![]() ![]() (A drawing of the "real" Graf Zeppelin, studded with light cruiser guns, is used for the story of Pommern.) Realistically, though, the original Graf Zeppelin paled in comparison to the USS Enterprise, another 1938 ship of similar (roughly 19,000) tonnage, in everything but speed. Still, the British had done wonders with the seemingly antiquated aircraft operating from old WW I converted large cruisers like Furious and especially the larger, more modern armored carriers like Illustrious. The aircraft slated for her were of world standard but mere mediocre conversions of land planes, and too few in number to be very effective. A few more like her, plus some good escort ships, may have made a credible threat to the Royal Navy. Though handy to have, the Graf Zeppelin by herself would have added little to the weak navy of the Third Reich. ![]() If she had completed on time, perhaps she could have sortied with Bismarck and Prinz Eugen and fended off the crucial air attack that crippled the Bismarck and led to her demise. The Graf Zeppelin languished with half-hearted effort to build her, and she was never completed. ![]() Germany's second-in-command, Hermann Göring, was the architect of the world's most powerful and advanced Air Force, but he sadly neglected his Naval Air Arm. The symbol of the Iron Blood resembles both the Iron Cross, a military symbol of Germany, and a sideways Nordic cross, which featured in the war ensigns during both World Wars.The real Graf Zeppelin (19,000 tons standard) was launched with much fanfare in 1938, heralding a potential new era of the Kriegsmarine that included a Fleet air component to bring it up to the standards of the world's air-minded navies.Not through speeches and majority decisions will the great questions of the day be decided-that was the great mistake of 18-but by iron and blood. The name is most likely a reference to Otto von Bismarck's "Blood and Iron" speech:.The Iron Blood in-game depictions tend toward a militarist depiction, in-line with the militarism present in Nazi Germany during World War II. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |