German Schnellboote had a roughly 78.9-ton standard displacement, which kept them below the treaty's small-craft threshold. Jacky Fisher's flotilla-defense ideas provide the wider model: small vessels and aircraft could defend widely separated imperial positions. Local torpedo-boat forces in places such as Malaya act as tripwires rather than miniature battle fleets. Even weak craft make an operation harder when an enemy must bring enough force to suppress them before proceeding. Deterrence combines that immediate rise in cost with the prospect of a stronger follow-on response.
Chapter · 31:07-32:56
Flotilla defense raises an attacker's costs
Treaty-exempt Schnellboote and Fisher-style local flotillas show how small craft and aircraft can act as tripwires, forcing an attacker to commit more resources and face a larger follow-on response.