Blockade changes the 1939 fleet problem

Would Britain keep a large fleet at home because of Germany, or could a Tsingtao war still send major forces east?

Germany posed little fleet threat in January 1939, so Britain could send a strong battle line east and use blockade pressure to weaken Japan before seeking battle.

Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, Bismarck, and the Italian fleet did not yet create the threat Britain faced later, so older ships could remain in Europe while a strong battle line went east. Nelson, Rodney, Royal Oak, Hood, Repulse, and Warspite were among the ships potentially available, with refitted or new vessels joining later. The operational plan did not require an immediate charge into Japanese waters: blockade and submarine pressure from Singapore could weaken Japan while Allied strength grew. Because the war begins before Japan completes later Pacific infrastructure, time works against the Japanese fleet even if a European crisis eventually shifts British priorities.