Graf Zeppelin's aircraft would be lowered after landing, craned onto collapsible trolleys, and moved on internal rails to the forward catapults. Launching the trolley rather than loading the airframe directly reduced stress on aircraft adapted from land service. A comparable crane-to-trolley handling method was proposed for the Essex class and rejected as too time-consuming. In theory the German system could launch one aircraft every thirty seconds, but only eighteen launches were available before the compressed-air reservoirs needed about fifty minutes to recharge. That capacity forced a tactical choice between launching fighters or bombers, because a mixed launch would put only a small number of each type aloft before the long pause. The elaborate handling sequence and weather covers added further delay and maintenance risk in the North Sea and North Atlantic.
Notable Point · 39:20-42:12
Graf Zeppelin's launch trolleys and catapult bottleneck
A rail-and-trolley system protected land-based airframes during catapult launches but imposed slow handling and a fifty-minute recharge after eighteen aircraft.