Dark Earth: The History of the Aircraft Carrier

Regarding the RN having a bit more of an aggressive mindset, I based this on their advantage in numbers and the long term tactical and strategic consequences of the decisive victory at the Battle of Jutland.

The Kriegsmarine in August 1939 consisted of:


High Seas Fleet (Wilhelmshaven/Hamburg)

Battleships
Bismarck: 125,000t, 8 x 600mm, 24 x 128mm, 32 x 88mm, 56 x 40mm, 80 x 20mm, 32kts
Scharnhorst: 96,000t, 9 x 510mm, 16 x 150mm, 20 x 105mm, 48 x 37mm, 64 x 20mm, 33kts
Gneisenau: 96,000t, 9 x 510mm, 16 x 150mm, 20 x 105mm, 48 x 37mm, 64 x 20mm, 33kts
Goeben: 96,000t, 9 x 510mm, 16 x 150mm, 20 x 105mm, 48 x 37mm, 64 x 20mm, 33kts
Yorck: 96,000t, 9 x 510mm, 16 x 150mm, 20 x 105mm, 48 x 37mm, 64 x 20mm, 33kts
Preussen: 69,000t, 8 x 480mm, 12 x 150mm, 20 x 105mm, 28.5kts
Sachsen: 69,000t, 8 x 480mm, 12 x 150mm, 20 x 105mm, 28.5kts
Baden: 69,000t, 8 x 480mm, 12 x 150mm, 20 x 105mm, 28.5kts

Aircraft Carriers

Graf Zeppelin: 36000t, 80 aircraft, 12 x 150mm, 20 x 105mm, 35kts
Peter Strasser: 36000t, 80 aircraft, 12 x 150mm, 20 x 105mm, 35kts

Battlecruisers
Von der Tann: 54,000t, 8 x 420mm, 12 x 150mm, 12 x 88mm, 34kts
Wotan: 54,000t, 8 x 420mm, 12 x 150mm, 12 x 88mm, 34kts
Kaiser Barbarossa: 54,000t, 8 x 420mm, 12 x 150mm, 12 x 88mm, 34kts

Pocket Battleships
Admiral Scheer: 36,000t, 8 x 380mm, 12 x 150mm, 12 x 88mm, 32.5kts
Lutzow: 36,000t, 8 x 380mm, 12 x 150mm, 12 x 88mm, 32.5kts

Heavy Cruisers

Admiral Hipper: 24,500t, 8 x 240mm, 12 x 128mm, 24 x 88mm, 8 x 533mm TT, 32.5kts
Blucher: 25,500t, 8 x 240mm, 12 x 128mm, 24 x 88mm, 8 x 533mm TT, 32.5kts
Seydlitz: 24,500t, 8 x 240mm, 12 x 128mm, 24 x 88mm, 8 x 533mm TT, 32.5kts
Prinz Eugen: 24,500t, 8 x 240mm, 12 x 128mm, 24 x 88mm, 8 x 533mm TT, 32.5kts
Admiral von Ingenohl: 24,500t, 8 x 240mm, 12 x 128mm, 24 x 88mm, 8 x 533mm TT, 32.5kts

Light Cruisers

Stuttgart: 12000t, 12 x 150mm, 16 x 88mm, 8 x 533mm TT, 32.5kts
Dresden: 12000t, 12 x 150mm, 16 x 88mm, 8 x 533mm TT, 32.5kts
Dusseldorf: 12000t, 12 x 150mm, 16 x 88mm, 8 x 533mm TT, 32.5kts
Frankfurt: 12000t, 12 x 150mm, 16 x 88mm, 8 x 533mm TT, 32.5kts
Hamburg: 12000t, 12 x 150mm, 16 x 88mm, 8 x 533mm TT, 32.5kts
Aachen: 12000t, 12 x 150mm, 16 x 88mm, 8 x 533mm TT, 32.5kts
Munchen: 15000t, 12 x 150mm, 12 x 105mm, 24 x 88mm, 8 x 533mm TT, 32.5kts
Berlin: 15000t, 12 x 150mm, 12 x 105mm, 24 x 88mm, 8 x 533mm TT, 32.5kts

32 Destroyers
59 U-Boats

Baltic Fleet (Kiel)

Battleships
Konig Ludwig: 36,000t, 10 x 350mm, 12 x 150mm, 24kts
König Albert: 36,000t, 10 x 350mm, 12 x 150mm, 24kts
Grosser Kurfürst: 42,000t, 10 x 350mm, 16 x 150mm, 25kts
Markgraf: 42,000t, 10 x 350mm, 16 x 150mm, 25kts

