Holtzendorff's case for diesel capital ships

Holtzendorff was a senior advocate of diesel engines for battleships and battlecruisers before the First World War. His supply argument favoured diesel as Germany's route away from coal because it would be easier to obtain in quantity than the alternative oil fuel discussed here. Germany's connection with Rudolf Diesel and its early engine development supplied another potential advantage. Strong approval of Holtzendorff's strategic judgment does not extend to every decision he made. His advocacy supplies a precedent for the later counterfactual, although he died in 1919.