The counterfactual replaces Bismarck and Tirpitz with three additional ships based on the Scharnhorst design. In the proposed variation, the new ships would carry six 15-inch guns rather than nine 11-inch weapons. The central advantage is a five-hull force from which to generate operations instead of greater maximum power in each ship. The idea offers a compact example of force structure competing with unit size in capital-ship procurement.
Notable Point · 2:04:18-2:04:34
Five smaller German capital ships instead of Bismarck and Tirpitz
A brief design tangent favors more Scharnhorst-type hulls with heavier guns because five available ships would give Germany more operational options.