A single-seat design, readily available engines, rapid production, and limited crew requirements made a large strike economically conceivable. The aircraft were not intended as disposable weapons, but planners accepted that losses could be severe if the attack disabled even one German dreadnought. Ships sunk in harbor might be salvaged, yet open internal doors and reduced harbor crews could allow damage to spread before watertight integrity was restored. Germany would then have to divert scarce labor and material into recovery and reconstruction, turning even repairable damage into a strategic burden.
Notable Point · 8:00-11:07
Acceptable losses in an early mass torpedo strike
The Cuckoo force was not disposable, but its planners could accept substantial losses if a mass attack disabled German capital ships.