Britain enters later construction with active armor production and recent design experience, avoiding some historical King George V delays. Soviet building could encourage Japanese demands for a larger fleet allowance, increasing the British and American totals under the existing ratio. A follow-on treaty could repeat the new-building quotas, but any increase in Japan's allowance would force the British and American totals upward as well. Hitler is still likely to seek battleships for prestige, but he confronts a Royal Navy already approaching twenty capital ships. Beyond this point, the timing and shape of a European war become too contingent for firm prediction.
Chapter · 2:34:30-2:45:13
The arms race reshapes late-1930s fleets
Earlier British, American, and Soviet construction drives further German and Japanese demands and makes the road to World War II highly uncertain.