Q&A · 21:28-21:53

Why ten times more German ships would not secure sea control

A fleet-size counterfactual exposes the people and fuel that must grow alongside hull numbers.

Question

Would multiplying the Kriegsmarine's ships by ten after Hood's loss let Germany win the naval war?

Short answer

No; without ten times the crews and vastly more fuel, most of the added fleet could not be used effectively.

Notes

Multiplying the Kriegsmarine's ships would leave an immediate shortage of crews to operate them. Supplying personnel as an extra assumption would still leave the fuel problem. Germany already struggled to fuel the fleet it possessed. Ten times as many hulls would therefore enlarge the force on paper without giving it the resources needed for sustained operations.