Q&A · 1:36:20-1:37:17

Why a 1930 world war begins with Royal Navy dominance

Moving the war to 1930 gives Britain the strongest carrier force and the dominant modern battleships while several rivals are still rebuilding or barely rearmed.

Question

What would the naval war look like if the Second World War began in 1930?

Short answer

The Royal Navy would begin with overwhelming European superiority in carriers and capital ships while its main rivals remained much less prepared.

Notes

The timing radically changes the naval balance. Britain has more operational carriers and has already completed important upgrades, Nelson and Rodney sit at the top of the battleship hierarchy, Italy lacks carriers, Japan and the United States have far fewer, and Germany has barely begun rebuilding a navy. The result is a war in which the Royal Navy can control European waters with much less immediate opposition.