The counterfactual is deliberately modest: attach Glorious to the force protecting the Norwegian royal family rather than letting her operate in isolation. Airborne aircraft could spot Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, direct heavier ships toward them, or damage them enough to prevent escape. Vice Admiral John Cunningham would outrank the carrier captain and almost certainly insist on aerial reconnaissance. Philip Vian or another senior captain could also impose the missing discipline because contemporary admirals generally understood the value of scouting aircraft. Even spotting the German ships early enough to call Warspite or Renown could transform the encounter without requiring Glorious to defeat them alone. Pairing Courageous and Glorious would likewise bring a rear admiral, so the mechanism is command authority rather than a miraculous technical fix.
Notable Point · 1:18:21-1:20:35
How a proper task group could save Glorious
A senior flag officer accompanying the carrier would likely have required a standing air patrol, creating warning, reinforcements, and a possible torpedo strike.