Navies were certainly crucial in the European theater of WW2. Britain was supplied by sea, and that was only possible with navies and merchant marines protectin

Navies were certainly crucial in the European theater of WW2. Britain was supplied by sea, and that was only possible with navies and merchant marines protecting the shipping lanes and hunting U-boats. It might not have been as dramatic as the Pacific theater with their big battles at sea, but the resilience of the Allied navies to keeping those shipping lanes limping along allowed them to eventually win the war. War is hugely about logistics. Probably the most notable naval moment in the European war (D-Day) was also only possible because the German navies couldn't dominate the channel. If the Germans had dominated the channel, D-Day would have been impossible. So, a lack of naval strength there was a critical factor for the Axis losing.