Graf Zeppelin found

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

N. Sea would be my guess.

[Gnomey]

Originally Posted by DerAdlerIstGelandet

N. Sea would be my guess.

I'd agree with that, would be too risky taking her through the channel even if there was bad weather covering her.

[Hunter368]

Originally Posted by Gnomey

I'd agree with that, would be too risky taking her through the channel even if there was bad weather covering her.

Yup she would never had made it.

[plan_D]

That assumption was made by the Royal Navy which led to the 'Channel Dash' being a success for the Kriegsmarine. Don't be so quick to think that a ship couldn't slip through the Channel. It was heavy weather, and cloud cover, that stopped the RAF causing any damage to the Kriegsmarine during the 'Channel Dash'. Even with the covering Luftwaffe, the RAF got through but couldn't find the targets.

[MP-Willow]

Anyone able to confirm that the finding is the GZ?

As for the aircraft, they and the ship would not have made it out. The Navy needed a lot to try and come lose to the British, USN, and the Japs. If they would have managed the carrier from the start as a priority then they might have had hope.

A question for you all: The German's looked at the A6M the IJN developed why not use that on the GZ? Would that have made any difference? If the Germans had been developing carriers like the Japs, and used the A6M what would the Atlantic have looked like?

[Henk]

Yes, it has been confirmed.

[the lancaster kicks ass]

well it's my understanding that the GZ would've been used primarily, again against the convoys, avoiding conflict with the RN as much as possible yes? the A6M's range would've been useful against convoys but when she did meet the RN the aircraft carried would've been irellivent anyway.........

[daishi12]

If the Kreigsmarine had had a different strategic policy the results could have been far different from the actual outcome of the war.

If I may explain my thoughts.. Hitler viewed the Kriegsmarine with at best indifference and at worst hostility. The only section of the Kreigsmarine that Hitler saw as being effective were the U-Boats, after they had proved their worth in the First World War. In my opinion Hitler viewed the surface navy as a propaganda or political tool. The Bismark and Scharnhorst had the ability to project power.

Imagine that instead of propaganda use, all the main battleships were used as weapons.

A massed breakthrough in early 1942 with the Bismark, Tirpitz, Scharnhorst, Prinz Eugen, Admiral Graf Spee, and the Graf Zeppelin screened by destroyers and U-Boats would have played havoc with the Royal Navy particulary if they had stayed close to the French side of the channel as there could have been fighter cover from land and CAP from the Graf Zeppelin.

At this time the Royal Navy had the advantage in numbers, but it should be remembered that the majority of RN battleships and heavy cruisers where coming to the end of their useful lives being between 10 to 20 years old.

The RN was also scattered between the North to South Atlantic, Meditterean, Indian and Pacific Oceans.

If the following conditions had been met, namely bad weather, close ground based air support, u-boat and destroyer screens and harrying raids against British airfields, there would have been a succesful breakout.

I believe that probably 3 to 4 convoys would not have been able to get through to Britain, as even a "fast" convoy only had an average speed of about 15 knots, the German ships had an average speed of about 20 to 22 knots. The merchant ships would have been like fish in a barrel. The lose of 3 convoys would potentially have caused Britains surrender.

I think the 109T would have been capable of handling the majority of air threats of the time (Swordfish, Fairey Fulmars, Blackburn ROCs, Gloster Sea Gladiators, Grumman F4F Wildcats)

[loomaluftwaffe]

by the time the A6M went into Jap. service the Germans would have probably been putting more versatile Fw-190s on their decks