Cruisers
Konigsberg: 8500t, 8 x 150mm, 8 x 88mm, 12 x 500mm TT, 32kts
Karlsruhe: 8500t, 8 x 150mm, 8 x 88mm, 12 x 500mm TT, 32kts
Koln: 8500t, 8 x 150mm, 8 x 88mm, 12 x 500mm TT, 32kts
Leipzig: 9600t, 8 x 150mm, 8 x 88mm, 12 x 500mm TT, 32kts
Emden: 9600t, 8 x 150mm, 8 x 88mm, 12 x 500mm TT, 32kts
Nurnburg: 9600t, 8 x 150mm, 8 x 88mm, 12 x 500mm TT, 32kts

14 Destroyers
23 U-Boats

Mediterranean Fleet (Trieste)

Siegfried: 54,000t, 8 x 420mm, 12 x 150mm, 12 x 88mm, 34kts
Bayern: 69,000t, 8 x 480mm, 12 x 150mm, 20 x 105mm, 28.5kts

Essen: 12000t, 12 x 150mm, 16 x 88mm, 8 x 533mm TT, 32.5kts
Augsburg: 12000t, 12 x 150mm, 16 x 88mm, 8 x 533mm TT, 32.5kts

4 Destroyers
5 U-Boats


(Two carriers working up and two pocket battleships heading out)


It seems quite large until the Grand Fleet’s numbers are examined:

16 Battleships
HMS King George V: 125,000t, 8 x 24”, 24 x 5.25”, 48 x 3.75”, 64 x 40mm, 96 x 25mm, 32.5kts
HMS Prince of Wales: 125,000t, 8 x 24”, 24 x 5.25”, 48 x 3.75”, 64 x 40mm, 96 x 25mm, 32.5kts
HMS Duke of York: 125,000t, 8 x 24”, 24 x 5.25”, 48 x 3.75”, 64 x 40mm, 96 x 25mm, 32.5kts
HMS Princess Royal: 125,000t, 8 x 24”, 24 x 5.25”, 48 x 3.75”, 64 x 40mm, 96 x 25mm, 32.5kts
HMS Monarch: 125,000t, 8 x 24”, 24 x 5.25”, 48 x 3.75”, 64 x 40mm, 96 x 25mm, 32.5kts
HMS Emperor: 125,000t, 8 x 24”, 24 x 5.25”, 48 x 3.75”, 64 x 40mm, 96 x 25mm, 32.5kts
HMS Lion: 129,000t, 8 x 24”, 24 x 5.25”, 48 x 3.75”, 64 x 40mm, 96 x 25mm, 32.5kts
HMS Temeraire: 129,000t, 8 x 24”, 24 x 5.25”, 48 x 3.75”, 64 x 40mm, 96 x 25mm, 32.5kts
HMS Nelson: 80,000t, 8 x 20”, 24 x 5.25”, 48 x 40mm, 80 x 25mm, 29kts
HMS Rodney: 80,000t, 8 x 20”, 24 x 5.25”, 48 x 40mm, 80 x 25mm, 29kts
HMS Anson: 80,000t, 8 x 20”, 24 x 5.25”, 48 x 40mm, 80 x 25mm, 29kts
HMS Howe: 80,000t, 8 x 20”, 24 x 5.25”, 48 x 40mm, 80 x 25mm, 29kts
HMS Hawke: 80,000t, 8 x 20”, 24 x 5.25”, 48 x 40mm, 80 x 25mm, 29kts
HMS Blake: 80,000t, 8 x 20”, 24 x 5.25”, 48 x 40mm, 80 x 25mm, 29kts
HMS Queen Victoria: 60,000t, 8 x 18", 24 x 4.5", 48 x 40mm, 64 x 25mm, 30kts
HMS Marlborough: 60,000t, 8 x 18", 24 x 4.5", 48 x 40mm, 64 x 25mm, 30kts


5 Battlecruisers
HMS Hood: 90,000t, 8 x 20”, 24 x 5.25”, 35kts
HMS St. George: 84,000t, 8 x 20”, 20 x 5.25”, 33.5kts
HMS St. Andrew: 84,000t, 8 x 20”, 20 x 5.25”, 33.5kts
HMS Repulse: 64,000t, 8 x 18”, 20 x 4.5”, 32.5kts
HMS Renown: 64,000t, 8 x 18”, 20 x 4.5”, 32.5kts

