A destroyer flotilla combined Royal Navy and Royal Canadian Navy Tribal-class ships on the approaches to the invasion area. Its commanders were given exceptional freedom to stop German forces from breaking through, even at severe risk to their own ships. Reports of opponents choosing high-speed beaching over combat convey the reputation these destroyers acquired. The example shows that 881 Squadron's carrier patrols formed only one part of a deliberately layered sea-control system.
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Tribal destroyers close the Channel approaches
See how mixed British and Canadian Tribal-class destroyers gave the D-Day screen an aggressive surface layer beyond the carrier patrols.