If the Netherlands built battlecruisers before 1940, could Germany capture and use them?
Short answerCapturing the whole class is unlikely. One captured ship might reinforce German capital ships once Germany had crewed and supported it.
NotesThe proposed Dutch battlecruisers would probably be built in Britain or America, since German orders already occupied Germany's limited building capacity. Completed ships would have crews and could move, making capture of the whole class unlikely. If Germany obtained one, it would first have to crew, support, and sustain the unfamiliar ship. It might join Scharnhorst and Gneisenau or become available for Bismarck's sortie. The remaining Dutch battlecruisers would probably serve alongside Britain, so the scenario changes both sides of the encounter.