German Battlecruisers

[ivorthediver]

Brilliant...... clear...... Photo's Dennis .....thank you for posting them here for us to enjoy

[designeraccd]

A couple more of these handsome ships....

Note the location of their mainmasts; the easy way to tell them apart. Of course, the GNEISENAU didn't look so good after the RAF attacked her. DFO

[ivorthediver]

MASTS . .....yes I see what you mean , I hadn't noticed that before Dennis , thanks ..

[designeraccd]

Had the up gunning (to 15") of GNEISENAU been completed, she would have been a very balanced design compared to as built with the 11.1" weapons. However, lack of mobile air cover (carriers) certainly would have still limited her usefulness in most battle scenarios. Even with the limited air groups and elderly aircraft designs on RN carriers, they still posed a very dangerous threat to Kriegsmarine surface ships throughout the war. Both the German and Italian Navies had the RN's air power strike them numerous times affecting the outcome of sea battles in favor of the RN. DFO

[ivorthediver]

Yes I'm inclined to agree with that and was amazed to discover many years ago that the Germans had an aircraft carrier on the stocks but never saw it through , when you look at what the outcome may have been we were dam lucky they didn't given the advanced state of their Airforce at the outcome of war , which would have leached over into their fleet flot capability

They certainly knew how to produce their armaments , and proved it with what they had ......we were far to complacent,.. as Churchill highlighted at every chance he could muster ,.. and had they had a less egotistical leader they could well have been the victors lets not kid ourselves .

There are many lessons to be learned from our complacency ....yet those who guide us then and now think more of there votes and less of their collective responsibilities towards the national defence of their country in my opinion and had it not been for the likes of T.T.L during the Falklands we would have had another kick in the nuts though there again its those same two faced shower of ....lets be polite and say politicians who shove their heads into the camera faces and the decision makers threatened with dismissal if they dont toe the line and their line of thinking

I dont kid myself that we are unique in this but its the same old crap with a different figurehead every time and invariably the same old results... loss of real-estate... loss of huge amounts of money.... and more to the point... horrendous loss of life

Right off my hobby horse now

[designeraccd]

They had laid down 2 GRAF ZEPPLIN class CVs, but the second was never even launched. As shown earlier, they took a almost complete CA, gutted her but never completed her conversion to a CVL. It was very fortunate that adolf was such a self anointed genius on everything!! DFO

[ivorthediver]

Am I correct in thinking our soviet allies took the hulk and attempted to make a flat top out of what was left Dennis

[designeraccd]

Yes, they grabbed GRAF ZEPPLIN's hulk, but used her as a target. I have no concrete evidence that they considered finishing her as a carrier. They did a fine job of sinking her though!!

Blurry pics of her end plus a sonar scan of the sunken ship. DFO

[ivorthediver]

Thank you for confirming that Dennis , My Memory is far from good , so thanks there ,....glad it ended up under water though

[designeraccd]

Here's a goody, pre-WW1, of the VON DER TANN on her South American cruise. Looks like she was in Brazil based on the dreadnought behind her!! DFO