Germany would face six modern British battlecruisers as its own force combined several different designs. A coherent British squadron with similar operating characteristics would have advantages beyond the number of ships. The alternatives considered are a move toward fast battleships or continuing a costly battlecruiser competition. The expectation is that Tirpitz and Kaiser Wilhelm would retain the historical policy and demand ships capable of meeting the British designs. That expectation is a judgment about their procurement choices, not a certainty about how Germany must respond. German designs moving toward fast-battleship protection would also struggle to match a British force operating at 28 knots.
Notable Point · 1:12:51-1:18:17
Germany's response to a larger modern British squadron
A larger, more uniform British battlecruiser force raises the question of whether Germany should persist with its historical designs.