How might the Littorio class differ if it replaced completed Francesco Caracciolo-class battleships?
Short answerIt would likely be larger, faster, more heavily armed, and better protected because a replacement had to justify itself over an existing modern generation.
NotesA successor must offer enough additional capability to warrant replacing ships already in service. The hypothetical Littorio therefore moves toward new or larger guns, more armor, and higher speed. Mussolini's preference for visible size and grandeur would reinforce that escalation even without detailed technical understanding. The result is a demanding and potentially troublesome design rather than the historical class unchanged.