German and Italian Aircraft Carriers of World War II

Ryan K. Noppen, Douglas C. Dildy, Paul Wright

• Publisher: Osprey Publishing
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN: 9781472846761
• eBook ISBN: 9781472846778
• Edition: 1
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: German History
• Index: History

This fully illustrated study details Germany and Italy's failed development of World War II aircraft carriers, and the naval aviation ships that the two Axis powers sent into action in their place.

The quest for a modern aircraft carrier was the ultimate symbol of the Axis powers' challenge to Allied naval might, but fully-fledged carriers proved either too difficult, expensive or politically unpopular for either to make operational. After the Anglo-German Naval Agreement of 1935, Hitler publicly stated his intention to build an aircraft carrier, the Graf Zeppelin, which was launched in 1938. A year later, the ambitious fleet-expansion Z-Plan, was unveiled with two additional aircraft carriers earmarked for production . However, by the beginning of World War II, Graf Zeppelin was not yet completed and work was halted. Further aircraft carrier designs and conversion projects such as the ocean liner Europa and heavy cruiser Seydlitz were considered but, in January 1943, all construction work on surface vessels ceased and naval resources were diverted to the U-boat Campaign.

This book explains not only the history of Germany's famous Graf Zeppelin fleet carrier and German carrier conversion projects but also Italy's belated attempt to convert two of her ocean liners into carriers. It considers the role of naval aviation in the two countries' rearmament programmes and describes how ultimately it was only Italian seaplane carriers and German ocean-going, catapult-equipped flying boat carriers that both Axis powers did eventually send into combat.

GERMAN AND ITALIAN AIRCRAFT CARRIERS OF WORLD WAR II

GERMANY

Introduction

Although the field of aviation was still in its infancy, by the beginning of World War I the leadership of the German Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy) possessed a forward-thinking vision of the strategic use of naval aviation. Long-range reconnaissance and naval mine detection, coupled with the new technology of radio communication, were two strategic tasks which German naval planners quickly realized could be accomplished from the air, giving the Kaiserliche Marine an unprecedented over-the-horizon capability. The primary technological medium initially selected for these tasks was the rigid airship, or dirigible, and the Kaiserliche Marine invested significantly in its development; more than 80 dirigibles were constructed by the Luftschiffbau Zeppelin and Luftschiffbau Schütte-Lanz companies for the Kaiserliche Marine from 1912 to 1918. The preference for the dirigible over heavier-than-air aircraft throughout the first half of the war was technologically myopic in hindsight, but the long-range and combat capabilities of naval aircraft were minimal at best for much of the war. The short range of early float and sea planes, their limited armament and payload, and their inability to operate in inclement weather were some of the reasons the Kaiserliche Marine did not heavily invest in seaplane carriers and tenders. Another reason was that its handful of seaplane tenders, as well as those of the British Royal Navy and the French Marine Nationale, were converted from merchant vessels which did not possess the speeds sufficient to operate with battle fleets. Lastly, the Marinenachrichtendienst (Naval Intelligence Service) followed the troubled development and operations of HMS Campania, the Royal Navy’s first ship with a practical flight deck; its relatively unsuccessful service from 1915 to 1917 convinced German admirals that such projects did not warrant further research and development.

German seaplane carriers, 1914–18

Entering World War I, Großadmiral (Grand Admiral) Alfred von Tirpitz, head of the Reichsmarineamt (Imperial Naval Office), and the “big gun” battleship admirals of the Kaiserliche Marine’s Hochseeflotte (High Seas Fleet) were counting on Ferdinand Graf (Count) von Zeppelin’s dirigible airships for long-range maritime surveillance, fleet reconnaissance, and bombing operations. While potentially effective in these roles, the huge slow airships were unable to provide timely tactical reconnaissance for smaller forces operating primarily in the Baltic Sea.

The Kaiserliche Marine seaplane carrier SMS Santa Elena, assigned to Germany’s Baltic Fleet and capable of operating four float biplanes (two from each side), seen here with the starboard hangars open and six Friedrichshafen FF.33 two-seat reconnaissance floatplanes visible. (Ryan Noppen Collection)

Consequently, towards the end of 1914, the Kaiserliche Marine authorized the modification of the captured British merchantman Glyndwr to embark and employ up to four floatplanes (two carried aft on the aft well deck, with two more stored in the holds) by lowering them into the water for take-off. The modifications were completed, and the 6,000-ton ship was commissioned into the Kaiser’s navy as an “auxiliary seaplane carrier” in December 1914. However, it was severely damaged by mines six months later while returning from a seaplane raid on a Russian factory on the coast of the Gulf of Riga and was never fully repaired or returned to service as an active seaplane carrier.

Nevertheless, the Glyndwr’s operations were encouraging enough for three more merchantmen to be made into auxiliary seaplane carriers. The first two were the 13,900-ton Answald and the 13,200-ton Santa Elena, both commissioned in July 1915, after conversion by Danzig Kaiserliche Werft. Modifications included being fitted with hangars and hoisting booms fore and aft of the central superstructure with two 3.4cm/45cal antiaircraft (AA) guns mounted on the fo’c’sle and stern. Each ship operated four reconnaissance floatplanes – looking for Russian naval vessels – for the Baltic Fleet.

These operations were successful enough to warrant augmenting the pair with a third seaplane carrier, and the interned Br...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Table of Contents
• Germany
• Italy
• Conclusion
• Select Bibliography
• eCopyright