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fandomhigh2012-09-18 11:40 pm
screwyoumarvel) wrote in fandomhigh2012-09-18 11:40 pm
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Sword & Shield: Tactics, Period 3 - Wednesday
Today’s class was being held in the Danger Shop. At a castle. “Today we’re going to talk about siege warfare,” Steve said. “Ser Jaime is more familiar with our current location, so I’ll let him start us off.”
Jaime gave the class a quick smile, glancing back at the castle behind him. "This is Storm's End, the seat of House Baratheon, Lord Paramount to the Stormlands. It was built thousands of years ago and has not once been taken by siege. The story goes that a man called Durran fell madly in love with the daughter of a sea god and a wind goddess," he said dryly. The Age of Heroes was a very special time, you know. Gods running about all over the place. "And they didn't take too kindly to that. So, when he hid away in his holdfast, they would break the walls and shatter the stone sheltering him and his new bride. They did this six times until he enlisted the help of Bran the Builder to construct the castle you see before you. The seaward walls are said to be over eighty feet thick. And from there, it's a straight drop down over one hundred and fifty feet to the rocky depths the very aptly named Shipbreaker Bay."
He smiled again at that.
"It's a remarkably simple castle, though. One impenetrable wall surrounding a single building within. Nothing to set aflame, nothing but smooth, well defended stone to climb, nothing that would allow a fleet to take it without fear of being dashed upon the rocks. The only weakness is just how much food you can store inside should you be assaulted."
Something that one Stannis Baratheon would learn well enough, Jaime knew.
"And I believe Captain Rogers has his own example of an absurdly well defended keep," Jaime added, as the danger shop changed from a stormy cliffside to the ruins of a city.
“This is Pavlov’s House,” Steve told the class. “In Stalingrad, what’s now Volgograd, Russia, as it would have looked around November of 1942. We talked two weeks ago about how the Soviets burned the earth as they pulled back before approaching German troops; what we didn’t talk about was the modern siege warfare involved in that campaign. The London Blitz is probably better known in this part of the world, so I thought I’d use a different example. What’s important here is that modern siege warfare rarely involves structures that were designed to be defended, like Storm’s End. It happens in cities, and centers around defending every inch, every block, every building, making your enemy work for real estate and grinding them down. Pavlov’s House started out as an apartment building. During the two months Sergeant Yakov Pavlov and his troops held it against the Germans before they were relieved, it came to be known on German maps as a fortress, with machine gun postings in the windows and a minefield surrounding the building. And by the time it was all over...there wasn’t much left that could be called a building, but the Soviets had held it.”
"Holding land is no easy task in battle," Jaime added, looking around at the rubble, left hand rubbing at the wrist of his right. "Nor is taking it. Sacrifices are always to be made when a siege happens. Very rarely do things go as planned, and very rarely can you predict just what your opponent's next move will be."
“A siege may seem like a waiting game, but there are a lot of factors to consider. If you’re under siege, how do you hold out? In Leningrad, another Soviet city, the situation became so dire that the police force formed a special unit to combat cannibalism in the winter of 1941-1942. How do you keep things from reaching that point? If you’re the force laying siege, what do you do in the face of an enemy who is willing to go to such lengths rather than surrendering? Pick a side in one of the two scenarios we’ve presented, and tell us how you would end the siege. And, while you’re at it, consider how you would construct a fortified position against a siege. Brainstorm it.”
Jaime gave the class a quick smile, glancing back at the castle behind him. "This is Storm's End, the seat of House Baratheon, Lord Paramount to the Stormlands. It was built thousands of years ago and has not once been taken by siege. The story goes that a man called Durran fell madly in love with the daughter of a sea god and a wind goddess," he said dryly. The Age of Heroes was a very special time, you know. Gods running about all over the place. "And they didn't take too kindly to that. So, when he hid away in his holdfast, they would break the walls and shatter the stone sheltering him and his new bride. They did this six times until he enlisted the help of Bran the Builder to construct the castle you see before you. The seaward walls are said to be over eighty feet thick. And from there, it's a straight drop down over one hundred and fifty feet to the rocky depths the very aptly named Shipbreaker Bay."
He smiled again at that.
"It's a remarkably simple castle, though. One impenetrable wall surrounding a single building within. Nothing to set aflame, nothing but smooth, well defended stone to climb, nothing that would allow a fleet to take it without fear of being dashed upon the rocks. The only weakness is just how much food you can store inside should you be assaulted."
Something that one Stannis Baratheon would learn well enough, Jaime knew.
"And I believe Captain Rogers has his own example of an absurdly well defended keep," Jaime added, as the danger shop changed from a stormy cliffside to the ruins of a city.
“This is Pavlov’s House,” Steve told the class. “In Stalingrad, what’s now Volgograd, Russia, as it would have looked around November of 1942. We talked two weeks ago about how the Soviets burned the earth as they pulled back before approaching German troops; what we didn’t talk about was the modern siege warfare involved in that campaign. The London Blitz is probably better known in this part of the world, so I thought I’d use a different example. What’s important here is that modern siege warfare rarely involves structures that were designed to be defended, like Storm’s End. It happens in cities, and centers around defending every inch, every block, every building, making your enemy work for real estate and grinding them down. Pavlov’s House started out as an apartment building. During the two months Sergeant Yakov Pavlov and his troops held it against the Germans before they were relieved, it came to be known on German maps as a fortress, with machine gun postings in the windows and a minefield surrounding the building. And by the time it was all over...there wasn’t much left that could be called a building, but the Soviets had held it.”
"Holding land is no easy task in battle," Jaime added, looking around at the rubble, left hand rubbing at the wrist of his right. "Nor is taking it. Sacrifices are always to be made when a siege happens. Very rarely do things go as planned, and very rarely can you predict just what your opponent's next move will be."
“A siege may seem like a waiting game, but there are a lot of factors to consider. If you’re under siege, how do you hold out? In Leningrad, another Soviet city, the situation became so dire that the police force formed a special unit to combat cannibalism in the winter of 1941-1942. How do you keep things from reaching that point? If you’re the force laying siege, what do you do in the face of an enemy who is willing to go to such lengths rather than surrendering? Pick a side in one of the two scenarios we’ve presented, and tell us how you would end the siege. And, while you’re at it, consider how you would construct a fortified position against a siege. Brainstorm it.”
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During the Lecture
First Discussion Topic
Probably you don't want to be the Nazis in this scenario.
Second Discussion Topic
Talk to the Teachers
Re: Talk to the Teachers
He wasn't going to be looking at the Targaryen girl right now, thank you.
OOC