Posted on 01/06/2017 6:50:53 AM PST by C19fan
In the mid-1930s, the Nazi government began to plan in detail for the reconstruction of German naval power. The destruction of the German High Seas Fleet at Scapa Flow remained central to the mythology of German betrayal and defeat in World War I. Rebuilding the fleet would be a grand achievement worthy of the Nazis, but also in accord with long-term German foreign policy goals.
(Excerpt) Read more at warisboring.com ...
Or even more significant, what if Germany had paid attention to Gen. Billy Mitchell’s air attack demonstrations and invested in development of aircraft carriers for the North Atlantic? While the Luftwaffe failed to destroy England’s ability to fight from the air, they might have succeeded in destroying the Royal Navy, a vital asset to keep supplies from America flowing.
America and Britain had plans to build a massive aircraft carrier made from pycrete, virtually indestructable to even the largest at the time shells or torpedos.
As long as it remained in the north atlantic it could regenerate itself from melting by using on board piped refrigeration. I saw plans of it some years ago.
That would have been a colossal waste of money.
The larger problem was fuel. They didn’t have enough fuel to run the fleet they had. They would have been better off with a smaller surface fleet and more tanks at the start of the war, particularly in 1941.
And more U-Boats.
Nazis had lots of stupid ideas.
The P1000 Ratte - a 1000 ton tank with a battleship turret mounting 11 inch guns.
The Maus - A 128 ton tank with 128mm main gun and a 75mm coax.
The Panther - An over-engineered copy of the T-34. It was too complicated to manufacture quickly, so there were never enough.
On and on and on...
Germany had “plans” for lots of things, including the massive transatlantic bomber the “Amerika” which never got off the drawing board.
You are right about the U-boats. At any given time, perhaps only 30 operational boats in the Atlantic/North Atlantic wreaked havoc. Still, Jutland was a technical victory in which the German low self-confidence put them in harbor, not the results. Moreover, the U-boat attack at Jutland was not coordinated with the surface fight or the Brits would have lost big. It’s a classic example of a guy who doesn’t have confidence, and who is winning but doesn’t “think” he’s winning.
I am just now in the middle of James Hornfischer’s brand new book, “The Fleet at High Tide”. I have finished his account of the breathtaking mass of men, weaponry and ordnance deployed in the Marianas campaign (Saipan, Tinian, Guam). All that was finished in a couple of months, mid-1944.
The mobilization of America is like nothing the world has ever seen. We have all but lost most of the virtuous resolve that was present in those days, just two short generations ago.
BTW, I have never read a purely-narrative (i.e., sans editorial commentary) writer as good as Hornfischer. I was turned on to his work when I read “The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors”, which extolled the enormous virtues of the men who jockeyed the destroyer escorts in the Battle off Samar, part of the larger Leyte Gulf tilt, biggest naval engagement in history.
Nazi Germany did lay down two aircraft carriers: one launched, but not fully fitted-out, and another that was finished up to the armoured deck.
German carriers would have needed escort ships. All of these would have had a hard time getting into the Atlantic. Look at what happened to the Bismarck.
The perfect is always the enemy of the good. Striving for the perfect prevents development of the good.
The good is serviceable. The perfect is never achieved.
Even the concept of perfect is kind of stupid.
Germans tend to overthink things too much anyway.
It would seem the "Amerika" made it off the drawing board afterall. But yep, a stupid waste of their resources. I don't see any defensive guns, which would've cut into its capacity. Primative by US standards and a poor showing for a latter war-time design.
Germany had BIG plans. Already had maps of the world
including AMERICA divided up among Hitler’s henchmen as
to who got to dictate and rule what. - I call it counting
chickens before they get hatched. “Amerika” and the Allies
drove them back all the way into Hitler’s bunker where he
took the coward’s way out and committed suicide before he
could be dragged out of that dismal bunker and tried and
executed in front of the world they had set on fire.
Germany had “plans” for lots of things, including the massive transatlantic bomber the “Amerika” which never got off the drawing board.
You are right about the U-boats. At any given time, perhaps only 30 operational boats in the Atlantic/North Atlantic wreaked havoc. Still, Jutland was a technical victory in which the German low self-confidence put them in harbor, not the results. Moreover, the U-boat attack at Jutland was not coordinated with the surface fight or the Brits would have lost big. It’s a classic example of a guy who doesn’t have confidence, and who is winning but doesn’t “think” he’s winning.
Aircraft carriers were pretty vulnerable when operating close to land based aircraft — especially prior to the advent of good shipborne radar sets. Plus you had to worry about heavy enemy surface units popping out of a fog bank or a rain squall and dropping a broadside on your flightdeck. ONE of the reasons the Brits had deck armor on their CV’s. Came in handy when operating against Kamikaze units in the Pacific.
Agreed on Hornfischer — a very good writer. Try his “Neptune’s Inferno” about the naval battle of Guadalcanal.
That is where I found him too. The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors is at the top of the list for great books.
The “virtuous resolve” that was present in those days is sadly diminished. I prayed there was enough left in America to avoid the disaster of a Clinton presidency which would have destroyed America forever. Trump’s election, for me, was proof there still remains that incredible faith and force within some of the American people that just might make our country great again. We fought another Leyte Gulf last November 8th.....although some might look at it as the Battle of Belleau Wood.
The perfect is always the enemy of the good. Striving for the perfect prevents development of the good.
The good is serviceable. The perfect is never achieved.
Even the concept of perfect is kind of stupid.
Germans tend to overthink things too much anyway.
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Well said. Reminds me of Gen. Patton, “I’d rather have a good plan today than a perfect plan three weeks from now.”
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