The standardized program does not guarantee that Germany continues replacing losses. Hitler would probably react much as he did historically, canceling or neglecting incomplete ships after a major defeat and using any survivor as a Tirpitz-like threat in being. A single converted 15-inch ship could still pin several British units and maritime patrols, but it no longer justifies keeping the enlarged fast fleet concentrated in home waters. Accelerated King George V, Lion, Illustrious, and Implacable programs could then reinforce the Mediterranean and produce a carrier-supported Force Z in the Far East. The redistribution of British strength may become the scenario's greatest strategic effect after Germany's surface challenge collapses.
Chapter · 2:55:15-3:00:09
Major losses turn the surviving fleet into a threat in being
After Norway or Berlin destroys most German heavy units, Hitler likely halts construction and leaves one survivor in harbor while Britain shifts modern carriers and battleships east.