Q&A · 1:37:14-1:37:50

A German prize fleet makes the Netherlands a treaty naval power

German capital ships and one or two carriers would elevate the Netherlands into the same treaty tier as France and Italy.

Question

How much difference would German prize ships and one or two carriers make to the Dutch fleet?

Short answer

They would make the Netherlands comparable to France and Italy and bring it into the naval treaty system as a major participant.

Notes

The enlarged Dutch fleet would become too powerful to exclude from interwar arms-control negotiations. German battleships, battlecruisers, and one or two carriers would give the Netherlands interests in both home waters and the East Indies. It would rank below Britain, the United States, and Japan but alongside France and Italy. Dutch requirements would therefore reshape treaty ratios and bargaining rather than remain a regional concern.