tirpitz & graf spee

[bigboywooly]

Originally Posted by joea

Thanks very much for the links. Great clips look at the description though.

Nope, what about the V-2, Me-262 or the Tiger, or the Type XXI? Also it never sank a single merchant ship...though a case can be made fear of Tirpitz provoked the disaster of Convoy PQ17.

It wasnt so much what the ship did but what the British in particular thought it could do
Tying up large sections of the fleet just in case it left harbour and leading to actions such as Operation Chariot - to put the dry dock Normandie out of action so Tirpitz couldnt raid the Atlantic and have a safe haven to return to

Wonder what would have happened if the German capital ships had all left port together as a group
Now that would have increased to fear factor

[Torplexed]

I think the closest thing to a surface fleet the Germans ever put together was during Operation Cerebus. The so-called 'Channel Dash' of the battlecruisers Scharnhorst,and Gneisenau and the heavy crusier Prinz Eugen and some lesser ships from Brest back to Germany. Caught the British Coastal Command partly by surprise although they did get some licks in.

Still, at the end of the day, a retreat for Germany's navy.

[Eichenlaub]

Torplexed wrote:

Still, at the end of the day, a retreat for Germany's navy.

Actually, Cerberus was a major success. Taking the channel route was completely unexpected and it took a long time for the British to mount effective sorties. Damage to the German capital ships was only minor (despite the speed reduction). Furthermore, the ships in French harbours were in continuous danger of bombing raids by the British - a threat that would be substantially reduced back in Germany. At first the KM had high hopes of the stationing of capital ships in French ports as they believed this would grant them easy access to the Atlantic and would allow them to conduct surface raiding operations. Reality proved different: frequent British air raids continually condemned the large vessels to further repairs; unable to carry out operations. Forced to choose between a certain -if eventual- doom by having their ships bombed in port, or a daring and dangerous escape to relative safety, the Germans chose the best option. You may call it a retreat, but the channel dash saved those ships for further operations.
Don't forget the numerous British planes that were downed by the Luftwaffe during the dash.

Kind regards,

Eichenlaub