THE THREAD

[DuckofTindalos]

As for more Essex's, there aren't really that many that would have had the time to commission, work up and arrive in theatre in time for the fight. Lake Champlain might be a candidate. I could also put the FDR into the scenario, arriving some time after the Midway.

[JWE]

Queest-ce que j'ai fait pour mériter ceci? En anglais svp.

[DuckofTindalos]

Eh? Are you sure you're in the right thread, John?

[Historiker]

Rien. Mais il me fais (?) cultiver la langue d'amour! [;)]

[DuckofTindalos]

Do we want to open a third thread here?

[Dixie]

ORIGINAL: AW1Steve

Ok, I was thinking that the CVE's would be running to and fro bringing in replacement aircraft.Lots and lots of replacement aircraft. That and the Brit's might want to make up for their extremely small airgroups on their CV's and CVL's. I would have expected a couple of more Essex class due to the number that would not have been cancelled by the A-bomb raids, and also in view of the Bunker Hill and Franklin wrecks. I would imagine that even with the Kamikazes going after transports that the Americans would have had several of their Essex class turned into floating wrecks.

I don't think the RN would have put their CVEs in front line action. They were only really used as such with the EIF as the 'real' carriers were with the BPF. Plus, operating 5 CVs plus supporting elements that far from home would be stretching their abilities. Seeing as the RN had to officially be self sufficient (even though it wasn't) and the nearest usable base would still have been Sydney...

5 CVs is probably a fair number, after all only 6 were actually deployed to the Far East. Any shortfall in aircraft numbers would have been padded out with the Colossus CVLs instead.

As an aside, the MAX carriers the RN could field by 1946 by my calculations would be 6 fleet carriers and 14 CVLs assuming no redundancy or spares to cover refits etc.

[Historiker]

ORIGINAL: Terminus

Do we want to open a third thread here?

seems so [;)]

[DuckofTindalos]

I'm not planning to put any RN combat CVE's in the scenario. There'll probably be a plane ferry or two, but the rest will be left out (busy in the Indian Ocean and the DEI).

[DuckofTindalos]

ORIGINAL: Dixie

ORIGINAL: AW1Steve

Ok, I was thinking that the CVE's would be running to and fro bringing in replacement aircraft.Lots and lots of replacement aircraft. That and the Brit's might want to make up for their extremely small airgroups on their CV's and CVL's. I would have expected a couple of more Essex class due to the number that would not have been cancelled by the A-bomb raids, and also in view of the Bunker Hill and Franklin wrecks. I would imagine that even with the Kamikazes going after transports that the Americans would have had several of their Essex class turned into floating wrecks.

I don't think the RN would have put their CVEs in front line action. They were only really used as such with the EIF as the 'real' carriers were with the BPF. Plus, operating 5 CVs plus supporting elements that far from home would be stretching their abilities. Seeing as the RN had to officially be self sufficient (even though it wasn't) and the nearest usable base would still have been Sydney...

5 CVs is probably a fair number, after all only 6 were actually deployed to the Far East. Any shortfall in aircraft numbers would have been padded out with the Colossus CVLs instead.

As an aside, the MAX carriers the RN could field by 1946 by my calculations would be 6 fleet carriers and 14 CVLs assuming no redundancy or spares to cover refits etc.

I think I should be careful not to make the BPF too powerful. I've just added the Colossus and the Glory to the OOB, making five CV and two CVL, and am hesitant to add many more. As you say, the logistical burden was horrible on the RN, which is part of the reason they rotated their carriers out.

[DuckofTindalos]

Anyhoo fellas, tomorrow's DA BIG DAY. Or Tuesday at the latest...[:'(][;)]

Starting to feel a little excitement yet?

[Dixie]

ORIGINAL: Terminus

I think I should be careful not to make the BPF too powerful. I've just added the Colossus and the Glory to the OOB, making five CV and two CVL, and am hesitant to add many more. As you say, the logistical burden was horrible on the RN, which is part of the reason they rotated their carriers out.

Absolutely, I wasn't implying that they should have more units available. That far from home at the end of a six year war the RN was always going to be a supporting act. The forces the RN (ambitiously) undertook to send to the Pacific for 1945 were 4 CV, 2 CVL, 2 BB, 8 CA (probably Crown Colony and Didos), 24 DD and 60 ([X(]) assorted escorts. The ultimate goal was 4 CV, 7 CVL, 18 CVE, 4 BB, 12 CA/CL, 60 DD and 100 escorts [X(] How they actually came to these figures is a mystery [:D]

Much of the logistical burden was caused by a lack of support ships rather which was worsened by the distance from the UK. The RN faced a struggle to get even the few ships that they did for the Fleet Train, and iirc most of them were short manned quite badly.

[Historiker]

No.

[Dixie]

ORIGINAL: Terminus

Anyhoo fellas, tomorrow's DA BIG DAY. Or Tuesday at the latest...[:'(][;)]

Starting to feel a little excitement yet?

Hopefully it'll be tomorrow so I get two days before I'm back to work [:D]

[USSAmerica]

My credit card is on "Alert 5"  [:D]

[DuckofTindalos]

ORIGINAL: Historiker

No.

OY! That's copyrighted material there...[:-]

[Historiker]

ORIGINAL: Terminus

ORIGINAL: Historiker

No.

OY! That's copyrighted material there...[:-]

[:D][:D][:D]

He got it! I indeed intended to copy here! [:'(]

[DuckofTindalos]

At the moment, prior to adding destroyers and other smaller units, the BPF looks like this:

CVs Victorious, Indomitable, Formidable, Indefatigable and Implacable
CVLs Colossus and Glory
BBs King George V and Howe
CLs Jamaica, Swiftsure, Glasgow, Cleopatra, Black Prince and Uganda

More to come, obviously...

[Mike Solli]

ORIGINAL: Terminus

Anyhoo fellas, tomorrow's DA BIG DAY. Or Tuesday at the latest...[:'(][;)]

Starting to feel a little excitement yet?

Excitement? Why? Something going on?

[DuckofTindalos]

Not for me. I'm going to work as usual...

[Mike Solli]

Wise guy. [:'(] [:D]