Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 34:04-39:32

Lions and Malta-class carriers create the Axis naval nightmare

Six Lions and six large carriers in 1939 could collapse Axis surface options from Taranto and Norway to the North African supply line.

Battle Of TarantoKriegsmarineLion Class BattleshipsMalta Class Aircraft CarriersNorwegian CampaignRegia MarinaRoyal Navy
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Question

What Royal Navy force would have been a true nightmare for the Axis at the start of the Second World War?

Short answer

Six Lion-class battleships and six Malta-sized carriers, because they could dominate both the German and Italian surface fleets.

Notes

A useful AA-cruiser improvement is different in scale from a force structure that changes the war. Multiple Malta-sized carriers could deliver a much larger Taranto strike and threaten the Regia Marina before it can contest the Mediterranean. Lion-class battleships could reinforce Renown in Norway, catch Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, and make a Bismarck sortie far less plausible. With less pressure in Norway and the eastern Mediterranean, Britain could better sustain Crete, cut Italian supply to North Africa, and shorten the regional campaign dramatically.