Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 1:29:28-1:30:14

Would a Soviet carrier enable later-style amphibious warfare?

A carrier does not give the 1930s Soviet Navy the landing craft, aviation, or doctrine associated with its much later amphibious forces.

Aircraft CarriersAmphibious WarfareNaval DoctrineRiverine WarfareSoviet Navy
Watch at this timeFull video guide
Question

Would an early Soviet carrier make later-style amphibious operations plausible in the Baltic?

Short answer

No; 1930s Soviet amphibious capability was riverine and inshore, without the landing craft and aviation enablers of the later fleet.

Notes

Later Soviet amphibious methods cannot simply be projected back into the early 1930s. Contemporary operations relied on riverine craft and small inshore vessels. The helicopter and landing-craft capabilities associated with the later fleet were absent. Adding a carrier would therefore not create the means to conduct those later forms of amphibious warfare.