ORIGINAL: el cid again
ORIGINAL: Historiker
Well, the Spit wasn't suitable for carriers, too...
The construction of the Würger was robust, its landing gear wide enough... But I'm prepared to learn, tell my why not.
Moreover, the Me 109 T recieved an additional 300l fuel tank, the Fw 190 D was made longer to balance the other engine... So there are some possibilitys for a Fw 190 T...
you are of course quite correct - given enough time - and investment
The rub is the time part - it will not be competative when it is done - it must face Hellcats and Corsairs - themselves later than the were supposed to be - and they might appear sooner in a world with different priorities
The basic problem is the structure. A carrier plane more or less must crash to land on a deck - it is a controlled (hopefully anyway) crash - but it ALWAYS reduces the life of the plane. If not designed specifically with that in mind - the life of the plane is very low - perhaps 10 sortees - instead of a few hundred.
There is - imo - still a mistake in the thinking.
In my scenario, Germany works on designs of carriers from 1918 on and has 4 huge carriers from the mid 20th on. So not just one small experimental with 5 planes on it which would make it unlikeley that there's a specific design just to fit the demand of this 5 planes.
When there's an existing carrier force of considerable size, there will be designs. Moreover, the call for designs from a RLM will be "seek carrier plane" or "seek fighter with a version for carriers". So in this case, a Fw 190T will be designed parallel to the Fw 190A and will appear in the same time or 1-2 month later.
Generally:
I design this mod for witp - and for no other game (except AE and later maybe witp II). So I have to consider how this game is! Moreover, I don't intend to design a game, that is totally historical correct in every detail, even if this is on cost of the fun players can have.
This changes everything! That means, that the continental power with a considerable fleet in 1914 will get more and more a naval power - as land warfar is worse in witp. The focus must lie on naval- and air warfare.
Many players especially on the Japanese side quit, when the loose the first bigger battle, or when the Allied player starts getting a CV "every week". My HKD scenario is intended to even the sides by all means, to allow players even suffer heavy losses and still be able to win! To achieve that goal, I have to get totally ahistorical.
I don't think that Germany, Russia (especially without an industrialization like Stalin forced it, with millions of dead on cost of more industrial power), AH and Italy are able to build enough ships while being continental powers to match the Japanese, British and US fleets when they start building at full speed - in a historc correct scenario. So Germany will turn (nearly) all old ships to hulks, even if the were IRL already falling into pieces because of rust. Moreover, all allied, smaller and puppet nations of this side will have fleets that are too big for reality (i.e. Poland 2 BBs, 2 pre-Dreads for coastal defence, 2 pre-Dreads in reserve/disarmed but ready to be turned back into action).
To give the game and the ships a story and a soul, I construct a story around that which is most unlikely but not totally impossible.
In this scenario, Germany has 4 CVs in 36, and runs a massice naval expansion program between 36 and 1/41, where the war begins. So there'll be several more carriers - which will assure good carrier planes!
Moreover, the Naval strategy and the naval expansion is done in a way that fits the demands of witp and my scenario. That means the old BBs are intendet do sweep into the denmark strait to wipe out spotting forces there, as well as they are a fleet in being which should force GB to keep always a lot of big ships in the Home Fleet. This old BBs will be supported by some "North Sea Carriers" which are too short legged to operate usefull in the Atlantic, but with huge Airgroups.
For the Colonies will be CVLs with a huge range but small airgroups as they should not operate against other carriers but against enemy shipping at the outscirts of the theater, where no heavy opposition is expected.
To operate against the convois between US and GB, there'll be heavy BBs with big range that are able to attack even heavily protected BBs. These BBs get aircover and support from LR-CVs that are long legged, good armoured (they must reach home even damaged) which will be on cost of the number of carried planes.
This strategy is ahistoric and unlikely - i know that! But such a naval expansion program should assure that Germany is really able to attack the North Atlantic Convois even later in the war.
If I start all this with the intention to consider Germanys continental thinking, with an Emperor that fears of loosing them, the lack of historic carrier aircraft... - the whole scenario will make no sense as the German ships are limited to the North sea while on land not much happens... - sounds very exciting such a scenario, no?
To subsume it:
1. I want a competitive TEA-Alliance even at sea
2. To achieve this I cheat whereever possible
3. The goal is to assure a lot of wrecked ships on both sides which are even
4. The main goal is that both players can have fun - as long as they accept this scenario has few to do with reality!
Without any doubt: I am the spawn of evil - and the Bavarian Beer Monster (BBM)!
There's only one bad word and that's taxes. If any other word is good enough for sailors; it's good enough for you. - Ron Swanson
