Throne. But more than simply gaining momentum, a victory by Stannis would redirect the North to confront the threat of the Others. If Roose Bolton wins, he solidifies his Wardenship of…

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A Complete Analysis of Robb Stark as a Military Commander

Wars and Politics of Ice and Fire

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“Battles,” muttered Robb as he led her out beneath the trees. “I have won every battle, yet somehow I’m losing the war.” – Robb Stark, ASOS, Chapter 14, Catelyn II

Introduction

First, two bald statements to kick this post off:

  • Robb Stark was the greatest tactician during the War of the Five Kings.

and

  • Robb Stark was the worst strategist of the War of the Five Kings. (Though Balon Greyjoy gives Robb a run for his money for worst strategist.)

On the face of it, these two statements contradict each other, but in these posts, I will attempt to defend both of these statements with textual evidence and some non-technical references to military strategy.

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A Complete Analysis of Stannis Baratheon as a Military Commander

I know it is a medieval fiction, but it has good lessons for even modern warfare.

Wars and Politics of Ice and Fire

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“Whatever doubts his lords might nurse, the common men seemed to have faith in their king. Stannis had smashed Mance Rayder’s wildlings at the Wall and cleaned Asha and her ironborn out of Deepwood Motte; he was Robert’s brother, victor in a famous sea battle off Fair Isle, the man who had held Storm’s End all through Robert’s Rebellion. And he bore a hero’s sword, the enchanted blade Lightbringer, whose glow lit up the night.” – ADWD, Chapter 42, The King’s Prize

Introduction

About a month ago, I did a series of posts on Robb Stark as a military commander, and I figured that the next character from the series that I wanted to analyze militarily was Stannis Baratheon. I’m going to try to accomplish it in 3 parts. Part 1 will be looking at Stannis’s military accomplishments in the events leading up the books, part 2 will deal with…

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Assessing the SAM threat

NOTE: For the more current take, see "Lessons of Air War in Ukraine" Introduction SAMs are the new boogeyman of the USAF, one which they are also using in their political games. They want the F-35 because, they say, legacy aircraft are "unsurvivable". They want to retire the A-10 and leave ground troops without any support … Continue reading Assessing the SAM threat →

Dassault Rafale analysis

Dassault Rafale analysis

NOTE: Analysis of Rafale vs F-22 dogfight Airframe Airframe itself is common between Rafale C and Rafale M, and is designed for 16,5 g ultimate limit load. As 16,5 / 1,5 = 11, Rafale can pull 11 g maneuvers on a regular basis without shortening airframe life; this can be seen here (Rafale in video pulls … Continue reading Dassault Rafale analysis →

Eurofighter Typhoon analysis

Eurofighter Typhoon analysis

Program history Typhoon is a result of a programme to satisfy both German and UK Air Force requirements. In July 1979, air staff from UK, Germany and Italy initiated European Combat Fighter study. In April 1982, preliminary design of ACA (Agile Combat Aircraft) was known, though it had twin tail and cranked delta wing. In … Continue reading Eurofighter Typhoon analysis →

Saab Gripen analysis

Saab Gripen analysis

Program history SAAB Gripen is a result of relaxed-stability fighter rush initiated by (at the time) revolutionary F-16 fighter aircraft. It is not surprising that SAAB opted for delta-canard layout they themselves pioneered in 1960s, but other options were also evaluated (and rejected). This was influenced by testing programme of Viggen in late seventies, which … Continue reading Saab Gripen analysis →

F-35 Analysis

F-35 Analysis

Program history F35 is designed to be LO interceptor / fleet defense / tactical bomber / ground attack / CAS / reconnaissance / air controller and intelligence plane built in CTOL, STOVL, and CATOBAR variants. As Chuck Spinney puts it: "The problem was that each service had very different requirements. The Air Force wanted 1,763 … Continue reading F-35 Analysis →

F-22 Analysis

F-22 Analysis

 Program history and military-industrial complex F22 program is a prime example of bad management – large developmental and production costs meant reduction in number of planes procured; that, in turn, increased per-aircraft cost even more, and led to further cuts. Result was that original number of airframes was cut from 750 to 680 during H. … Continue reading F-22 Analysis →