"Keith Willshaw" wrote

400 miles is beyond the range of a V-1,

The V-1's range was presumably somewhat fungible depending on how far from
the target it started.

http://www.fiddlersgreen.net/aircraf...fo/vi_info.htm

suggests that the empty weight was 815kg, the warhead was 850kg, and the
total laden weight was 2180kg. I am assuming that the 515kg difference
between the empty and warhead-inclusive weights was the fuel; and that the
standard as-used flying bomb starts out fully-fuelled and flies till empty.
Keeping things nice and simple, that 515kg of fuel was enough to fly an
average weight of 1923 kg (mean of launch and 'landing' weights) about 200
miles, historically.

If the warhead can be halved in weight and the saving applied to increase
the fuel load, this roughly doubles the weapon's range (unless the fuel is a
lot bulkier than the HE warhead). I make this assumption because if 515kg of
fuel would fly 1923kg 200 miles, 940kg of fuel should fly 1710kgs 400 miles
because you have ~83% more fuel and ~11% less weight.

50 or so 425kg warheads arriving in Manhattan are still going to royally
**** off US public opinion.

Assuming the 2 CVs can do 25 knots in north Atlantic weather for 10 to 12
hours without mishap, and that the night lasts that long, then at dusk (1800
say) they'd be 500 miles from NY. They advance at flank speed until 2200, at
which point they're in range. They launch the V-1s pronto and reverse course
just as the first ones are landing. The search planes start looking for them
ASAP but they have no realistic chance of picking them up until dawn. By
then the retreating CVs are 500 miles away again.

Any outbound strike from the US mainland is looking at a tail chase. Even if
the PBY (or whatever) spots them at daybreak, doesn't get shot down, and
vectors (eg) B25s directly onto them, the bombers are only going to overhaul
them at a net 200 knots. This means a 2.5 hour pursuit, i.e. the target will
be probably 600 miles away even if everything goes exactly right for the
pursuers. Even then, I'd be really surprised if 2 CVs would be much troubled
by whatever a B-25 could deliver at 600 miles; or even 400 miles, assuming
standard-range V-1s.

at 200 miles they'd
be very effective. Consider the Battle of the Bismarck Sea of early March
1943.

I'm aware of the Bismarck Sea. I see little in common between that action,
against a 9-knot convoy with no organic air cover in the weather,
visibility, and sea state conditions of the PTO, with the above.

They didnt evaporate in the meantime and a **** load of CVE's
were built in the meantime.

In the original timeline, yes. I'm assuming that Germany reaches terms with
Britain in 1940. The latter withdraws from Iceland as there's no U-boat
campaign, and German-occupied Denmark would probably insist. Germany then
defeats Russia and has no need to suspend work on her 2 CVs, which have
until 1943 or 1944 to work up in the Baltic. The V-1 programme proceeds
unhindered by Allied bombing and is ready by late 1943.

At this point the IJN is in need of a diversion to buy time. Germany
provides this via the above. No U-boat campaign and thus no need to deploy
or even build CVEs to the Atlantic. Obviosuly Germany would be stupid to
attack the USA, but doing it per the above is arguably less stupid than what
she actually did, i.e. declare war while still fighting the Commonwealth and
USSR.


--
Et qui rit des cures d'Oc?
De Meuse raines, houp! de cloques.
De quelles loques ce turqe coin.
Et ne d'anes ni rennes,
Ecuries des cures d'Oc.