History, Politics And Current Affairs

I'm happy to announce that Drake's Drum: Horizon of Our Hopes has just been released as an e-book and the paperback version will be released shortly. The new book covers the period 1948-2015 and I hope to post pictures of ships and aircraft from that period in the coming weeks.

This first image in this post is photoshopped.

This is a Japanese aircraft that never flew in our time line. It is based on the Plan VIII reconnaissance aircraft designed by the Rikugun Kokugijutsu Kenkūjo in 1941 and finalised by 1943/4. An example is depicted here as it might be after capture by American forces.

As can be seen from the drawings, Plan VIII was a four engine designs meant to use Ha-211 Ru engines. It must be noted that the aircraft seems too small for the planned four engines. It’s possible that the correct dimensions of the design have not been found or that different engines were planned and this version has Mitsubishi Ha-53 engines. The Ha-53 was a 28-cylinder supercharged four-row, seven-bank, radial that was designed, but never built.

Works consulted include: All the Experimental Aircraft in Japanese Army by Minoru Akimoto; Japanese Secret Projects Volume 1 by Edwin M. Dyer III, Illustrated Warplane History Number 8: The X-Planes of Imperial Japanese Army and Navy by Nohara Shigeru, Japanese Aero Engines 1910 to 1945 by Mike Godwin and Peter Starkings, 陸海軍試作戦闘機 (1) 太平洋戦史シリーズ (Army and Navy prototype fighter Part 1: Pacific War History Series, Gakken 31) and 三菱航空エンジン史―大正六年より終戦まで 1915‐1945 (History of Mitsubishi Aero Engines 1915 to 1945) by Matsuoka Hisamitsu and Nakanishi Masayoshi.

The finished versions of both the IJA Air Arm and Ejercito del Aire Appendices are now up at the Drake’s Drum website. The new book covers the period 1948-2015 and I hope to post pictures of ships and aircraft from that period in the coming weeks.

WHOOO HOOOO!!!!!

I absolutely LOVE it when new appendices come out online, because then I have delightful a new way to waste time at work!

THanks
Belushi TD

BelushiTD, I have been damaging the productivity of the workforce since 1979. It's a proud record.

One should always take pride in one's work.


Belushi TD

Snagged, and started.

Some Presidents of the United States in the Drake's Drum timeline.

Adalai Stevenson (D) 20/1/53-20/1/57
Earl Warren (R) 20/1/57-20/1/61
Joseph P Kennedy (D) 20/1/61-20/1/65
Barry Goldwater (R) 20/1/65-20/1/73

Three UK prime ministers from Drake's Drum: Horizon of Our Hopes. L to R

Archibald Sinclair (Liberal) in office 20/2/41-15/5/52
Rupert Brabner (Conservative) in office 24/6/56–31/3/67
Harold Wilson (Liberal) in office 31/3/67–5/4/1976

Nick Sumner wrote: ↑Sun Dec 24, 2023 5:41 pm Some Presidents of the United States in the Drake's Drum timeline.

Adalai Stevenson (D) 20/1/53-20/1/57
Earl Warren (R) 20/1/57-20/1/61
Joseph P Kennedy (D) 20/1/61-20/1/65
Barry Goldwater (R) 20/1/65-20/1/73

Two of them would give me nightmares, Warren and Kennedy

A big update to the Drake's Drum website has just gone live. Photographs from Part 4 Drake's Drum: Horizon of Our Hopes have been added. Just as a taster, we have a photograph from the time of the Crisis Cascade of 1973. An RAF Hawker-Siddeley Hotspur fighter (based on the Hawker P.1125, a project from OTL) intercepting a Soviet Tu 95 bomber over the North Sea.



www.drakesdrum.co.uk

There have been far too few pictures of enormous warships in this thread lately, so here's two images of Montana class battleships modernised for service with the USN in the 1980s.

In other news there is a new update to the Drake's Drum website which includes the addition of password accessible content.

It consists of Annex 19, which is a complete Drake's Drum timeline and an Interlude chapter which was an attempt at comic relief, but didn't really propel the plot forward.

If you would like to know the password please email me with a picture of your copy of either the paperback version of Drake's Drum: Horizon of Our Hopes or a picture of the screen of your reading device with the map of Africa that is printed near the end of the penultimate chapter. My email is available in the 'Author' section of the Drake's Drum website and there is a link in my sig line.

Purely from a personal curiosity standpoint, how did you create the Montana pictures? I assume they're a modified shot of an Iowa class?

Also - IN regards to your kind offer, my birthday is coming up at the end of April, and I hope to receive the Drake's Drum set at that point. I'll be certain to PM you the requested photo once I get the books!

Belushi TD

I would like to have seen Montana.

Poohbah wrote: ↑Sun Feb 25, 2024 8:39 pm I would like to have seen Montana.

Looking at the Montana's, they look a lot like the Iowas (runs away as fast as possible).

Lordroel wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2024 4:28 pm

Poohbah wrote: ↑Sun Feb 25, 2024 8:39 pm I would like to have seen Montana.

Looking at the Montana's, they look a lot like the Iowas (runs away as fast as possible).

Family tree.

I'm wondering if the Montanas would have gotten the King Nimitz modification of the Iowas.

jemhouston wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2024 5:07 pm
Family tree.

Than i shall not mention the name Alaska then here, no relation i supose.

Lordroel wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2024 6:45 pm

jemhouston wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2024 5:07 pm
Family tree.

Than i shall not mention the name Alaska then here, no relation I suppose.

Wrong side of the bed. Then again, it's a good design if you're worried about taking on heavy cruisers from powers that cheated more than the USN did.

Belushi TD wrote: ↑Sun Feb 25, 2024 7:15 pm Purely from a personal curiosity standpoint, how did you create the Montana pictures? I assume they're a modified shot of an Iowa class?

Also - IN regards to your kind offer, my birthday is coming up at the end of April, and I hope to receive the Drake's Drum set at that point. I'll be certain to PM you the requested photo once I get the books!

Belushi TD

They are modified in Photoshop from pictures of Iowa class battleships.

jemhouston wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2024 5:07 pm
I'm wondering if the Montanas would have gotten the King Nimitz modification of the Iowas.

If you have a minute check out the USN Appendix on the Drake's Drum website. The follow on class to the Montanas (the Wyoming BB72 class) get the King/Nimitz mods that we might have seen in BB65 Illinois and BB66 Kentucky if they had been completed.