Karl Heidenreich wrote:While reading the thread in which the Japanese forgot about their interests in the Far East and come to help Raeder to fight the allies I began to think that, in order to change the Atlantic Theater outcome none of that is really necessary.
First thing to win is to shot Raeder and don´t let Lutjens get aboard Bismarck or anything that floats. Second, prepare a Rheinubung Operation which target is not to look for convoys and sunk humble transports but to produce chaos: real offensive thinking.
Look: If with only Bismarck and an 8" gun cruiser the British went amuk and had so many troubles, try to imagine the following:
1. Late July, early August 1941. Since May the U-Boats were recalled to replenish and reorganize in French ports.
2. A Northern Battlegroup is organized with Bismarck, Tirpitz as capital ships with PE and Hipper as escorts.
3. A Southern Battlegroup is prepared with Schanhorst and Gneisenau
4. At a given moment U-Boats and the two Battlegroups steam.
When that happens the British had to seal all the exits. If they had problems only with Bismarck, what can we expect? Pandemonium! Wherever the British run to the pursuit a U-Boat trap, the German capital ships hit and run, damaging surface units as cruisers, destroyers and the such, disabling the patrols the British had and by doing so choicing the moment to strike. If Bismarck and Tirpitz find Hood and Repulse, or Hood and PoW then the opportunities go in favour of the Germans. If Bismarck, Tirpitz, the Twins with PE and Hipper rendevouz and find KGV and Rodney it´s bye bye to the heavier units GB had in the Atlantic.
No need for Yamato.
It could have been done... And it didn´t need hindsight, just common sense.
Aircraft carriers. If I was the British Admiralty I'd use aircraft carriers to win. I'd leave Repuse and Renown in the south to hunt S and G and put an old slow battleship in some convoys so if S and G did reach one they'd be fought off anyway. And all the time with Repulse and Renown hunting as a pair they'd be looking for S and G.
Up north I'd deploy every aircraft carrier I had backed by KG5, POW and Hood. I'd deploy masses of cruisers and search aircraft to find the 4 German ships and keep contact with them. I'd actually commit endless relays of cruisers and aircraft constantly relieving each other to maintain that contact no matter what. I'd organise at sea refueling for my heavy units so they can follow the Germans until I had my attack force (minimum 2 more like 3 carriers) finally within range of the Germans.
We know from the strikes launched that a dozen torpedoe bombers at a time could get one or two hits on a battleship, I'd order that the cruisers be the target.
The German Hipper class heavy cruisers had nothing like the underwater protection of a battleship and one solid torpedoe hit would change their speed from 30 to 15. If I hit twice I'd probably sink it. the Germans can then go at 15 knots or abandon the heavy cruiser to be gobbled up. I'd launch a couple of strikes a day from each carrier, say 4 to 6 strikes a day total so maybe 4 to 6 hits a day on the enemy force. I'd cripple or sink cruisers and slow down battleships by accumulated damage. Then I'd adda couple of old battleships to the KG5, POW, Hood force and get to work.
In other words my carriers with their 100 mile range torpeoes beat the Germans 20 mile range big guns as long as I have patience, shadow the enemy, collect my airpower and then use it endlessly to wear the Germans down. Then I kill them off when I judge the time has arrived.
Fighting like that I'd see the 4 German ships puttting to sea as an opportunity for me.
