alternatehistory.com

Late 1917: a heavy armor piercing bomb is developed for the Handley-Page bomber, with the goal of penetrating some of the German concrete fortifications. It’s made out of a 13.5” shell with fins added. They sit around, mainly waiting for a target, although some do get used with uncertain results.

In 1918, the high seas fleet puts to sea briefly, and the Royal Navy sets forth to intercept. Naturally, the High Seas Fleet turns around and heads back to port. The Royal Air Force attempts to use its bombers to intercept the battleships—and does. Through a million to one shot, one armor piercing bomb actually hits. Seconds later, SMS Von der Tann blows up and sinks.

There’s plenty of witnesses; it’s clear that it was an aircraft bomb that sunk a battlecruiser—one of the High Seas Fleet’s capital ships.

(I know this is a million to one shot, but history sometimes turns on the long odds event.)

The sinking has no real effect on the war, but there’s one less hulk to salvage at Scapa Flow. It does begin to have serious repercussions after the war…but exactly what? Some will see the hit for what it was—a one in a million hit from high altitude that can’t be repeated—but others will see it as proof that airpower is the way to go. How far can air power go after this event?

Certainly, General Mitchell has far more ammunition!

(Any similar situation is fine if this one doesn’t sit right. A freak BOMB, not torpedo, hit from an airplane sinks a battleship or battlecruiser during World War One.)
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