Germany's risk fleet concentrated resources on the capital ships needed to threaten the Royal Navy with serious losses. At Jutland, its combined battleships and battlecruisers still fell short of Britain's dreadnought battleship count, while its cruiser force was weaker. British destroyers are assessed as generally larger, more powerful and newer than Germany's large torpedo boats. The same priorities could leave Germany outside the alternate cruiser race. Its relatively new overseas cruisers would reduce replacement pressure, leaving occasional orders for individual Blücher-like ships. French and Italian cruisers could eventually force a response as their armament reached 11 or 12 inches, possibly 13 inches, while battleships moved to 13.5- or 15-inch guns. In this scenario, that pressure arrives too late for Germany to respond effectively.
Chapter · 42:10-44:42
Why Germany might sit out the cruiser race
Jutland provides an example of what Germany's capital-ship priority meant for cruisers and destroyers, and why it might make the same choice in the alternate timeline.