7 Aircraft Carriers

HMS Ark Royal: 42,000t, 20 x 4.5", 48 x 40mm, 64 x 25mm, 96 aircraft, 34kts
HMS Eagle: 42,000t, 20 x 4.5", 48 x 40mm, 64 x 25mm, 96 aircraft, 34kts
HMS Hermes: 42,000t, 20 x 4.5", 48 x 40mm, 64 x 25mm, 96 aircraft, 34kts
HMS Centaur: 42,000t, 20 x 4.5", 48 x 40mm, 64 c 25mm, 96 aircraft, 34kts
HMS Fearless: 25,000t, 16 x 4.5", 32 x 40mm, 48 x 25mm, 64 aircraft, 32kts
HMS Glorious: 25,000t, 16 x 4.5", 32 x 40mm, 48 x 25mm, 64 aircraft, 32kts
HMS Courageous: 25,000t, 16 x 4.5", 32 x 40mm, 48 x 25mm, 64 aircraft, 32kts

10 Heavy Cruisers
HMS Hero: 25,000t, 8 x 9.2", 16 x 4.5", 32 x 40mm, 32 x 25mm, 8 x 24.5" TT, 32.5kts
HMS Adventure: 25,000t, 8 x 9.2", 16 x 4.5", 8 x 24.5" TT, 32 x 40mm, 32 x 25mm, 32.5kts
HMS Defence: 25,000t, 8 x 9.2", 16 x 4.5", 8 x 24.5" TT, 32 x 40mm, 32 x 25mm, 32.5kts
HMS Thunderchild: 25,000t, 8 x 9.2", 16 x 4.5", 8 x 24.5" TT, 32 x 40mm, 32 x 25mm
HMS London: 20,000t, 8 x 8", 12 x 4.5", 24 x 40mm, 24 x 25mm, 8 x 24.5" TT, 32.5kts
HMS York: 20,000t, 8 x 8", 12 x 4.5", 24 x 40mm, 24 x 25mm, 8 x 24.5" TT, 32.5kts
HMS Norfolk: 20,000t, 8 x 8", 12 x 4.5", 24 x 40mm, 24 x 25mm, 8 x 24.5" TT, 32.5kts
HMS Suffolk: 20,000t, 8 x 8", 12 x 4.5", 24 x 40mm, 24 x 25mm, 8 x 24.5" TT, 32.5kts
HMS Kent: 20,000t, 8 x 8", 12 x 4.5", 24 x 40mm, 24 x 25mm, 8 x 24.5" TT, 32.5kts
HMS Berwick: 20,000t, 8 x 8", 12 x 4.5", 24 x 40mm, 24 x 25mm, 8 x 24.5" TT, 32.5kts


22 Light Cruisers
HMS Southampton: 14250t, 12 x 6", 12 x 4.5", 8 x 24.5" TT, 34kts
HMS Sheffield: 14250t, 12 x 6", 12 x 4.5", 8 x 24.5" TT, 34kts
HMS Newcastle: 14250t, 12 x 6", 12 x 4.5", 8 x 24.5" TT, 34kts
HMS Belfast: 14250t, 12 x 6", 12 x 4.5", 8 x 24.5" TT, 34kts
HMS Edinburgh: 14250t, 12 x 6", 12 x 4.5", 8 x 24.5" TT, 34kts
HMS Birmingham: 14250t, 12 x 6", 12 x 4.5", 8 x 24.5" TT, 34kts
HMS Nottingham: 14250t, 12 x 6", 12 x 4.5", 8 x 24.5" TT, 34kts
HMS Dublin: 14250t, 12 x 6", 12 x 4.5", 8 x 24.5" TT, 34kts
HMS Liverpool: 14250t, 12 x 6", 12 x 4.5", 8 x 24.5" TT, 34kts
HMS Manchester: 14250t, 12 x 6", 12 x 4.5", 8 x 24.5" TT, 34kts
HMS Bristol: 14250t, 12 x 6", 12 x 4.5", 8 x 24.5" TT, 34kts
HMS Lincoln: 14250t, 12 x 6", 12 x 4.5", 8 x 24.5" TT, 34kts
HMS Fiji: 14500t, 12 x 6", 12 x 4.5", 8 x 24", 34kts
HMS Bermuda: 14500t, 12 x 6", 12 x 4.5", 8 x 24", 34kts
HMS Gambia: 14500t, 12 x 6", 12 x 4.5", 8 x 24", 34kts
HMS Jamaica: 14500t, 12 x 6", 12 x 4.5", 8 x 24", 34kts

