I am fairly sure that the FAA was ready for all weather in the 1930's? See Taranto, which is a night(considered a type of weath) attack.
It's A Long Way To Nagasaki: The Anglo-Japanese War
- Thread starter SealTheRealDeal
- Start date
One nightmare scenario in the early cold war was the Soviets launching a limited offensive to take Norway under the cover of winter storms rather than a general attack across the inter-Germany border, With the NATO advantage in air power neutralised , a soviet land/sea assault might succeed before Norway could be reinforced leaving the choice of launching an expensive and risky amphibious invasion to retake Norway or trying to negotiate a withdrawal by making concessions elsewhere.
It was able to do some weather. I wouldn't want to be in a stringbag during any serious storm though.
In a battle of North Cape scenario - I doubt that aircraft could have been operated from carriers in that muck
@SealTheRealDeal Another well written and engrossing chapter. Always like to check in when I can and read the latest offering.
Just one question about the altered SoDaks. How many in the class are planned?
Keep up the great work.
Sargon
Just one question about the altered SoDaks. How many in the class are planned?
Keep up the great work.
Sargon
Oy vey! They still have SEN coins????
The Brits took pains over operational security and code names.
It would more likely to be called Indigo Petticoat than Ballpeen, surely.
Err... No. They need something more than a machine gun which is all a Matilda I has.
Yep. This.
Against Japanese tanks the 2lber is fine. The worry might be if they do too well against the Japanese that they don't think anything bigger is needed in Europe.
Still four, if that's believable.
yes.
So much care for operational security that they named an operation after the type of tanks that would partake in it?
Deleted member 94680
I believe the British “cryptic code name” for Operations was a post-War innovation.
The MoS Rainbow Codes were end of WWII until ‘58 for instance.
I agree completely. Even in OTL, I would not count it until the Battle of the Coral Sea (May 1942) that the carrier 'proved' it was even potentially capable of replacing battleships as the primary arm of the navy. I've also noticed a tendency for people to unreasonably weight the Pacific War in their assessments of how carriers are 'supposed to be used', largely ignoring the very different experience carriers had in the Atlantic or Mediterranean.
Before Coral Sea carriers had only shown themselves really capable of base strikes on immobile targets at port (Force Z was sunk by land bombers and even then it took them more than two hours) or invaluable as scouting and/or air defense for the fleet, something that's been replicated in this timeline so far.
I fully expect that unless the US gets involved in the Anglo-Japanese war and recreates OTL's carrier spam to simply flood Japanese air defenses, we'll see a much broader use of battleships all the way until the war's conclusion.
Thank you all for
*I was going to include a section on Soviet diplomatic overtures to France, but I decided that'd probably be best saved for the global overview I plan of doing when the war reaches the 1 year mark.
It's worth noting that only the Germans and Japanese immediately gave up their battleships after WWII. The Italians, Soviets, Turks, British, French, Americans, Chileans, Brazilians, and Argentinians (and Swedes if you feel like counting the Sveriges) all kept their BBs into the 50s.
Right now I'm thinking Yamato still gets built. And I don't think it'll be sunk by carriers, partially just to avoid parallelism, partially because I don't think the UK will have enough flat tops on hand to unleash a 360 plane alpha strike. Right now I'm thinking stuck in port at the end of the war or firing lined by the entire KGV class.
Indeed, the Hitler magic was wearing thin by '44. With this being before the conquests of Poland, Norway, the low countries, Yugolsavia, and France, there isn't much "Hitler magic" to begin with.
The foreign minister needs to gain something pretty tantalizing if they don't want a junior army officer showing up at their house in the middle of the night. Plus, Polish-Japanese intelligence sharing means they have a pretty clear idea of how bad the situation is for the Soviets. Meanwhile the Soviets have yet to unburn their bridges with France,* and accordingly don't have a very clear picture of how hard the British are pressing the Japanese.
*I was going to include a section on Soviet diplomatic overtures to France, but I decided that'd probably be best saved for the global overview I plan of doing when the war reaches the 1 year mark.
Indeed, and it's no coincidence that the amount offered at discount each month slightly exceeds the IJN's monthly oil consumption.
Yes, to say nothing of the matter of wanting people to adopt western things while prohibiting the importation of western things...
That is an interesting point I hadn't considered.
Carriers will come to the fore roughly on schedule. But as in OTL battleships will remain important for shore bombardment, AAA platforms, and as crucial backstops should carriers fail to stop anything.
It's worth noting that only the Germans and Japanese immediately gave up their battleships after WWII. The Italians, Soviets, Turks, British, French, Americans, Chileans, Brazilians, and Argentinians (and Swedes if you feel like counting the Sveriges) all kept their BBs into the 50s.
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This is my pick if just for the amusement, the world's largest warship of the pre-nuclear era stuck in port because Japan can't afford to put it to sea, only to be broken up for scrap post-war without firing a shot in anger. Whole documentaries could be written about if Yamato truly lives up to the title 'most useless warship'.
You forgot "with a loaded pistol" at the end there.
Seriously, Japanese politics in the 30s were... interesting. 'Government by assassination' was how it's been described to me from multiple sources, and I've yet to find a better descriptor.
I've heard of Warhammer 40 000 Imperial Commissars less trigger-happy than some of the hyper-nationalist groups in Japan before the war.
Just wondering but has the WinterWar been butterflied away because of the Anglo Japanese War?
OTL's Winter War was a byproduct of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. Germany right now is looking to invade the USSR in 1940, so a non-aggression pact, let alone agreement that the Soviets are free to do as they please with Finland, is off the table.
Things may yet go off the rails, but at this time there aren't the ingredients for the Winter War.
But wouldn't that mean the Red Army hasn't gotten the restructuring it desperately need for combat the Axis in OTL?
Brit security improved as the war advanced. In part thanks to Churchill, tho he also was a security risk in his daily habits. He did not like the selection of innocuous names for operations, thinking aggressive and descriptive names would be inspirational. And he had to be kept away from telephones as invariably in conversation he'd let slip sensitive items. Conversely he backed up those seeking to plug the holes in Brit security, and forced the issue is some ways. 1942 seems to be the turning point in Brit security changing from merely good to superlative.
Indeed, the USSR is in for a very rough go if things keep going the way they are.
The defeat at Nomonhan is potentially cause for reform, but there's a near equal chance that the local commanders will be scapegoated. Mr. Shtern in particular, as the Commander of the Far Eastern Front who has now over seen two failures in border conflicts with Japan, is liable to be denounced and sacked if not rounded up in a purge.
Exactly what I was thinking. So it's safe to say the Eastern Front an even BIGGER meat grinder than OTL.Indeed, the USSR is in for a very rough go if things keep going the way they are.
The defeat at Nomonhan is potentially cause for reform, but there's a near equal chance that the local commanders will be scapegoated. Mr. Shtern in particular, as the Commander of the Far Eastern Front who has now over seen two failures in border conflicts with Japan, is liable to be denounced and sacked if not rounded up in a purge.