Suggested track (with some elements borrowed from Wade Dudley) modified so as to get danger on danger off the ground
1922: Theo Osterkamp, the last winner of the Pour Le Merite as a naval aviator is struck by a Hitler speech and joins the nazi party as one of it's more visible leaders. Theo becomes one of the top 10 leaders of the party within a year and takes leave to go on international races
1923: Failed Beer Hall Coup, Theo out of Munich by accident at the time, becomes major leader of Nazi's in exile in Austria; forces HG to give up drugs; visits Hitler in Jail
1924-1931: Theo is major player in Nazi party and parliament and seen as top level brass in nazi party. Theo accidently gets the chief of german naval command into a scandal by having him endorse the nazi ship building program which leads to the PB's being delayed. Theo visits Japan on a book took and takes a tour aboard the Ryujo including secret recordings. Ribbentrop accompanies him and the two quickly build positive relations with important members of the Japanese government.
33: Hitler becomes chancellor and secretly tasks HG with forming the luftwaffe and Osterkamp with forming it's naval air element. Osterkamp is named major general and also founds a new Naval intel office which procures major naval secrets
late 33: Osterkamp shows Hitler secret footage of British and Japanese carriers which captures Hitler's imagination the way the first panzer exercises do; Osterkamp explains that carriers offer a cheap way to develop serious striking power without the cost and time of an all guns naval buildup; Hitler orders Osterkamp to explore the idea
late 33: Osterkamp proposes several plans to raeder (the two got along well in real life) and the "triangle plan is developed"
late 33: Germany reaches out to japan about purchasing design plans and license for their carrier ryujo; and starting a clandestine training program for german pilots and sailors to take 6 month rotations on japanese vessels for familiarization and certification purposes; Japan accepts. With two years of service Japan has set up program to improve Ryujo's seakeeping which Germany will keep abreast of. Germany will only have one hanger deck on their ships with 16 fighters and 16 bombers/torpedo bombers
late 33: Germany lays down 3 "pocket battle ships of 10k class" Graf Spee, Admiral Scheer, and Deutchland; these ships are built as shell cruisers intended to be completed as modified ryujo's (14ish k tonnes) once the mask is removed
late 33: In conjunction with the triangle plan; as part of Hitler's program of mass public works; slipways and dockyards are modified for improved capacity and future building
34: Raeder in a secret meeting announces the scope of the triangle plan which will see the German surface fleet primarily centered around three task forces each composed of a ryujo, a battleship, a heavy cruiser, a light (AA) cruiser and 7 destroyers
35: The heavy cruisers Hipper, Blucher and Lutzow are laid down, 7 destroyers are laid down, the first production u-boats are laid down; Versailles is renounced, and the Luftwaffe is revealed under HG with Osterkamp commanding the naval air division; Hitler orders the formation of 10 naval squadrons, and the procurement of aircraft to serve aboard the ryujos; the mask is removed on the ryujos and work commences at full speed to complete them as carriers. Theo's squadron's due to reason of economy must mostly get by with "navalized variants" of procured land aircraft
36. The light cruisers Prinz Eugene, Baureidel, and Berlin and are laid down, battleship Bismark is laid down in the first quarter, battleship scharnhorst is laid down in the 3rd quarter 7 destroyers laid down
37 Battleship gneisenau is laid down in the first quarter; Deuchland is commissioned in the 4th quarter 7 destroyers laid down, 7 destroyers commissioned
38 Scheer is commissioned in the 2nd quarter, Spee is commissioned in the 4th quarter; Deuchland goes on her first patrol near spain in the 4th quarter using HE-51's and and HS-123's All three heavy cruisers commissioned 7 destroyers commissioned
39 Deuchland and Sheer go on patrol near spain, Spee completes work up in 3rd quarter, All three light cruisers commissioned, 6 of 7 destroyers commissioned last one is 90 percent complete when case white is ordered. Naval variants of ME-109 (t) and JU-87 (r) are certified for use on the carriers
task force composition at 9/1/39
task force 1
Deuchland, , Hipper, Prinz Eugene 7 destroyers aircraft me-109t ju-87r combat ready
task force 2
Scheer, Bluecher, Baurediel 7 destroyers aircraft me-109t ju-87r
combat ready
task force 3
Spee, Lutzow, Berlin 6 destroyers aircraft me-109t ju87 r
ready for first shakedown patrol 12/1/39
1940 completion schedule
1st quarter Bismark for task force 1,
3rd quarter Scharnhorst for task force 2
4th quarter Gneisenau for task force 3
french and british reaction~
French build 2 copies of Yorktown (1 complete by case white 1 on the slips) and still build the dunkirk and strasbourg anyway
British build a sister for ark royal, and modernize glorious/eagle/furious/courageous giving them 2 modern fleet carriers for each german light carrier; battleship construction is otlish and 6 additional heavy cruisers and light cruisers are ordered and completed by case white to counter the German builds