Plan Z was a theoretical fleet programme rather than a realizable naval strategy on its proposed timetable. Germany could have pursued it only by beginning much earlier and investing overwhelmingly in the infrastructure, industry, and supporting systems needed to build the fleet. Those preconditions had not been created when the programme was advanced. The gap between the proposed fleet and the means assigned to it makes the plan a poor guide to the force Germany could actually field.
Notable Point · 7:52-9:24
Plan Z needed industry Germany had not built
Plan Z's fleet ambitions depended on years of shipyard, industrial, and financial preparation that Germany had not undertaken.