Plan Z assumed a fleet that would not be ready until years after the war actually began. Even its 1948 target appears doubtful because changing designs required repeated alterations to slips, dry docks, and shipyard workflows. German construction would also have prompted British, French, Italian, American, and Japanese responses. Those reactions would change the balance against which the German plan had been drawn. A completed Plan Z fleet therefore cannot be assessed as though every rival navy would have stood still while Germany built it.
Notable Point · 30:01-32:24
Plan Z could not develop in isolation from other navies
Plan Z faced disruption from changing designs and shipyard requirements, while continued German construction would have prompted rival naval programmes.