Escort procurement across three possible wars

Convoy escorts were one requirement within a global force-planning problem. British planners considered separate wars with Germany, Italy, and Japan, as well as combinations that could pull forces between the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Far East. Before 1940, they did not expect both Norway and France to fall, removing the barriers that had limited German access to Atlantic bases. A large Atlantic escort programme therefore meant accepting opportunity costs in other theatres. Escorts proved essential, yet hindsight from the later U-boat campaign cannot by itself explain prewar allocations.