The Franco-Spanish combined fleet's uneven depth of experience is compared with the German Navy in the Second World War. In the analogy, a small senior generation preserved experience gained before or during the First World War. Many officers below them had grown up in a navy with too few ships and too few opportunities for practical service, even as the organization expanded rapidly. Fleet expansion can outpace institutional learning, leaving capable leaders at the top without enough seasoned depth below them.
Notable Point · 13:54-14:42
Rapid expansion can leave naval experience trapped at the top
A comparison with Germany's rapidly expanding Second World War navy shows why a few seasoned senior officers cannot replace experience throughout a service.