HMS Galatea: 12500t, 8 x 6", 12 x 4.5", 8 x 24" TT, 34kts
HMS Penelope: 12500t, 8 x 6", 12 x 4.5", 8 x 24" TT, 34kts
HMS Aurora: 12500t, 8 x 6", 12 x 4.5", 8 x 24" TT, 34kts
HMS Minerva: 12500t, 8 x 6", 12 x 4.5", 8 x 24" TT, 34kts
HMS Juno: 12500t, 8 x 6", 12 x 4.5", 8 x 24" TT, 34kts
HMS Arethusa: 12500t, 8 x 6", 12 x 4.5", 8 x 24" TT, 34kts

4 AA Cruisers
HMS Dauntless: 7500t, 12x 4.5”, 8 x 40mm, 8 x 21" TT, 32.5kts
HMS Dunedin: 7500t, 12x 4.5”, 8 x 40mm, 8 x 21" TT, 32.5kts
HMS Daring: 7500t, 12x 4.5”, 8 x 40mm, 8 x 21" TT, 32.5kts
HMS Dryad: 7500t, 12x 4.5”, 8 x 40mm, 8 x 21" TT, 32.5kts

102 Destroyers
38 Frigates
42 Submarines

And that in 1940.

The next snippet:

"Both the Allies and Axis looked upon the ongoing Winter War in Finland and the situation in Scandinavia in general with profound interest at the beginning of 1940. Germany and Britain each viewed the access to Swedish iron ore as a key piece in long term economic warfare and, due to the icing of the Baltic Sea, year-round availability would come through the northern Norwegian port of Narvik. The Kriegsmarine viewed the possession of Norway as a substantial strategic advantage, allowing both U-Boats and surface ships easier access to the North Atlantic and outflanking the British blockade in the North Sea. Grand Admiral Raeder had begun initial planning for a future invasion of Denmark and Norway in late 1938, but the Luftwaffe and Heer at that stage preferred to focus on the main contingency of an invasion of the Low Countries and France. The outbreak of war saw a change of circumstances and heart and OKW was ordered to begin preparations for the seizure of Norway on December 15th. Initial plans called for the use of two army corps, two airborne divisions and the entirety of the German Marine Korps to seize Oslo and the main Norwegian ports by coup de main and this was refined under the direction of General Nikolas von Falkenhorst, with its final iteration being known as Operation Weserübung. An early variant calling for the simultaneous occupation of Sweden was dismissed out of hand in light of Sweden's great mobilisation to come to the aid of Finland. At the same time, British planning for intervention in Norway was well underway, with an expeditionary force to be landed at Trondheim and Narvik to secure the iron ore and railways of the north and maintain the integrity of the blockade.

In early April, all indications available to British intelligence pointed towards an imminent German invasion of Scandinavia and the Grand Fleet was placed on a 24 hour alert to prepare to sail on April 5th. RNAS patrol aircraft and the Royal Navy's escort force began aggressive patrolling off the Orkneys and Shetlands, whilst hundreds of Royal Air Force fighters and bombers moved into position at airfields across the north of Scotland. The next day, patrolling aircraft detected German convoys at sea heading towards Norway and Admiral Tovey ordered the Grand Fleet put to sea, with 20 battleships, 5 battlecruisers, 10 aircraft carriers, 32 cruisers, 129 destroyers, 20 escort destroyers and 25 frigates sortieing from Invergordon and Scapa Flow, covered by long range RNAS fighter and reconaissance patrols and heading towards an interception position west of Trondheim. Troop convoys departed Rosyth, covered by an escort of over 100 warships, bound for Narvik and Trondheim, with the latter to be directly attacked by a force of older battleships. The German invasion of Norway took place on April 9th with the capture of Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger Kristiansand and Narvik by seaborne and airborne forces, heavily supported by over 1200 Luftwaffe aircraft, but this remarkable initial success on land was in contrast to the great events at sea.

