Fleet balance points toward the Kiel Canal

The force comparison separates fleet size by combatant category rather than treating every hull as equivalent. France has 31 battleships and battlecruisers against 62 British battleships, while Britain also leads in destroyers by 193 to 102. France reverses the advantage in cruisers, with 131 cruisers and 184 light cruisers against British totals of 59 and 100. Western Germany therefore becomes attractive as a position for a later contest with France. Holding both banks of the Kiel Canal would also secure a major maritime chokepoint between the North Sea and Baltic.