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Your best bet is dragoon style. Use bikes to ride to the edge of the combat zone and then hop off and fight as infantry. Basically your bikers end up as a kind of fast, manuverable but petrol heavy infantryman.

The bottom line problem that Battleships have post WW2 is that that are a very expensive solution to a very small number of problems. I don't think the Americans ever built Monitors during WW2 but had they gone down a similar path as the RN Roberts class (...

Mid air refueling did exist pre WW2. It was trialled in relation to aircraft crossing the atlantic. I believe it was pretty much a gravity feed system and was ultimately abandoned on grounds of safety.

Bottom line is if you really, really want big guns your best bet is a dedicated fire support ship that is small enough enough that you can afford to loose it but study enough to take a hit or two first. This probably means your going to end up with something like the Monitors the British had...

If you want battleships to remain in greater numbers then there has to be a reason. Post 45 battleships are only in the hands of countries that don't seem very likely to take a pop at one another. They still have their uses but it is always borderline whether the USN can justify the running...

Is it technologically possible to field a practical jet fighter in 1940 or are their materials and techniques needed that were only developed later?

Probably not much mileage to using Crete for heavy bombers into the short term, they would require too much support and be far too vulnerable to being destroyed on the ground between raids.

There was a time and a place for airships in a combat role and that time and place was europe 1914-1915. Beyond that airships are only suitable for cargo and passenger hauling well away from anything unfriendly.

Few thoughts if airships of any serious size make it to WW2 there is an opportunity for them to slip into the cargo role that could sustain them post war. Okay start of the war airships would likely be pure passenger / post carriers. There is some mileage to using them for anti sub patrols...

Lets face it the best warship names are all along the theme of:- HMS Come-On-Then-If-You-Think-Your-Hard-Enough or... USS Step-This-Way-If-You-Want-A-Smacking or finally... HMS Floating-Symbol-of-Superiority

By battleship I basically mean fight by any means other than bombs. Gun wise I was thinking downward point 75mm at most but it is a case for whatever people can think of and then argue a corner for.

Challenge Create battleship airships by mid WW1 for at least two combatants with the minimum technological changes from OTL. Note historically the only sources of Helium at this time were two natural vents in the USA. You can if you wish create extra vents in one or two European countries...

Historically I believe there were attempts to flog off older Dreadnoughts and the Pre-Dreadnoughts. However even at scrap prices neither the British nor Americans could find buyers for the Pre Dreads. If they are prepared to give them away the British might find takers among the Dominion...

Few random thoughts No Washington and the shape of cruisers becomes interesting. Historically the British built well under the 10,000 ton limit while the Japanese built as much over it as they thought they could get away with. Released from any limit cruisers of different nations might start...

German counters to the RN strengths and weaknesses. Kreignmarine Surface Fleet As we have covered in detail. The Kreignmarine has three effective capital ships available by the Autumn of 1940. These three cannot take the RN in a straight fight. They can snipe from long range but if they...

Cap Ship pros and cons German Bismarck: Brand new, well over five knots faster than any British battleship in service at this time. Her historical final battle shows Bismarck is a hard ship to sink. But Bismarck is a wildly over rated ship. True she is formidable but she is far from the...

I think your being a bit optimistic about the pocket battleships, particularly in the tight confines of the English Channel where their main advantage over British Capt Ships ie speed is lost. Remember regardless or where the Germans set off from and land the KM has to keep a corridor of water...

I wouldn't go so far as to say ruse but Sealion certainly was a phyological club with which to beat Britain. Effectively a way of saying 'we've beaten your major ally now make peace or we'll do the same to you' Unfortunately for the Germans the British response was effectively 'take your best shot'

Random thoughts and mutterings If attacks continued on Fight Command bases than the RAF will have to at some point concede the English South East. This will be a political body blow that offers the best chance of Churchill getting the boot. If he does Halifax is the likely next choice...

Short term In 1916 the British still had significant numbers of Pre-Dreadnoughts in various second line duties. Post successful Jutland most of these ships can be mothballed with the first generation Dreadnoughts replacing them. This frees up several thousand men and reduces the coal...