Even if botched and half-assed as OTL Dieppe Raid? I am toying about a less popular but belligerant Vichy where FF's landing failure bring Laval to power again.
WI: Majority of French Fleet join the British/Free French navy?
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Even if botched and half-assed as OTL Dieppe Raid? I am toying about a less popular but belligerant Vichy where FF's landing failure bring Laval to power again.
Afaik, any significant asault before massing amphibs & support equipment, plus modern weapons, armour and artillery would result in disaster. The problem isn't the number of men, but what they carry.
Errolwi
Monthly Donor
Except the naval fighter has better range and endurance than the interceptor, unsurprisingly. Very relevant for this mission. Terrible climb rate so bad at point defense.
Would they try? Yes.
Would they succed? No. Niet. Nada.
Would they then invade? Interesting...
This is assuming that the Japanese wouldn't counter and deploy Oscars or Zeros to escort their bombers. Im pretty sure that if the Japanese knew the RN had FAA carriers/ fighter cover they would make the appropriate measures to counter that threat.But they only needed to match these
and these
a single flight of Brewsters, Hurricanes or Fulmars would have saved Force Z
Even the OTL Zeroes deployed cant search at that range as long as the bombers used in OTL as they have a 1000 Km less range than Betty's and OTL bombers where spread out and near the limit of endurance when attacking.
The numbers are very limited due to production numbers 500 total made by end of 41 and 100 of them are made in Nov/Dec so not going to be ready in FIC (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_A6M_Zero#Production).
Quite. As the map you posted in the "Force Z survives" thread shows, the initial strikes had flown south of Force Z, and only found them after turning northwest.
In addition, I think the Zekes and Oscars were busy reducing the airfields in Northern Malaya. They can't do both jobs at once.
Regards,
They had a finite number of A6ms and OTL when the Japanese also knew that the RAF had 100 odd F2As 'which could have performed a cap above force Z' still did not escort the various bomber groups that were swanning around the south China sea looking for the ships
OTL the fighters were used to cover the transports and landing zones
If they are now escorting half a dozen bomber groups then they are not covering the landing beaches which the RAF did attempt to attack
Granted if there is a carrier then assuming they are forewarned with enough time then they are likely to try and do something about it.
Well, the Dakar operation OTL was not exactly a sucess.
Petains objective was to restore French power & independance. Getting backinto the war on the German side is at least in the forseeable future a step away from that. Plus Petain disliked Germans, and he would lose the support of every Germanophobe in France and the anti facists. Understandablly there were a lot of people in France who disliked Germans or German militarism. Petains prestige & power derived from creating a coalition of French of multiple political stances. Getting back into the war on either side wrecks that and taking the Axis side is worse.
I could not recall if the bombers were escorted. That sets up a potiential massacre as occured in the attack on the Lexington two months later. Descriptions of that attack underline the gruesome fragility of the Betty. Single bursts of MG into the fuselage or engines were enough to cause fatal damage. That the bombers approached and made their attack runs in penny packet mini groups would make the affair easier for the RAF.
IOTL you mean without the whole french fleet?
Indeed:
About the only thing such a action would have in its favor was the Germans had no idea how to defend against such in 1941 & made a poor effort to do so. In June 1941 the defense consisted of understrength static divisions and Navy coast artillery personnel defending the ports. The rest of the coast was covered by sentries & observation posts. This 'army' had been stripped of its unit transport to bolster the forces used in Op BARBAROSSA. the mobile force in France consisted of two 'brigades' made up of residual French equipment, organized and manned by the salvage unit that was converting French equipment. The nearest true mobile reserve of substance was the pz corps refitting after the Balkans campaign in June and July. So any invasion at the time would entirely be the unready vs the unprepared.
Exactly - Britain, Australia and New Zealand might need to rename a major airport after someone
The IJN Bomber groups attacked in waves of 8 to 26 IIRC as they could not hang around and form up having spread out to find the fleet and attacked in 5 waves between 1000 and 1241 (the first wave attacking the detached Destroyer HMS Electra in error)
Errolwi
Monthly Donor
Hah! NZ doesn't name big airports after people. Even Jean Batten only gets a terminal at AKL - the streets are named after aviators however. Geoff Fisken might have to make do with Gisborne Airport, as it's his home town.
Danae, Durban and Dauntless were in Singapore but were committed to convoy escort. Mauritius was under refit in Singapore. Cornwall, Devonshire, Hawkins, Caledon, Glasgow, Enterprise and Emerald were in the Indian. If even half of these are taken off convoy duty to reinforce the Far East Fleet, they could have 5 cruisers in company.
Regards,
With the French Navy fighting on the situation has changed so much it's impossible to say what ships would be available or not. Just as an example, with the French Navy active in the Med would the Ark Royal still have been torpedoed in November 1941?