Best transporter

[plan_D]

Very doubtful because even though the Italians out numbered the RN the RN knows how to conduct naval operations effectively. Negating any number advantage. The RN knew all it had to do was to keep the vessels that it needed, in the required area. This gave advantages in the certain areas of the Med they needed.
Plus the RN crews were the best in the world, superior to the Italian naval crews.

And even when the Italians out numbered the British 6 to 1 in 1941, the British counter attacked from Eygpt capturing 130,000 Italians with 1,200 dead and 500 wounded. And these Italians were supplied to the best, they just couldn't handle British supremecy in tactics, and combat itself.

 

[Lightning Guy]

What weren't the Brits best at?

Anyway, the Italians were very poor troops period (army, navy, and airforce) and everywhere they went (more or less) German forces had to bale them out. Still, regardless of the quality of their crews, the ships of the Italian fleet were modern and powerful and certainly could have been put to better use than they were.

 

[MP-Willow]

Most everything that the Italians made, ship, plane or what have you could have been used better by anyone elts. If they would have thought why not just have the Italians hold Itally, not try to make an empire and then just be a production force in the Po vally!

I do not think it would have worked, but hell an idea.

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

They did out number the RN, they still did well to sink 1/5th of all those RN vessels sunk.

but that's only because the RN didn't engage in many big naval battles..........

 

[plan_D]

Do you want to run that by me again MP-Willow, the Italians equipment was the best?

Lanc, that's right but the reason is they didn't need to. Naval warfare is completely different to air or land warfare.

LG, still digging at it, are we? Britain and Germany were the two best forces in World War 2 overall. America had some great aspects, and a great economy. Russia had an amazing population to throw in, and by 1944 had some pretty decent tactics that had been revived from the 30s.

 

[cheddar cheese]

i think MP-Willow means that if the italians had put all their effort into making equipment rather than building an empire, they would have made some pretty good equipment for the other countries.

 

[cheddar cheese]

i think MP-Willow means that if the italians had put all their effort into making equipment rather than building an empire, they would have made some pretty good equipment for the other countries.

 

[MP-Willow]

C.C thanks. Yes, I was thinking that. They did have some good ideas and things, but they could not seem to execute the plan. I think they might have been able to protect the supplies to Rommel much better, maybe if they were able to produce the P.108 in numbers or let the Navy have an air arm.

This was to be on transports, and they in relation to this bit on Italy and North Africa seemed to fall pray to a lot of Spits and P-38s

 

[Lightning Guy]

P-40s shot down a lot of the Ju-52s moving across the Med. and even the B-25s got in on that action.

 

[MP-Willow]

lots of things in the med were shot down. A lot over Malta. Ben reading up on that, more reading to come.

 

[Stuka-99]

The dakota certainly

 

[Stuka-99]

The dakota certainly

 

[Lightning Guy]

Did you mean the Dakota for best transport plane of the war or being shot down over the Med? I'm not aware of any C-47s being shot down over the Med. I'm sure it probably happened, but not in extremely large numbers.

 

[cheddar cheese]

he probably means best transport

 

[MP-Willow]

I would agree. As for the med, I am almost tempted in looking

C.C. nice fighter, to bad it was Italian.

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

what would have happened if the germans had completed the Graf Zepplin??????

 

[cheddar cheese]

surely thats a question for the "what if?" thread......

 

[Lightning Guy]

It would have set in a port in France or Norway while Great Britain committed half of the Royal Navy to keeping it there just like they did with every other major German ship.

The basic thing is the Graf Zepplin wasn't that great of a design. First consider the use of 16 5.9in guns. Artillery that heavy is totally useless on an aircraft carrier and only adds weight that could be better used on other things. On a displacement of about 24,000 tons it only managed to carry 42 aircraft (on a similar tonnage the Yorktown CV-5 could easily carry 90+). Furthermore, the Bf-109 would have made a very poor carrier fighter was its long nose and narrow landing gear track would have made landings a nightmare.

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

even worse, the offensive power would have come from stukas............

 

[MP-Willow]

It is simple to say that the RLM was trying to jump into the carrier game and would have faced the same trials that the USN, IJN, and RN had some 10 years earlier. Though the Bf 109T that was the right model for the carrier, was designed I think an Fw 190 type would have been better. Do any of you have more information about any of the other aircraft types other then the 109 that were to be on the Graff Zepplin?