Japan ranks first and Italy second in this comparison of Axis naval strength at the outbreak of war. Germany's greater submarine threat developed later as its operational force expanded. The estimate given is no more than about thirty boats operating in the Atlantic before 1941, with that level exceeded only twice during 1941. The much larger force of roughly 110-115 boats belongs to the 1942-43 campaign.
Notable Point · 2:29:25-2:31:08
Japan and Italy outweighed Germany at sea in 1939
At the start of the war, Japanese and Italian naval power mattered more than Germany's still-small operational U-boat force.