How would hundreds of additional British sloops change German strategy and early Second World War operations?
Short answerThey would strengthen ASW and force an early German tactical response, but the precise chain of later carrier and fleet events cannot be predicted responsibly.
NotesA larger sloop force would improve convoy security and likely inflict heavier early U-boat losses, forcing Germany to change tactics. Early submarine losses would also remove experienced crews who otherwise trained later boats, compounding the immediate material effect. It might affect events involving Royal Oak, Courageous, Glorious, Norway, and Taranto, but each step adds decisions and reactions. The scenario stops once those branches become fiction rather than defensible inference.