What if unfinished battlecruisers were sold to Denmark and the Netherlands before the end of World War I and modernized in the 1920s and 1930s?
Short answerThe Danish ship is expected to receive limited modernization and might escape to Britain; a better-funded Dutch ship could become a major ABDA command vessel in the East Indies. The class reference appears to be Ersatz Yorck but is unclear in the captions.
NotesThe proposed sale precedes the end of World War I, with completion and modernization afterward. The class reference appears to be Ersatz Yorck, although the captions leave the name unclear. Limited Danish funding would probably produce an elderly ship used for northern cruises and eventually based near Copenhagen. Escape to Britain is considered possible; the comparison with Denmark's orders to escape or scuttle in 1943 does not establish that identical orders existed in 1940. Its crew could be more useful than the ship itself and might help man corvettes. The Dutch example is expected to receive better upgrades and serve in the East Indies, where its size could support an ABDA flagship and staff. Modernization would leave an old battlecruiser, but one judged more powerful than the cruisers it would face.