Britain could continue building regular destroyer flotillas alongside larger Tribal-style units during the extra peacetime years. The Hunt-class escort programme might produce a very large force by 1942, potentially around a hundred ships in this counterfactual. Germany, by contrast, was unlikely to give submarines overriding priority or adopt full wartime production rates while still at peace. The British escort fleet could therefore grow proportionately faster than the U-boat arm before the delayed conflict began.
Notable Point · 1:07:52-1:08:45
Escort growth could outpace German U-boat expansion before 1942
Compare Britain's continuing destroyer and Hunt-class programmes with the limits on a peacetime German submarine buildup.