The Red Fleet scenario begins with changes that make Graf Zeppelin and a Soviet battleship available for postwar completion. Their availability encourages Stalin to start the Stalingrad programme earlier, giving it greater momentum before later policy can stop it. Continued Soviet construction then encourages other navies to retain heavy ships of their own. Britain keeps Vanguard and Howe in this scenario while stripping other King George V-class ships for spares. Howe becomes a testbed for checking whether electrical equipment intended for Vanguard can survive heavy-gun firing. These proposed divergences connect procurement momentum with the practical cost of keeping old ships useful.
Notable Point · 5:40:43-5:42:26
How completed ships drive further building in the Red Fleet scenario
A counterfactual Soviet programme prompts foreign retention of battleships, with spares and blast-resistant equipment shaping their continued service.