IIRC the plan was to use fighters and dive bombers as of 1939, so just 'carrier-zed' Me109s and Ju87s, plus probably some recon aircraft.This implies attention has been paid to torpedo & bomber development, along with a suitable carrier fighter. Not the half assed proposals usually made for the Graf Zepplin. Since there is negligable surface fleet to support Raeder or whoever is going to have to come up with a new doctrine, other than what everyone else is following in the 1930s.
They may be commissioned but carrier aviation is perhaps the most challenging of all military aviation. The Germans have no experience at all in that field. By the time those ships are combat ready leaving the Baltic would be suicide. All the Germans do by building them is have Britain place a higher priority on their own carrier programme earlier, which probably means more Ark Royal class being built instead of the first Illustrious class ships.The Twins being Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, and the two carriers being around 30000 tons standard, both CVs commisioned during the winter of 1938/39.
Have you ever thought of the problems the Kriegsmarine had in operating aircraft under its own control?
Rather than Glorious sunk by the twins, we see the ATL twins sunk by Renown...
Okay, those particular actions are probably butterflied, but any Norwegian campaign has the distinct possibility of putting the German carriers under risk of surface attack.
The Germans were not on good terms with the Japanese until 1938 so the Germans won't have much help until then. So the Germans are on their own for the most part on trying to build a complex combination of warship and Naval aviation.Agreed, the Fat One is going to have a fit with high-performance aircraft not under his control. He had enough trouble with the floatplanes and flying boats, so letting fighters and dive-bombers out of his grasp will be a fight.
Then you've got to learn how to operate a carrier and it's air wing plus all the other things. Need to take baby steps and get a LOT of help from the IJN...
Indeed and it should be noted the British were experimenting with and trialling Naval Aviation for twenty-odd years - look at the problems they had.
Is it really feasible to expect the Nazis - with their fractured, competitive, back-biting 'leadership' - to build, trial, train and construct doctrine for two brand new aircraft carriers? All of this in time for useful service in WWII?
.... The idea of the Germans or anybody else developing even a semi-viable carrier force from scratch in less than five years before the start of WWII is a pretty tall order.
what would they be used for?
who is going to escort them?
...
(my view they SHOULD have developed more robust seaplanes which could then use all the existing ships, tenders, etc including auxiliary cruisers)
Firstly HOSCHSEEFLOTTE had an aircraft carrier in 1919...but it was not finished, sound familiar?
Secondly the 1928 naval plan included an aircraft carrier plus 6 Panzerschiffe D, E,F.G.H & J , which Hitler morphed into "The Twins"+ Bismarck, Tirpitz, BB H & BB J plus two carriers [GZ & PS].
thirdly this 1928 naval plan also included a requirement for 400 aircraft for the Kriegsmarine.
Ergo remove Hitler's catastrophic influence on KM development and the floating fat mans influence on Lufthansa==>Luftwaffe development...all things become possible.
The British, the Americans, and the Japanese - all three had been playing with carrier based air for a good two decades when WWII started. Even with that all three had problems and made plenty of mistakes. The idea of the Germans or anybody else developing even a semi-viable carrier force from scratch in less than five years before the start of WWII is a pretty tall order.