Somewhere in the North Sea, a Fieseler Fi 167 Sturmvogel (”Petrel”) torpedo bomber overflies Flugzeugträger A Graf Zeppelin during launch and recovery trials in 1939.
original image via
Hermann Göring’s considerable power as Reichsmarschall extended beyond the Luftwaffe, even into the halls of Kriegsmarine Naval Staff HQ. Göring and the newly air-minded naval architects at Wilhelmshaven soon conceived of a full-deck aircraft carrier but one still capable of ship-to-ship combat. It was decided that of the fast ‘P’-class commerce raiding cruisers being laid down, one was to be converted to Germany's first "real" CV. Christened in 1938 and classified as a Korsarträger ("Corsair Carrier"), Pommern was designed with many medium-caliber guns for surface raiding and high speed to outrun any escorts stronger than she. Two small elevators and a single hangar deck could handle a reasonable number of the then-standard Arado 196T Seepferd ("Seahorse") dive bombers. Large bunker capacity meant long-range independent cruising was possible, unlike many of the newer ships being built for the Kriegsmarine. However, her cramped hangar space and small elevators (designed for the diminutive Arados) meant that newer, larger aircraft couldn't be accommodated without considerable modification to the ship and a drastic reduction in air complement. Pommern and her all-gun sister ship Posen sailed out of Kiel Harbor just days before the war started and sailed around the Cape of Good Hope to begin hunting merchantmen. She eluded detection by Allied forces, but was unlucky and unable to disrupt shipping to any great extent. Her next mission was to ferry modern German carrier aircraft, destined ultimately for land bases in the Marshall Islands for co-operative training with the Japanese, from Diego Suarez to Bangkok. With this uneventful mission accomplished, Pommern was sailing back toward the Andaman Islands when the Japanese started their conquest of Southeast Asia. Discovering the French seaplane carrier Commandante Teste limping toward Ceylon, Pommern's aircraft sank her but alerted the powerful British battlegroup in the area. Luckily an IJN Striking Force met up with Pommern in the Indian Ocean and transferred the newly promoted Admiral Minoru Genda on board to direct flight operations as a liaison officer. Pommern's aircraft found and, in a series of “daisy chain” attacks, sank the already-damaged British battlecruiser Hood, but fighters from the nearby carrier HMS Venerable took their toll. Her air group decimated, Pommern detached from the Japanese fleet with hopes of making a dash for Diego Suarez to resupply and refit. Encountering an Allied convoy in poor weather, Pommern started shelling ships with her 5.9" guns when large shell splashes suddenly announced the presence of a battleship. The small USN BB Rhode Island was just on the far side of the convoy and soon was hitting Pommern in the engine rooms with 14" shells from close range. No match for Rhode Island’s guns, Pommern was badly damaged and couldn't run. Her entire crew were able to safely abandon ship but not before scuttling the Kriegsmarine’s only “corsair carrier”.
The Alt-Historian gratefully acknowledges the research efforts of those magnificent sea dogs at combinedfleet.com
The Zveno-Aviamatka, or "Link-Mothership" was the Soviet answer to the heavily armed and armoured dirigibles that filled the sky in the early twentieth century. A modified TB-3 bomber carrying a simple link system that allowed it to carry five aircraft on its fuselage and wings, the Zveno-Aviamatka was not only cheaper but significantly more maneuverable than its Western counterparts.
During the early days of the Second World War, these aircraft were produced in incredible numbers, flooding the German forces with fighters and close-support airplanes. The Zveno-Aviamatka is believed to have played a considerable part in the halting of the German advance at the Ukrainian border in 1942.
The HMS Courageous, the largest submarine built during the Second World War and the only submarine ever to function as an aircraft carrier, steams past an escort vessel en route to the Sicily landings, 1943.
While never exactly unobtrusive, the Courageous was certainly less conspicuous than most other aircraft carriers. Able to get far closer to an enemy shore than any other ship its size, it was invaluable during the amphibious landings at Sicily and Pas de Calais.
When inspecting it in 1945, Churchill reportedly offended the captain by telling him "I like everything about your ship but the smell". Protip: submariners usually smell. Don't tell them, they know. Believe me, they know.