The 1939 assessment records Germany invoking the agreement's special-circumstances clause to move from 45-percent submarine tonnage toward parity with Britain while keeping the total fleet ratio at 35 percent. German officials cited Soviet submarine growth, but the British commentary noted that more submarines were not the logical answer to other submarines. The real consequence for Britain was a requirement for compensating anti-submarine measures. First World War experience made that signal too serious to ignore. Escorts, detection, and convoy protection could therefore outrank specialized Far Eastern oilers in the immediate rearmament sequence.
Notable Point · 2:21:04-2:22:46
German submarine expansion drove British ASW priorities
Germany's move toward submarine parity under the Anglo-German Naval Agreement warned Britain to invest in anti-submarine measures before war.