The Kriegsmarine main force of 7 battleships, 4 battlecruisers, 4 aircraft carriers, 12 cruisers, 32 destroyers and 12 fleet torpedo boats was located by scout aircraft of the Grand Fleet 56 nautical miles south west of Smola at 1135 hours and an airstrike of 138 Fairey Swordfish, 126 Blackburn Buccaneers, 68 Fairey Fireflies and 72 Supermarine Eagles was launched by HMS Ark Royal, HMS Eagle, HMS Hermes, HMS Fearless, HMS Courageous and HMS Victorious at a distance of 164 nautical miles from the northwest, whilst the other four carriers continued to provide fighter cover of the fleet and fly strike missions against German forces ashore. A German airstrike of 24 Bf-109s, 67 Ju-87 Stukas and 64 Arado Ar-192 torpedo bombers had been launched against the suspected position of the Grand Fleet on the basis of an interrupted report from a U-Boat at 1111 hours. It was intercepted by 64 Supermarine Eagles and 69 Hawker Fireflies guided in by RDF at 1256 hours, which succeeded in shooting down 20 Messerschmitts, 25 Stukas and 22 Arados in a ferocious air battle in exchange for the loss of 9 Eagles and 12 Fireflies. The German airstrike was further interdicted by the fleet's outer defence of anti-aircraft cruisers, which shot down 9 Stukas and 8 Arados, before hitting the main body of the Grand Fleet at 1305 hours, which put up a tremendous barrage from their hundreds of 5.25" and 4.5" RDF directed anti-aircraft guns, shooting down 17 Stukas and 20 Arados and disrupting the attacks of the remaining German aircraft. Two battleships, three cruisers and six destroyers sustained moderate damage and two destroyers and one frigate were sunk, with the fleet subsequently splitting up into several task forces. The bulk of the fleet, consisting of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Battle Squadrons, 8 aircraft carriers, 17 cruisers and 60 destroyers broke north to continue striking German positions and coastal fortifications around Trondheim, while HMS Hood, HMS Renown and HMS Repulse headed north to Narvik with 6 cruisers and 24 destroyers; upon arrival there on April 11th, Hood would a devastating attack on German forces at Narvik, proceeding to sink 12 German destroyers and submarine U-34 with gunfire and bombard the German troops ashore in support of the advancing Royal Marines and Foreign Legionnaires. The 1st Battle Squadron of HMS King George V, HMS Lion, HMS Temeraire, HMS Prince of Wales, the battlecruisers HMS St. George and HMS St. Andrew, the carriers HMS Ark Royal and HMS Victorious, 9 cruisers and 36 destroyers continued on a closing course with the German force at 32 knots.

Meanwhile, the German carriers had put up a fighter screen of 80 Bf-109s over their own fleet, which put up a furious resistance against the British planes, shooting down 37 Fleet Air Arm for the loss of 42 German fighters in a bloody engagement at 1249 hours, but did not substantially interdict the power of the air strike. As they fought their way through the German anti-aircraft barrage, which claimed a further 18 aircraft, the RN Swordfish and Buccaneers concentrated on the enemy carriers and capital ships with devastating effect. The carriers Peter Strasser and Max Immelman were hit by 4 torpedoes and 5 1000lb bombs and 3 torpedoes and 4 bombs respectively, sinking rapidly, whilst Baden was hit by 2 torpedoes and 4 bombs, Wotan by 3 torpedoes and 3 bombs and Gneisenau struck by 2 torpedoes and 5 bombs, crippling all three battleships and setting them afire. The light cruisers Leipzig and Essen and 5 destroyers were sunk, Graf Zeppelin and Hermann Goering hit by single bombs and all of the remaining battleships and battlecruisers sustained some degree of damage, causing the German fleet to turn for the south to get back under friendly air cover. As they withdrew, the 1st Battle Squadron pursued and a long range gunnery action ensued after dusk, resulting in the lagging Scharnhorst being hit by five 24" shells, Tirpitz sustaining significant damage and KM Preussen and the battlecruiser KM Von der Tann being destroyed in catastrophic magazine explosions, whilst Temeraire, KGV and St. Andrew all took moderate damage. Vice Admiral Sir Bruce Fraser ordered that the pursuit be halted under his orders to not push the pursuit beyond the point where he could not rejoin the main body of the fleet by the next day, particularly as two destroyers were sunk by U-Boat attack during the night and the Allied troop convoys required maximum air and surface cover.

