Main guns designed for surface action could not automatically engage diving aircraft. A mounting limited to roughly 30 degrees of elevation was far less useful than one reaching 60, 70, or 80 degrees. Short wargames and exercises can distort tactical priorities. In a two- or three-day exercise, attacking capital ships first produces a quick result. During a campaign lasting months or years, destroying the escorts may leave those capital ships easier to attack later. Exercise duration therefore changes which target appears most valuable.
Notable Point · 7:50-9:24
Gun elevation and the limits of peacetime exercises
Higher gun elevation made destroyer guns more useful against aircraft. Short exercises could still teach the wrong lesson about whether escorts or capital ships should be attacked first.