In 1933 they had the 3 K class light cruisers and Leipzig would have done for a start had the Kriegsmarine got their fingers out and given their hulls the strengthening required for employment in the Atlantic. IIRC only Karlsure was rebuilt IOTL.Who is going to escort them?
If the Kreigsmarine is going to follow this route then IMHO it should be all or nothing with another pair of aircraft carriers laid down instead of B&T as suggested in the final sentence above.I dont Think we Can do this discussion without a pod that explains the decisions.
Here is an attempt: IOTL Germany practised Technology and doctrines in the SU. There were plans for a naval aviation base on the Black Sea that got cancelled. Lets assumed it didn't and the Germans reached the conclusions that carriers Will be not only effective scouts, but also an effective offensive weapon.
Then you have all the accessories (torpedoes among others) in place and a fleet air arm in the making pre-Goehring's Luftwaffe.
Also, the Germans were allowed to study Japanese carriers before the design of the Graf Zeppelin, but they didn't have time for an offerred demonstration of their operation (sic!). ITTL it would be done in late 1920's with the German design years in the making.
So, Germany makes two good carriers, what happens next and what to do with them?
To see these with B&T (or maybe actually two more laid down) in the mid Atlantic would be quite a head-ache
That was the OTL German destroyers designed for operations in the North Sea. IIRC that was made worse in the first 16 Z-boats because they had to keep their fuel tanks partially filled to maintain stability.They'd also really need to work on fuel economy, the German DD's had incredibly short legs so they'd not be able to do their escort mission into the Atlantic without basically running on fumes by the time they get to the GUIK gap, being towed, or the Germans getting very good with alongside replenishment with the carriers acting as tankers for their DDs.
Here is an attempt: IOTL Germany practised Technology and doctrines in the SU. There were plans for a naval aviation base on the Black Sea that got cancelled. Lets assumed it didn't and the Germans reached the conclusions that carriers Will be not only effective scouts, but also an effective offensive weapon.
One of the reasons why I think it's a good idea in theory that won't work in practice is the Germans lack of experience at designing and operating aircraft carriers their aircraft.Best option would be to convert an old merchant ship into a carrier in 1934 and gain the carrier experience.
Fair enough we will keep them as steam only ships. Large size isn't necessarily a problem because it might make them more seaworthy. The Americans managed to design successful ocean going destroyers in the 1930s. IMHO the Germans were capable of doing so too if they decided that this was the type of ship that they needed.The problem is that steam/diesel was still unreliable and the diesel engines were big and heavy, taking up a lot of hull space which would mean these DD's would be even bigger.
I haven't read the links, but from my own notes...That means the Graf Zeppelin and it's twin:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graf_Zeppelin-class_aircraft_carrier
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_aircraft_carrier_Graf_Zeppelin
What makes Goering stop being a dick about the aircraft/pilot issue?
KM Kreuzers of the K/L class could only manage 2500-3000nm @ 19kts...reaching 3350 @ 18kts with the Karlsruhe mod, which also increased the hull armor , while reducing speed to 31 knots standard. Basically the only marginally better than the abysmal Zerstroers programme.
Best you can do within these limits is operate north of the GIUK gap.
BTW Zerstroers were planned with endurance of 4000-4400nm @19kts, but the poor miniaturization of the high pressure /temperature demanded continues fuel consumption crippling endurance. Even late war models were supposed to exceed 5000nm@19knts but only got 2500-2900nm@19 in practice.
Seems Germans were no good at steam turbine development. They should have stuck with diesel development.
It was me and in my defence I did suggest that they be accompanied by a Dithmarschen class fast tanker.A poster suggested destroyer & these light Kreuzers as escorts.
The advantage of these measures, apart from strengthening, was an increase in bunkerage, better side protection and the capability of operating two aircraft. Until completed, however, operational restrictions were placed on all except Emden. This meant that Konigsberg, Karlsure and Nurnberg were restricted to home waters and the North Sea. Leipzig and Koln could be used in Spanish waters, but only at favourable times of the year and even then forward and aft bunkers had to be emptied. For stability reasons, the "K" ships had to retain 680 tonnes of fuel at all times, and Nurnberg 150 tonnes, with a consequent effect on their endurance.
HMS Renown was not a very fast ship anymore after her refit, with a top speed of 28-29 knots at best. A Graf Zeppelin was more powerful in tems of engineering and could do 35+ knots, meaning some 7 knots speedadvantage over the old warhorse. Renown also had to deal withh a weak armament of just six main guns, hardly sufficient for effective fire on fast moving targets. Basically it is th turttle vs the hare.