You mentioned:
- Commerce Raider designs from a 1920 German point of view
- POD taking place right after WWI ends as historically
Given the Versailles treaty restrictions that would rule out for now cruisers, over-sized destroyers and submarines?
6 light cruisers, 6 destroyers and 12 torpedo boats - all with limited tonnage - don´t sound like a real raider force?
So for now (early 1920s) armed merchant raiders would be the focus of the German navy. If the federal budget allows it, offer German shipping companies some subsidies to build certain new merchant ships (certain minimum speed, certain minimum size) with conversion to armed merchant raider already in mind. If the money isn´t there try to appeal to their patriotism.
It would make conversion easier. And maybe wouldn´t be that expensive?
(Right now the design of a new merchant ship just would have to include thoughts on where to install guns and torpedo tubes. And on larger ships where to house a float plane? Plus where to store more fuel, house a larger crew etc.)
Fast passenger ships are out. Too expensive and too easily recognized. Ordinary merchant ships - which can blend in - are chosen.
In the early 1920s that would probably be coal fired ships. The early German naval diesel engines (except for the U-boat diesels up to 1,000-2,000 hp) weren´t quite that reliable.
That changes around 1924/1925. Several new inventions / improvements were made that raised the reliability of larger diesel engines (That´s when design work for the "Panzerschiffe" started in our TL.).
German merchant ships after that date increasingly used diesel engines. So after that the German focus might be on armed merchant raiders with diesel engines.
That doesn´t mean that the navy won´t design proper warships for the role of a merchant raider. And such a design probably will change a lot between 1920 and 1928 for example. But as long as Germany is bound by the Versailles treaty such designs can´t be build in sufficient numbers by Germany.
And even after getting rid of (some) restrictions (our TL Anglo-German Naval Agreement) Germany can´t hope to build enough warships suitable for merchant raiding. So the concept of (dedicated) armed merchant raiders developed over years will still be valuable.
- Commerce Raider designs from a 1920 German point of view
- POD taking place right after WWI ends as historically
Given the Versailles treaty restrictions that would rule out for now cruisers, over-sized destroyers and submarines?
6 light cruisers, 6 destroyers and 12 torpedo boats - all with limited tonnage - don´t sound like a real raider force?
So for now (early 1920s) armed merchant raiders would be the focus of the German navy. If the federal budget allows it, offer German shipping companies some subsidies to build certain new merchant ships (certain minimum speed, certain minimum size) with conversion to armed merchant raider already in mind. If the money isn´t there try to appeal to their patriotism.
It would make conversion easier. And maybe wouldn´t be that expensive?
(Right now the design of a new merchant ship just would have to include thoughts on where to install guns and torpedo tubes. And on larger ships where to house a float plane? Plus where to store more fuel, house a larger crew etc.)
Fast passenger ships are out. Too expensive and too easily recognized. Ordinary merchant ships - which can blend in - are chosen.
In the early 1920s that would probably be coal fired ships. The early German naval diesel engines (except for the U-boat diesels up to 1,000-2,000 hp) weren´t quite that reliable.
That changes around 1924/1925. Several new inventions / improvements were made that raised the reliability of larger diesel engines (That´s when design work for the "Panzerschiffe" started in our TL.).
German merchant ships after that date increasingly used diesel engines. So after that the German focus might be on armed merchant raiders with diesel engines.
That doesn´t mean that the navy won´t design proper warships for the role of a merchant raider. And such a design probably will change a lot between 1920 and 1928 for example. But as long as Germany is bound by the Versailles treaty such designs can´t be build in sufficient numbers by Germany.
And even after getting rid of (some) restrictions (our TL Anglo-German Naval Agreement) Germany can´t hope to build enough warships suitable for merchant raiding. So the concept of (dedicated) armed merchant raiders developed over years will still be valuable.