An imagined Battle of Argentia in the Atlantic

The proposed Battle of Argentia is built around the Home Fleet, French support, mobilized reserves, and possible German or Italian forces rather than a simple Anglo-American duel. U.S. war games had repeatedly rehearsed a Jutland-style battle against Britain off Newfoundland or Halifax. Nelson-class battleships, Hood, Repulse, reserve cruisers, and destroyer flotillas illustrate how quickly Britain could assemble depth in home waters. Belfast and Edinburgh might join sooner if wartime urgency accelerated their fitting out. German and Italian alpine troops could form part of a Canadian expeditionary force, although Italy's poor 1939 landing in Albania cautions against treating every Axis formation as equally effective. The strategic purpose is to secure movement to Canada and make an American attack across the Atlantic costly. Control of sea communications determines whether expeditionary armies can affect the land campaign.