Clarke disputes Bellamy's assessment of the hypothetical coalition by considering competition inside its naval programs. The German navy would still compete with the army and Luftwaffe while Soviet shipbuilding also demanded German guns and turrets. Supplying Soviet requirements could further weaken German naval construction. A Soviet version of Graf Zeppelin would inherit the aircraft-handling problem criticized here: an orderly system that moved aircraft too slowly. In the proposed carrier encounter, that delay would leave the ships vulnerable before enough aircraft could get airborne.
Notable Point · 4:05:30-4:07:03
German and Soviet naval plans competing for guns and carriers
The coalition's naval programs would compete for the same German weapons while sharing the operational weaknesses of Graf Zeppelin's aircraft handling.