In 1930 the first nations that have focused on full fleet carrier were:
1. Italy - 22100 tons carrier Aquila in construction
2. USA - 35000 tons USS Saratoga under reconstruction to carrier
So it is time to design the first German carrier.
Question 1: What could be potential enemies?
Answer 1: Soviets, UK (I hope not), France, Italy, USA
Question 2: What will be strategy of the fleet against these enemies?
Answer 2:
USA, Italy - trade warfare
UK - trade warfare with fleet action only if advantageous situation occurs
France - trade warfare with fleet actions
Soviets - fleet actions
Question 3: What tasks are expected of fleet carrier?
Answer 3:Trade warfare - fleet carriers are useless as to risky to operate.
Fleet action against Soviets - reconnaissance and fighter cover in case of land based airpower, especially medium and torpedo bombers (as we have advantage in capital ships, these should be priorities)
Fleet action against France - reconnaissance and fleet support - fighter cover or strike support
Fleet action against UK - reconnaissance and strike support - as expected enemy can have quite advantage in numbers
Question 4: What type of threats should be design protected for?
Answer4:medium bombers - level bombing - quite inaccurate but deadly, no protection against it
torpedo bombers - mainly expected torpedoes ==> best torpedo protection
dive bombers - we have no such bombers, but we should expect 250-500 lbs bombs ==> at least 62 mm protection for magazines
surface vessels - torpedoes and up to 6" guns ==> best torpedo protection and 8 x 15.2 cm guns
Requests for the carrier design:Speed: 29-31 knots (similar to our cruisers)
Protection: unit machinery design, 50-75 mm deck protection over magazine, 50-75 mm belt protection over magazine, at least 50 mm armour for conning tower
Armament: at least 4 x 2 x 15.2 cm SK C/28 ,8 x 10.5 cm SK C/33 DP guns, 16 x 3.7 cm SK C/30 AA guns, 20x 2 cm Flak 30
Aircraft carried: at least 40
Budget limit: 55 M
Graf Zeppelin designShip is designed for 48 aircrafts
1. Soviet Union would be the primary enemy unless France and England just can't resist.
2. Trade Warfare against all enemies. Cut off access through the Baltic to the North Sea via the Skagerak.
3. Build air bases in the Baltic to gain air supremacy and use air power and submarines to control trade lanes. In the Baltic, aircraft carriers are just targets.
4. Dive bombers, medium bombers and light surface ships.
5. Carrier design - 30 knots min., light AA and medium AA, no guns larger than 40 mm., air wing size should be 50 min. 18 fighters, 36 dive bombers and few torpedo bombers. Engine Reliability - normal,
keep in mind, aircraft carriers are mobile air fields not surface warships. Keep your carrier groups back with your surface fleet ahead. Scouting by land based bombers, flying boats is critical in the Baltic.
Don't fixate on aircraft carriers. They were used in the Pacific War because of a lack of air fields on the island hopping campaign and long distances in the Pacific Ocean. Once the Gilberts, Marshalls were taken, then land based air became vital and much more effect. Escort carriers were built just to provide air support for landings and aircraft to fleet carrier because of the high losses due to operational and non-operational losses. In the march to the Philippines, land based air on Bougainville and Northern New Guinea became very important. The carriers were then used to attack bases in Formosa and Luzon to reduce Japanese air power.
In Europe specifically the Baltic, North Sea, Mediterranean which are enclosed and narrow seas, air bases with dive bombers, flying boats, medium bombers and a few torpedo bombers are much easier to rebuild after an attack and can fly much more often than aircraft on carriers. These bases can provide air cover for the surface fleet and can hit the enemy much easier than a small or medium carrier. You can build bases but not occupy them, we called them auxiliary or dispersal bases. This should keep the expense down. Once a conflict starts then man the bases. Forget the development of float planes for land bases, flying boats can carry ordnance, have longer ranges and can fly at higher altitudes. Just my thoughts.
Don't station any carriers in the Far East. Keep those fleets equipped with your old ships rebuilt for oil and give some speed.