How would the naval world change if the European war were delayed until about 1948?
Short answerFleets would be larger and more modern, but an earlier Far Eastern conflict could leave Britain and the United States experienced and cooperating before Germany entered the war.
NotesTen more years of rearmament would make the British, American, Italian, and German fleets very different from their 1939 forms. Britain might field roughly twenty to twenty-five capital ships, with the King George V class near the lower end of the modern battle line, while Italy could add carriers but still face hard sustainment limits. Japan's strategic and financial pressures were unlikely to remain unresolved until 1948, so a Far Eastern war might already have created Anglo-American cooperation and combat experience. Germany would therefore confront a heavily armed and possibly battle-tested Britain with newer technology, even if the European war itself began later.