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davebender
1st Lieutenant
HMS KGV. Laid down 1 Jan 1937.British would achieve much larger savings....no KGVs, no cruisers but more CLaas, no fleet destroyers
HMS PoW. Laid down 1 Jan 1937.
HMS Duke of York. Laid down 5 May 1937.
HMS Anson. Laid down 20 Jul 1937.
HMS Howe. Laid down 1 Jun 1937.
27 Jan 1939. German Naval Z Plan approved.
6 x H class battleships.
3 x O class battlecruisers.
12 x P class cruisers.
6 x M class light cruisers.
6 Spahkreuzer.
2 CV in addition to the two Graf Zeppelin class already under construction.
The massive Elbe 17 drydock. Current German drydocks are not large enough for the H class battleship.
Point of Departure. 27 Jan 1939.
The German Navy decides to purchase land based naval bombers rather then surface warships.
The backbone of this German naval bomber force will be a purpose built aircraft such as the He-177, Fw-191C or Ju-288. However those aircraft will not enter service for several years. The KM requires an interim aircraft as relations with Britain and France are getting very frosty by 1939.
The He-111 is the only German bomber currently in production with enough fuel capacity to serve as a naval bomber. However Heinkel production capacity is already maxed out. Acquiring He-111s would required the KM to fight with the Luftwaffe for a share of production as well as for production of Jumo211 engines. Even if the KM are paying for the aircraft.
Focke Wulf is currently (Jan 1939) designing a naval patrol bomber variant of the Fw200 airliner for Japan. The design is almost ready to enter production, using facilities currently employed to build airliners. The Fw200 is powered by engines which are not in short supply (BMW132 or Bramo323). Last but not least, the Fw200 is relatively inexpensive.
27 January 1939. Alternate KM Z Plan.
The KM will fund development of the Fw-191C as a naval bomber. This project will require several years to reach fruition.
The KM will fund construction of an additional hydrogenation plant to produce aviation fuel for naval use.
The KM will fund procurement of the Fiume F200/450 aerial torpedo and adequate quantities of aerial mines.
The KM will fund procurement of 40 Fw200s per month as an interim naval bomber. These are naval bombers, in addition to any Fw200s ordered as airliners or transport aircraft. Mass production will begin by the end of 1939.
HMS Lion. Laid down 4 July 1939.
HMS Temeraire. Laid down 1 Jun 1939.
HMS Conqueror. Ordered 16 Aug 1939.
HMS Thunderer. Ordered 16 Aug 1939.
If Britain is really on the ball they might cancel the Lion class battleships before July 1939. However the almost completed KGV class battlehips plus supporting cruisers and destroyers are a done deal.