AHC WI delay radar

On the naval side, British and US carriers will have a more difficult time with Fleet defense. CAP or picket ships will be the way to spot incoming strikes, and in the case of the former, fighter operating tempos will be higher. It should result in an increase of fighter types on carriers with a reduction in strike types in the fleet carriers. In cases like Coral Sea, Midway, Eastern Solomons, or Santa Cruz, it might make the escort of outbound USN strikes weaker, and more difficult to react to Japanese in-bound strikes. That might improve things for the IJN to the detriment of the USN. Midway will still be a victory with Torpedo 8 pulling down the CAP over the Japanese carriers, but the other actions might cost the USN more, maybe including Enterprise.

Once the avalanche of CVEs arrives on the scenes, they can be used to provide fleet CAP via shuttle flights; fighters flying out to the fleet while strikes are away, refueling on the now-empty fleet carriers to provide CAP as many times as needed, then returning to their escort carriers once the strike has returned to the fleet carriers.

Without the VT/proximity fuse, AA fire from RN and USN combatants will be less effective; more automatic weapons might be put on ships. But volume of fire will still be important.

The USN's Fleet Problems will be validated, and more carriers will have battleship escort, for protection and to provide that volume of fire. That might impact Washington's deployment with the Home Fleet; the USN might want her in the Pacific escorting carriers. (Fleet Problem X saw Lexington 'damaged' early in the problem when she ran into the Black Fleet's BatDiv 5. She was steaming upwind recovering aircraft while the BatDiv was steaming downwind. She should have been rule sunk, but it was so early in the problem she was ruled damaged by the judges so she could continue participating. In the same Fleet Problem, Saratoga was 'lost' when she ran into the Blue Fleet's BatDiv 2. In Fleet Problem XIV, Lexington was similarly sunk by battleships.)

My initial thoughts,
 

Deleted member 1487

What would be the impact if this was not invented until towards the end of WW2?
Radar was originally invented in 1905, so it would be pretty hard to prevent until the end of WW2. Assuming that for some ASB reason it is delayed until say 1943 or so, then the RAF might well lose in 1940 and WW2 in Europe is effectively over. What happens after that is conjecture, but I doubt we see something like WW2 in the sense of it being a global war, rather it would be a series of relatively short, sharp, and independent regional wars.
 
Even if the RAF avoids destruction, there is still Battle of Atlantic. Radar was one of key items where Allies got upper hand and prevailed eventually.
 
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