kool kitty89
Senior Master Sergeant
Shadowing (let alone cruising) at high speed wouldn't be practical, but in those situations wouldn't staying at higher altitude be preferable anyway? (as long as visual and/or radar contact could be maintained)
Granted, even if maintaining a distance and altitude that made AA defenses ineffective, once escort carriers are on the scene (or anything else carrying useful interceptors) that's another matter entirely. And as you said previously, any effective tactics would spur more aggressive countermeasures from the opposition.
That said, the Fw 200 itself didn't have particularly good altitude performance, top speed, or cruising speed, so a good deal of room for improvement on all fronts.
I was suggesting putting more emphasis on developing a potent long range bomber/recon/patrol aircraft in the first place. Probably with greater emphasis on recon/patrol ability (with strike aircraft carrying out most actual attacks).
And with the Ju 89/90 actually starting development as a military aircraft, I'd think it would be the most straightforward one to continue development in the combat role than the Fw 200. (it does seem like the Ju 89/90 was the better basis for a heavy transport and recon/patrol/bomber than the Fw 200 though) Something intermediate between the Ju 89/90 and 290 in service in 1940 powered by Jumo 211s seems plausible.
Then again, putting greater emphasis on properly strengthening and militarizing the Fw 200 should at very least have been better than what they were working with historically. (and compared to the Bramo radials, Jumo 211s should have helped with both speed and altitude performance as well as improved endurance/range due to improved specific fuel consumption and reduced drag)
In terms of pure maratime patrol/recon work, though, it might have been more effective (and cost effective) to employ something more like a long-range twin engine aircraft like a long-range recon derivative of the Ju 88 or He 111. (high speed Mosquito-like unarrmed recon aircraft might not be all that suitable though given the loiter time required for coordinating a strike force -dropping to a slower cruise speed could be possible, but ruin the primary advantages of a fast, unarmmed recon aircraft; the He 111 might actually make a better basis than the Ju 88 there)
You also have the likes of the Do 26 and far more numerous BV 138 which certainly had the range/endurance advantage to rival or well exceed the likes of the PBY, but with more severe speed and ceiling limitations than the Fw 200 itself. The BV 242 may have been a more compelling alternative to the Fw 200 and possibly more compelling for continued development than the Fw 200 or Ju 90/290 (in the patrol/recon role at least; the 290 would likely remain superior heavy transport).
The Do 26 may have had more compelling speed and altitude performance if adapted to alternate engines (Jumo 207, DB 601, or Jumo 211) but given that extreme range/endurance wasn't as necessary and the BV 242 was significantly faster with a much higher ceiling and land based (while also viable as a seaplane via Ha 139) and likely to remain better performing with comparable engine and armament upgrades, it seems like the more competitive alternative to the Fw 200. (perhaps more of an argument between mass producing the Do 26 and BV 138 )
Strike aircraft could certainly be more optimized for speed, but that doesn't cover the patrol role. (and unless you could manage a WWII equivalent of the P-2 in terms of patrol, strike capability, and range, you'd need more specialized aircraft for strike and patrol)