Shipbucket

I would have to agree everyone else. Not only is there a lack of ships but very importantly there's also a lack of skilled crew in the operations of carriers and skilled pilots in carrier operations to fly off them to make the ship effective. Add to that the endless dispute between who controlled aircraft onboard ship (be it the Luftwaffe as in reality or somehow the Kreigsmarine gaining control over the airwing) and the general poor communications between the various arms of the German military buried under Bureaucracy and I see any carriers as being just fat useless targets for a Navy who did not need them for their area of operations.

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"The first rule is not to lose; The second rule is not to forget the first rule"

I sort of have to disagree because the United States did have their Carriers alone sometimes and still proved to be worth its money, or if not, a small Destroyer escort. The Japanese out numbered the US Navy at midway anyhow, with 8 on their side and 2 i believe on the US side and still want a great victory by sinking all of em. I believe that if the German Navy did commission 1 to 2 carriers they would have performed decently well against the British as 80% of the Royal Navy was scattered in the Pacific and Med against the Japanese and Italians. Also the Royal Naval Air Arm wasnt all that massive on their carriers ranging from 26 to 40 max aircraft, given the Graf Zeppelin could actually squeeze in a ton more aircraft in both hangers making her capable of more than 45 stored. They lacked in carrier doctrine but during war time, they often had to learn on the fly and most of the time, succeeded in doing so, i think the same would have applied to these naval doctrines. A combination of a Bismarck or Tirpitz, with a few destroyers, light or heavy cruisers with 1 or both carriers would be a deadly carrier group. One of the German advances was anti-aircraft, and combine that with the Bf-109's would have performed quite well. The Seafire's landings were the same as the Bf-109's so i dont think that would have made a difference to the Germans to replace them so quick anyhow given the Royal Navy Seafire used them through the war.

Royal Navy scattered in the Pacific ? When ?

1-2 Kriegsmarine carriers agains full power of Home Fleet with heavy support from RAF forces, dead man walking for germans.

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Nobody expects the Imperial Inquisition!

From 1942 to the end of 1943 there was absolutely zero British ships in the Pacific. All were withdrawn to prevent them from being exterminated by the Japanese

Really? I have tons of Royal Naval carrier and ship pictures in the Pacific and med mostly, and a few in atlantic.

Yeah, I heard some of the British ships were in the Pacific during the last years of the war.

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R.I.P. Admiral Furashita.
May you sail to glory forever. *salutes*

And I have a tons of Imperial Japanese carriers pictures in the Indian Ocean. That don't mean that whole Japs Navy was serving there all the time. Home Fleet was the most powerful single sea force on this side of planet from 1939 to 1944. I the last year of the war British send there carriers with escort to join US Navy on pacific. Before that they mainly serve as convoy protections on atlantic and med.

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Nobody expects the Imperial Inquisition!

Sir, your research skills are impeccable, and surely I trust your other opinions all the more after witnessing this breathtaking demonstration of your historical knowledge.

(wtf.)

4 vs 2 and a half.

Here's the breakdown of carriers available (that is, in commission) to the USN and IJN in June 1942:

United States Navy:
CVSs Wright, Curtiss, Albemarle, Tangier, Pocomoke
CVE Long Island
CVs Saratoga, Ranger, Yorktown, Enterprise, Wasp, Hornet

Imperial Japanese Navy:
CVSs Chitose, Chiyoda, Nisshin, Akitsushima
CVEs Kasuga Maru, Yawata Maru
CVLs Hosho, Ryujo, Zuiho
CVs Akagi, Kaga, Soryu, Hiryu, Shokaku, Zuikaku, Junyo

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MS State Guard - 08 March 2014 - 28 January 2023

The Official IJN Ships & Planes List

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