R/C Naval Combat

Then their defeat on land would have been even swifter.
The materials for the extra 4 ships would have to come from somewhere, and they simply didn't have enough steel to build battleships and tanks at the same time.
So, less tanks means no blitzkreig, means they lose even faster.
And another Scapa flow procession for the Kreigsmarine, but this time the Brits would make sure the crews are removed from their ships before they can scuttle them.

While I completely agree with Darren regarding the economy of material supply...

I'm certain it wouldn't work unless Germany also had the Prinz Eugen as the flagship of the fleet. Absolute necessity. She can, by herself, fight off 3 battleships and a few heavy cruisers while disarmed and under tow with a prize crew aboard.

The way I think about it, Germany would have been smart to....

Wait until at least 1942 to start the war. The Z plan called for a beginning in 46, but tacking on 3 years would have allowed for more submarines.
Build a long range 4-engine bomber. Taking out Russia's oil fields in the Urals, and destroying tank factories would have been possible.
Construct Bismarck class ships with turret comms and controls WITHIN the citadel.....

Yes, Germany begun the war way too soon. But she could not waited until '42, unless the Japanese could have waited. As it was, Germany could not produce enough tanks. The main point that is often overlooked is that the war was won by production. America produced Planes, Tanks, Ships, just about everything, faster that the Germans and Japanese could destroy them. Another overlooked point, is that the U-boats had a strangle hold on US ports at the begining of the war. The US Navy did not have ships or planes to pattrol the US coast. Then suddenly the U-Boats quit coming so close to US waters! They were scared off by unarmed civilian aircraft! The U-Boat commanders had learned that if they were spotted by one of "those !@#$ yellow aircraft" the US Navy would not be far behind. ("those !@#$ yellow aircraft" is a quote from one of the few U-Boats commanders who survived the war.) Ah, I just remembered. Those civilian aircraft, after a while started to jury rig bombs to them. And they were credited with the sinking of two U-boats!
Getting back to the main point of this topic. The extra battleships would not have given Germany victory, just made things more unbearable for the British for a longer period of time. British Naval losses would have been much greater, and the loss of supplies to Russia could have stopped the Red Army.

Yes, but the message that Airpower trumps Seapower just didn't get through to the Kreigsmarine.
The British had an unsinkable carrier in the shape of their island, and with the development of the tallboy bomb, fitted to the four-engined heavy Lancaster bomber, the extra warships wouldn't get out of port.
All in all, it would have been a dreadful waste of material.

Nick
That was funny. And, well... You know.
Mikey

Actually, Operation Paukenschlag was a wild success precisely because the US Navy was pretty much powerless to do anything about them.

Admitting the problem existed would have been a good first step.

But just from a sea battle point of view, it would have been an interesting battle, and the Germans would have a good chance of winning the battle, (Not the war)

Maybe.

But probably not.

The Kreigsmarine didn't have any effective aircraft to put on the Graf Zeppilin, Goering made sure of that. To paraphrase him, If it had wings, he owned it.

Six Bismarcks? By the time they were built, the British would have had the 4 Lion-class BB's to counter them, as well as the KGV's that were coming on line. You can't expect the rest of the world to sit idly by while six huge battlewagons are being constructed on their doorstep.
Nothing happens in isolation.

Four Lion class? The Brits were unable to complete one they had under construction. I do not think that they could have completed four. Maybe one or two.

As for the Graf Zepplin, I had noticed that they were planing on using 109s. I believe that would been a BIG mistake. That landing gear kiiled a lot of pilots trying to take off and land on solid ground. The pitching deck of a carrier would have made losses very high!

4 Lions is no sillier than 6 Bismarks. Neither country had the resources.

Yes, but Germany did complete two.

And England was importing armor from Czechoslovakia for the Fiji's and others before the war. Still 1930's BB/BC construction Germany 2xScharnhorst and 2xBismarks. England 5xKGV.

Both designs were flaky but I would rather serve on a KGV than a Bismark (so long as there are no Nell's in the vicinity.)

Nell's? I thought that it was Val and Betty.

I don't know that Val's had the range, it would have been Nells or Bettys. The strike was launched from French Indo-China.

According to Wikipedia it was Nells and Bettys.

My point exactly.

Neither country had the native resources, but Britain did have one thing that Germany didn't:

Prosperous, industrialised allIes, with the capacity to churn out vast amounts of material. America, Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, all contributed their men and resources to the battle.

Oh, and just by the way, Britain did complete Vanguard as well, even with incredible austerity measures in place. Just where they got the steel for her, I don't know.

I can answer that - if you walk down any pre-ww2 street, out the front of the houses, most low walls still have the stumps of the original rails, that where cut down to be used for the war effort.