• @wittmann:

    Italian Battleship Vittorio Veneto was Italy’s Iowa in a way. it was their prettiest ship, it was their best ship, and most advanced ship.

    And I think she and her sisters ships were, after the Iowas, the second-fastest battleships ever built.


  • Did not know that. I have never had much interest in ships.
    Will look in up later. Am still at work.
    I just like pretty ships and I think German ones and the Vittorio Veneto were pretty.


  • @wittmann:

    Did not know that. I have never had much interest in ships.  Will look in up later. Am still at work.  I just like pretty ships and I think German ones and the Vittorio Veneto were pretty.

    Yes, the Italians have a flair for building elegant machines, sports cars being a good example. (Another one is the French-Italian GOCE satellite , whose sleek design caused it to be described as the “Ferrari of space”.)  In one of my books on the Iowa class battleships, the author mentions the contemporary foreign battleship classes and says that the “the Italian ships were, not surprisingly, handsome vessels.”  He likewise expresses admiration for the elegant lines of the Iowas (whose long, slender hulls were intended to give them a high speed, but which as a side-effect gave the ships a graceful appearance).  He says that, by contrast, the Bismarck and KGV classes had the blocky, solid look of heavyweight boxers – adding that, of course, naval architects are in the business of designing weapons of war rather than works of art.


  • The Zara class cruisers were some fine cruisers and good looking ones that that,  they just had the great misfortune of having the Warspite intercept the at night when the crew was at rest and blind from having no radar.


  • Think you for that information Worsham.
    I have just read about them and the 4 ships’ history: interesting (and sad).


  • @ABWorsham:

    In your opinion what was each country’s finest weapon system during WWII?

    The U.S. - Airplanes, including each type and Ships, including all on surface Watervessels

    The U.K. - Airplanes in Specific Fighters and Strategic Bombers

    Italy - Ships and light Tanks

    The S.U. - Infantry Mortars, secondary Tanks and Fighter Airplanes

    France - Defensiv lines and methods

    Finnland - Knifes and Skiings

    The Reich - Tanks, followed later on by Submarine both were called Elite

  • '17 '16 '15 '14 '12

    Here’s what I want:

    A Japanese battleship that can launch German V2 rockets loaded with American A-bombs.  After annihilating the enemy cities with my atomic rockets I will sail in and land my British soldiers equipped with Russian T34-85s to finish the extermination.

Suggested Topics

  • 5
  • 16
  • 5
  • 85
  • 20
  • 6
  • 5
  • 88
Axis & Allies Boardgaming Custom Painted Miniatures

46

Online

17.5k

Users

40.0k

Topics

1.7m

Posts