The familiar Anglo-German dreadnought race is only part of the technological picture. In this account, the United States, Italy, and Japan often supplied the qualitative pressure that forced Britain to innovate. Italy appears to have led some aspects of aviation funding and organization by about August 1911, while American shipboard trials created another source of pressure. Naval aviation emerged inside this wider competitive system instead of a simple two-power race.
Notable Point · 21:54-23:11
The prewar naval technology race beyond Germany
Naval innovation before 1914 was pushed by American, Italian, and Japanese experiments as Britain tried to stay ahead and Germany reacted to British changes.