| December 8 |  |
Editor says, what if Adolf Hitler had committed more resources to Plan Z? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s). This story was published in the July 2012 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In 1938, on this day the German Kriegsmarine aircraft carrier codename Flugzeugträger A was christened the Graf Zeppelin and launched from the Deutsche Werke in the port of Kiel.
Flugzeugträger Part 1: Launching of the Graf ZeppelinGrand Admiral Erich Raeder congratulated the German naval architects1 for overcoming immense difficulties despite their inexperience in building such vessels. The design challenges included a complement of cruiser-type guns for commerce raiding and defense against British cruisers, American and Japanese carriers, designed along the lines of task-force defense, used supporting cruisers for surface firepower, which allowed flight operations to continue without disruption and kept carriers out of undue risk of damage or sinking from surface action.
But the truth was that Raeder himself had saved Plan Z by providing the caste iron guarantees needed for the Fuehrer (who exercised his supreme authority through the Oberkommando der Marine) to sustain his interest in the programme. Because in May 1941, the Graf Zeppelin, along with the Tirpitz, Bismark and Prinz Eugene successfully mounted a German invasion of Iceland.
This post shares some commonality with the sister articles in the Flugzeugträger thread.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Flugzeugtrager Source: Wikipedia Labels: Graf Zeppelin, Kriegsmarine, Aircraft Carrier, Iceland, Second World War. Editor says, in authoring this bluesky scenario we have collaborated with guest historian Scott Palter and have repurposed content from Wikipedia. 1) Wikipedia reports ~ a combination of political infighting between the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe, wrangling within the ranks of the Kriegsmarine itself and Adolf Hitler's waning interest all conspired against the carriers
~ Taking over Iceland might not have been so easy, even with a carrier.
~ The Germans never really developed an amphibious capability. Had they invaded England, they would have been forced to use canal boats as landing craft. While the development of a carrier would have been interesting in terms of the Battle of the Atlantic, an invasion of Iceland would have required the use of resources in a much smaller direction (landing craft, amphib vehicles, etc.).
~ British garrison of Iceland was one weak division and based on Bismark raid RN/RAF were not too good at spotting German task forces. Iceland would not have been a sure thing but the odds were better than Crete, especially given surprise. Holding it is of course another matter. The primary use of the carrier would be transient air superiority followed by the planes being moved to a shore base.
~ If Reichsmarshal Goerting cooperated, an important condition, this entirely changes the equations in the NE. Atlantic.
In particular Germany has monoplanes on its carrier, as opposed to biplanes on the British and dive bombers - their was going to be a seagoing version of the Stuka.
If iceland is captured it changes the eqquations again as their is no "land bridge" to fwrry paints to Britain via Greenland and Iceland and FDR cannot intervenewithout declaring war by becoming responsible for Iceland
Also the Hood and Prince of Wales can be attacked by land based aircraft.
~ Is Germany moving on Iceland enough for the Americans to act, or are they still going to wait for an outright attack?
~ I doubt if FDR will act if the Germans are there first, intead ofreplacing the British, he needed Pearl Harbour as a pretext for war.
~ With help from the _Graf Zeppelin_ and its aircraft, the _Bismarck_ and _Tirpitz_ would be even more formidable. I foresee real, real bad problems for the Murmansk run.
~ The problem is not the Murmansk Run but the North Atlantic convoys and command of the Western Approaches.
As I sais on another thread, with Rudolf hess be coming to britain to complete the peace treaty with Hitler?
~ Invading Iceland is a justifiable casus belli for America, as that is a definite threat to America, and an infringement of American interests and the Western Hemisphere
© Today in Alternate History, 2013-. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
