Hitler was reminded that Britain had historically reacted strongly when Germany increased naval gun caliber. That formulation needs caution because British designers had repeatedly moved first to larger weapons during the earlier naval competition. German enlargement could therefore be described as following British moves just as readily as provoking them. Both sides were sensitive to the other's choices, making a one-directional escalation story misleading. The exchange shows how an arms-race narrative changes with the historian's chosen baseline and sequence.
Notable Point · 53:44-54:42
Who escalated the Anglo-German gun race?
Warnings that Britain was unusually sensitive to larger German guns can be reversed by noting how often British designers had already moved first to a larger caliber.