Q&A · 46:48-47:36

Germany's larger design gap without naval treaties

Unrestricted Allied construction would have widened Germany's battleship-design experience gap rather than helping it build a better Bismarck.

Question

What battleship would Germany build in a world without the interwar naval treaties?

Short answer

Germany would probably fall farther behind because Versailles still halted its battleship work while other navies accumulated several more generations of design experience.

Notes

Established building powers would continue producing and refining capital ships in a world without the interwar naval treaties, while Versailles still prevented Germany from doing the same. Germany already re-entered battleship design roughly two generations behind. An unrestricted race could increase that gap to three or four generations. Bismarck's weaknesses therefore reflect lost practical design and operating experience, and a treaty-free world would make the disadvantage worse.