Search found 317 matches

by Paul L
Fri Sep 30, 2011 5:43 pm
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Tirpitz and Graf Zeppelin 1941
Replies: 335
Views: 61794

Re: Tirpitz and Graf Zeppelin 1941

According to OHara 3/4 of the German traffic sent through 'the channel', went unchallenged through into 1943. After that only 1/4 went unchallenged.

I think the case has been made.
by Paul L
Fri Sep 30, 2011 12:48 pm
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Tirpitz and Graf Zeppelin 1941
Replies: 335
Views: 61794

Re: Tirpitz and Graf Zeppelin 1941

But the Indian Ocean network was only possible because of the unwilling assistance of the Japanese in providing port and base facilities. A second supply chain in the Atlantic in 1942 would have been handicapped in being Biscay port based, with ships being passed down the English Channel. The main ...
by Paul L
Thu Sep 29, 2011 7:27 pm
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Tirpitz and Graf Zeppelin 1941
Replies: 335
Views: 61794

Re: Tirpitz and Graf Zeppelin 1941

How do you edit posts? I found the reference to the Indian network. Its in Rossler’s "The Uboat" still considered the bible for Technical Uboat info. pp 161 "In the Indian Ocean , on the other hand , supplying by surface vessel was possible until the beginning of 1944" Jak Mallma...
by Paul L
Thu Sep 29, 2011 4:19 pm
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Tirpitz and Graf Zeppelin 1941
Replies: 335
Views: 61794

Re: Tirpitz and Graf Zeppelin 1941

... From these and other sources I compiled the following list. 1939 ; 22 supply ships + 31 tankers [~ 6800 tons] 1940 ; 36 supply ships + 33 tankers [~ 8000 tons] 1941; 41 supply ships + 38 tankers [~ 8600 tons] 1942 ; 33 supply ships + 40 tankers [~ 8800 tons] 1943; 27 supply ships + 48 tankers [...
by Paul L
Thu Sep 29, 2011 5:59 am
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Tirpitz and Graf Zeppelin 1941
Replies: 335
Views: 61794

Re: Tirpitz and Graf Zeppelin 1941

Jak Mallmadd Showell covers raider missions in chapter 4 of his book "German Navy Handbook 1939-1945". He also lists some of the supply ships on pp 116-126. Appendix 4 of Goralski & Freeburg "Oil & War" list the major tanker fleets and their tonnage through out the war [Y...
by Paul L
Wed Sep 28, 2011 7:29 pm
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Tirpitz and Graf Zeppelin 1941
Replies: 335
Views: 61794

Re: Tirpitz and Graf Zeppelin 1941

Unless the escort is the same size and speed of the GZ it will just slow it down. At North Cape the DoY could do 27-28 knots just like Scharnhorst but was slowed to 24 knots so the DD could keep up. Admiral Frazer admitted the Scharnhorst was escaping when they got a lucky hit. Up until that point S...
by Paul L
Mon Sep 26, 2011 9:03 pm
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Tirpitz and Graf Zeppelin 1941
Replies: 335
Views: 61794

Re: Tirpitz and Graf Zeppelin 1941

If Scharnhorst could run away from DoY in North Cape 1943, then I would suggest a 33,000 ton carrier could atleast match or out match any KGV class under the same conditions. Further standard German fleet speed was 19 knots while RN fleet speed was 15 knots so even in cruise conditions the Germans c...
by Paul L
Mon Sep 26, 2011 7:29 pm
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Tirpitz and Graf Zeppelin 1941
Replies: 335
Views: 61794

Re: Tirpitz and Graf Zeppelin 1941

If it can conduct air ops the planes will give info about the carrier as well as info to the carrier. That´s true. But I don´t see a problem with that. It only announced that an unidentified aircraft was operating there and circumstantial evidence would attribute this to GZ operating somewhere in w...
by Paul L
Sun Sep 25, 2011 8:08 pm
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Tirpitz and Graf Zeppelin 1941
Replies: 335
Views: 61794

Re: Tirpitz and Graf Zeppelin 1941

In the first two years of the war German raiders sortied at will attacking convoys all over the Atlantic. It wasn't until later that Hitler put the halt to more such raids because he didn't want another Bismarck sinking. In the first two years 13 German commerce raiders sortied and sunk 64 out of th...
by Paul L
Fri Sep 23, 2011 3:36 pm
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Tirpitz and Graf Zeppelin 1941
Replies: 335
Views: 61794

Re: Tirpitz and Graf Zeppelin 1941

Altough popular books state the opposite, none of the key supply ships of the DITHMARSCHEN class were found and sunk by the Royal Navy in ww2. A view into the operational history of the five commissioned ships prooves that. By late 41 only UCKERMARK is enroute to Yokohama and thus unaviable. DITHMA...
by Paul L
Wed Sep 21, 2011 6:20 am
Forum: World War II
Topic: Strategic bombing during World War II
Replies: 127
Views: 56390

Re: Strategic bombing during World War II

coming into this late but its my impression that the very real limits to germany's supplies of strategic materials are being ignored to a certain extent . there's a long list of things that germany had to import in order to rearm and bauxite was near the top of the list. from my reading i understan...
by Paul L
Sun Sep 18, 2011 12:47 am
Forum: World War II
Topic: Strategic bombing during World War II
Replies: 127
Views: 56390

Re: Strategic bombing during World War II

The reason why most people have such divergent dogmatic views on German's potential in WW-II stems from their inability to resolve the strategic paradigms that Germany /Hitler faced in the late 1930s. This in turn is based on their own background in strategic thinking, which often devolves from peop...
by Paul L
Wed Sep 14, 2011 8:07 pm
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Tirpitz and Graf Zeppelin 1941
Replies: 335
Views: 61794

Re: Tirpitz and Graf Zeppelin 1941

This last post I find rather bizarre. Aren't Germans ''westerners?'' ''Cultuarally centric'' - what does this mean? Germans are indeed fast thinkers, but no more than anyone else. It really does depend on whether they are allowed to think, an important critera when living under a totalitarian dicta...
by Paul L
Tue Sep 13, 2011 8:45 pm
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Tirpitz and Graf Zeppelin 1941
Replies: 335
Views: 61794

Re: Tirpitz and Graf Zeppelin 1941

Then this whole discussion just evolves around peoples opinions , which are culturaly centric. Westeners will just see it as impossible , but admit when pushed its possible ...but they would not be any good , what ever that means :? German centrics will just grin and say "bring it on". :wi...
by Paul L
Tue Sep 13, 2011 3:53 am
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Tirpitz and Graf Zeppelin 1941
Replies: 335
Views: 61794

Re: Tirpitz and Graf Zeppelin 1941

In 1934 Germany had no tanks at all. How do you build a doctrine out of nothing with nothing. The argument about no doctrine for carriers is equally absurd. They would develope a doctrine the way the always did.They would make it up as they went along.The first order to build an German aircraft Car...