The history of Nazi Germany's attempt to build a modern aircraft
carrier, and the other aviation ships that Germany and Italy designed or
operated.
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 programs, 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.
