How would the Royal Navy respond if all four modern German capital ships sortied together?
Short answerIt would concentrate slow and fast battleship groups plus multiple carriers, turning the sortie into a large Atlantic fleet action.
NotesA sortie by Bismarck, Tirpitz, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau would lead Britain to concentrate every available battleship and carrier. A probable slower group would combine Nelson, Rodney and R-class battleships, while Hood, Renown, King George V and Prince of Wales formed a faster group. Ark Royal and Victorious would probably operate together with the fast ships. The resulting Atlantic fleet action would differ sharply from the historical hunt for Bismarck. The larger German sortie is judged less likely to reproduce the historical success against Hood.