Versailles leaves Germany unable to match the expanded fleets

Scharnhorst-class construction begins in 1935, while four proposed Soviet 16-inch battleships could enter service in 1936, two in the Baltic and two in the Black Sea. Deutschlands become strategically marginal against faster British and French capital ships and much more heavily armed Soviet battleships. Building larger German ships requires first restoring maritime infrastructure that the Treaty of Versailles deliberately stripped away. An all-submarine alternative cannot erase the small U-boat force available at the start of a war, while the larger treaty navies would have reason to build more sloops and other anti-submarine escorts. Germany is therefore trapped between prestige-driven surface construction and an underdeveloped undersea campaign, with neither path able to match the head start enjoyed by its rivals.