The Royal Navy had sustained substantial aircraft losses in the first major engagement of the campaign, but demonstrated full control of the sea and, for the vital first few days of the fighting in Norway, provided the main part of Allied airpower to cover the landings at Namsos and Andalsnes and the direct attack on Trondheim by the 2nd Royal Marine Division, Operation Hammer, until such time as the RAF's Spitfires and Hurricanes could begin operations from airfields ashore. The Grand Fleet's aircraft carriers, operating in three groups, were reinforced by Fleet Air Arm squadrons flying in via relay airfields in the Shetland Islands for their task of defending the fleet against daily attacks by German bombers and striking at enemy targets across Central Norway. Long range Royal Air Force Gloster Reapers and Bristol Beaufighters operating out of RAF Sumburgh and RAF Scatsa contributed with interdiction of enemy strikes as much as possible whilst the airfields at Bodo, Brønnøysund and around Namsos were swiftly prepared by construction arcanists of the Royal Engineers. Particularly heavy raids took place on April 12th and 14th, resulting in the sinking of four RN destroyers and three frigates and two cruisers being damaged, whilst the most damaging attack took place on April 21st, when almost 240 German medium bombers escorted by 100 fighters attacked the Grand Fleet 96nm off Trondheim, being intercepted by 261 Royal Navy fighters. 83 bombers and 36 German fighters were shot down for the loss of 29 RN fighters, with 5 destroyers and 2 frigates being sunk and 5 cruisers, 11 destroyers and 2 battleships damaged. The capacity of the Grand Fleet to maneuver at sea and obscure their location with misdirection and illusion magics made precise targeting by land-based German bombers and fighters difficult for the most part. German U-Boats also took a heavy toll on the fleet, with a total of 5 destroyers and 11 escorts being sunk between April 9th and April 24th, when the Grand Fleet was ordered back to Scapa Flow for resupply and refit; at that point, the RAF had 327 fighters and 205 bombers based in Norway, augmented by 75 fighters and 82 attack bombers of the RNAS operating from land bases. Luftwaffe reinforcement had firmly established German air superiority over Bergen and Southern Norway, whilst heavy aerial combat continued over Trondheim and the inland battlefront between the Luftwaffe and the RAF and RNAS.

The Royal Navy's aircraft carriers had come through their baptism of fire off Norway with flying colours but now, as May began, the attention of the world shifted southwards."

It was a fair bit smaller after April.

I didn’t want to shift too much into a recount of the broader Norwegian Campaign, but rather to show how the Allies get ashore and hold their position. The front becomes quite static in Central Norway for a while after the initial few months of fighting, but more details of that will come in time.

The reduction of the German surface threat does allow for the shifting of carriers to the Mediterranean, thus following along with the grand strategy outlined earlier. By mid 1940, the balance is:

Grand Fleet: Courageous, Glorious, Hermes, Formidable, Aurora (RCN), Arcadia (RCN)
Working Up: Implacable, Argus, Indefatigable
Fitting Out: Pegasus, Unicorn, Leviathan, Ocean; Theseus, Achilles
Refit/ Repair: Fearless, Centaur, Arion

Atlantic: Raleigh, Hawkins, Effingham

Mediterranean: Illustrious, Invincible, Ark Royal, Eagle, Victorious, Furious

Far East: Incomparable, Inflexible, Frobisher, Anzac (RAN)

To respond, we’ll have what we can call Simon’s Amateur Strategy Hour:
- The most immediate threat to Britain is Germany. The Kriegsmarine has been battered down to size, but still needs a strong force to counter it until it is worn down further.
- The greatest long term threat to the British Empire’s naval security is Japan. Reinforcing the Far East will occur in stages.
- This leaves the Med, the Empire’s strategic fulcrum. The greatest threats there, in order, are Italy, Austria, Spain and Turkey.
- They cannot be allowed to coordinate, yet the Italians and Austrians can do that easily.
- Out of Gibraltar and Suez, the latter is the most important. Therefore, the Ottoman Navy is the first target.
- Next is Spain, ensuring that Gibraltar cannot be interdicted navally.
- Bringing the Regia Marina down to size and then bringing it to battle would allow a smaller force to be maintained in the Mediterranean.
- The Marine Royale plays a key role in the strategic calculus involved in this.

The ultimate aim is to be able to contain Germany, Austria and Italy with a mixture of the 8 20” Nelson’s, the 18” QEs and Rs, the King Richard class battlecruisers, the majority of the French fleet and the older carriers. This would allow the new battleships and carriers to head east to Singapore.

What do we think would be some of the lessons of Norway for the USN and IJN?

Perhaps. They’ve been able to sink other carriers and cruisers, but haven’t sunk a modern battleship at sea, although they came very close with Gneisenau. When carrier and land based airpower came up against a coordinated modern fleet with air cover, they were badly damaged.

More powerful bombs and torpedoes will be developed as a result of this.