May 25th, 2007  
MontyB
Tribunus Laticlavius
 
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mmarsh
In surface vs surface engagements yes, the Battleship was past its prime. However in Coastal Bombardment/off-shore artillery support role, those Big Guns could do wonders for the Infantry and Marines on the shore. So the BB wasn't completely useless in WWII.

Also BBs could throw up lots of FlaK and were essential in close-in carrier defense, especially the American BB whose AAA gun were superior to the Japanese.
I don't agree, surface to surface engagements which included coastal bombardment were all battleships were designed for and if not for the development of air power battleships would probably still be the primary naval weapon.
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