A German E-boat swarm would create a specialised British answer

Would Germany have been better served by E-boat swarms instead of conventional surface warships?

Not necessarily; concentrating on E-boats would allow the Royal Navy to concentrate its own resources on rapid-firing escorts, aircraft, and coastal craft.

The answer cautions against comparing a redesigned German fleet only with the Royal Navy that existed historically. If Germany concentrated on E-boats, Britain would redirect construction and refits toward that visible threat. Older C-class cruisers and escorts could receive rapid-firing 4-, 4.5-, or 4.7-inch guns, while aircraft and British small craft add other defensive layers. E-boats did not require battleship-calibre hits to destroy, so narrowing the German threat could make British counter-planning easier rather than harder.