What should Finland have built alongside its coastal-defence ships?
Short answerMore coastal-defence pairs backed by reinforced destroyer flotillas and fortifications.
NotesFinland's coastal-defence ships were economical investments rather than mistakes to be replaced. Their heavy guns and shallow-water suitability make sense within a local Baltic defense system. A larger force could comprise three or four pairs, each supported by a reinforced flotilla of about twelve destroyers. Shore fortifications complete the layered force, allowing ships, mobile escorts, and fixed defenses to protect one another.