OBT Forum

Even Hesperus and LAW do not produce everything on site. They still import components for their designs.

A working example could use Diverse Optics of Tancredi IV.

Here's the scene:

So the First Succession War starts in earnest, a Prince John Davion frantically moves to protect his high-tech laser industry. He authorizes the complete redistribution of Diverse Optics's operation from Tancredi IV to Numenor - a suitable A+ planet deep within the Federated Suns.

The AFFS then moves the factory, the computer cores, the foundries, the mills, the lens factories, and all of the other component manufacturers, plus Diverse's technicians and engineers to a safe haven. They conduct the operation quickly with extra DropShips and JumpShips, and technicians familiar with the maintenance and use of advanced laser systems.


Pull it off and victory goes to House Davion. The Combine never comes closer to New Avalon than its ill-fated first invasion and Numenor remains a shining beacon of high tech industry. So high tech in fact, that the other Successor States bow to the inevitable. They are simply outmatched by Davion technology after two devastating wars.

However, lose one of the above mentioned components of Diverse Optics and lack a replacement, and Diverse is either building less sophisticated lasers or none at all.

This is basically what happened to most production firms after the first two Succession Wars. Assuming their equipment survived the ravages of time and poor maintenance, and there was a less sophisticated product to fall back on. Not every factory was bombed into a useless husk. Plenty just fell into disuse because there was no other alternative to their original function. Scavenged for parts for use elsewhere was a typical fate for these manufacturing "war orphans".

A good example is the Industrial Mech industry. What survived actual combat was cannibalized to support the remaining war factories.   

Worse still, what if the Combine gets wind of the operation? What if they catch the operation mid-stride? The AFFS could be out Diverse Optics, a load of well trained technicians (technicians pulled from combat commands that could use their skills), and maybe a fleet of irreplaceable JumpShips & DropShips.

That's a lot to risk.

Just something to think about...

Key point to keep in mind - Atreus was the only national capital that didn't fall under attack during the Succession Wars, and that was likely because it didn't include any significant military industrial assets.

During the First and Second Succession Wars especially, deepstrike raiding with the intent of eliminating your enemy's production assets was a very real and common phenomenon, and there isn't a whole lot that could be done to stop it.  No nation possesses fleet assets sufficent enough to watch every possible legitimate and pirate jump-point between their border and their capital. 

I'm guessing that deep raiding was more common, since early on, the Houses actually had fleets around (something they didn't in the 3rd and 4th). This must be what set the unspoken rule of later not generally raiding by transit through empty systems (as I'd imagine some of the fleet losses in the 1st and 2nd occurred this way). That's something I hadn't considered regarding the 1st and 2nd, was the idea that these conflicts weren't fought along "fronts" like the later wars.

I'm guessing that deep raiding was more common, since early on, the Houses actually had fleets around (something they didn't in the 3rd and 4th). This must be what set the unspoken rule of later not generally raiding by transit through empty systems (as I'd imagine some of the fleet losses in the 1st and 2nd occurred this way). That's something I hadn't considered regarding the 1st and 2nd, was the idea that these conflicts weren't fought along "fronts" like the later wars.

Deep raids still occur, but are infrequent.  With both JumpShips and BattleMechs being significantly harder to come by, even in the Jihad era, risking both traveling through enemy systems through hazardous jump points in order to launch a raid which might cost you all the assets you sent on it isn't worth the risk anymore when the payout is likely a few looted enemy 'Mechs and spare parts.  During the First Succession War, when jumpship assets were plentiful and your goal was simply to nuke enemy production assets, things were significantly different.

The only example I know of this happened in the USSR during World War II and it was not an easy task to achieve.

Ground warfare is completely different than traveling by hyperspace jump.  A JumpShip cannot be detected or intercepted between systems, and unless the JumpShip is foolish or unlucky enough to pop back into reality close-by hostile orbital assets, enemy forces won't be able to attack it before it jumps again.  There's very little that can be done in the Battletech universe to keep a determined enemy from reaching any habitable system.  The problem becomes surviving once you get there and being able to be resupplied once the enemy knows your target.  There's a very good reason national capitals and major industrial worlds are heavily garrisoned despite being three and four jumps into their national interiors.