Japanese deployments to the Atlantic carry an anticipated desire to fight Germany after missing that opportunity during the First World War. Italy nevertheless has the stronger and more balanced surface fleet in this comparison. Germany generally has only two of its modern capital ships available together because losses and refits limit simultaneous readiness. Italy can draw on six battleships and usually has three or four available, although fuel and Allied action restrict operations further. The 1940 scenario treats all six Italian battleships as ready, operating in a Mediterranean where friendly control of the air cannot be assumed. The greater attention given to Bismarck, Tirpitz, Scharnhorst, and Gneisenau is attributed to status and historical narrative.
Notable Point · 1:00:23-1:03:17
Italian fleet strength receives less attention than German battleships
Italy's larger and more balanced fleet is contrasted with the prestige attached to fighting Germany's better-known capital ships.