Q&A · 2:00:33-2:12:50

World of Warships Devastation as Britain's 1939 battlefleet

Replacing Britain's capital ships with game-derived Devastation designs would transform surface battles and Axis decisions far beyond the added firepower.

Question

What happens if Britain's 1939 battleships and facilities become HMS Devastation clones from World of Warships?

Short answer

Britain gains an overwhelmingly superior fast battlefleet that changes major engagements, Axis planning, and later beliefs about battleship value.

Notes

The scenario gives Britain roughly sixteen fast battleships with sixteen 16.5-inch guns, strong armor, radar fire control, and a heavy postwar antiaircraft battery. At Matapan they would outrange and overwhelm the Italian fleet, while Force Z would have far better prospects against Japanese air attack. Their speed and numbers would also leave Bismarck, Scharnhorst, and Gneisenau badly overmatched. More broadly, such an out-of-context fleet could alter Japanese and Italian decisions to enter the war and preserve the battleship's postwar prestige.