Norway 6/40: Glorious + Ark Royal v the 'Twins'

HMS Glorious + Ark Royal V the 'Twins'

  • Lyster in Glorious, more/better a/c - what difference

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • WI: Sea Henley FDB at Shetland - what difference

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    4
Norway '40, Ark Royal + Glorious v 'The Twins'

Most probably feel aggrieved at the way the Glorious was lost.

So how much better could it have gone!?

A: (As OTL with personnel and aircraft), but that Glorious is not allowed to go it alone, but the two carriers, with cruisers and destroyers deploy together, with aircraft alternating from each carrier for recon - Swordfish spots the 'Twins' (or there're spotted by RAF Coastal Command on the 7th) - what next? That is how successful an attack by the combined Swordfish could it be?

B: Rear-Admiral Lumley Lister is in command of the Glorious - add aircraft to OTL total you think his more 'air aware' command would have saved. With the better planning and co-ordination of experienced leaders, how more successful?

C: To stretch the 'WI' a little more, lets suppose the Sea Henley is just about to enter service to replace the Skua, and there is a OTU at The Shetlands. Do there have the range to assist e.g. combined dive-bomber & Torpedo attack or at least DB attack shreds Flak, & fire-control, prior to Stringbags. Or can they attack when the Twins head south.
How much damage?

D: If the Twins (one or both) are damaged enough speed-wise, how to finish them off? Further Swordfish attacks, Cruiser/Destroyer torpedo attacks. or HMS Valiant is able to make an appearance. Or another WI 'stretch' Wellington 'experimentalally' torpedo squadron, with 24" fish arrives to finish them off.

I suspect that if any of the above had happened, then an ATL of what happened OTL would have been ridiculed!
 
C would require an earlier PoD and a different FAA fighter as the Henley was faster than the Fulmar. There is also the question of
weather a Henley's Ordnance would do any good against the Twins.
 
C would require an earlier PoD and a different FAA fighter as the Henley was faster than the Fulmar. There is also the question of
weather a Henley's Ordnance would do any good against the Twins.

Oh, I agree a Sea Henley needs it to be offered as a Skua replacement, which should equal less or no Fulmars. Seems reasonable for at least an OTU to be established in this time frame.
The 'Twins' deck armour at 50mm doesn't seem too thick to stop a AP 500lb bomb (though the FAA had 500lb AP bombs or only smaller 250lb ones - not sure). Yet even the smaller ones would make a mess of the upper works.

Bit surprised lack of feedback/comments/ideas - maybe I should have excluded the 'poll'!
 
A Sea Henley was never even proposed, although an uprated Henley was offered to a 1940 spec for an Army co-operation aircraft.

British bombs of 1940 had a fairly low explosive/weight ratio. IIRC, the explosive made up 27% of the bomb' weight - a German bomb was nearer 50%.
 
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