Q&A · 1:19:10-1:19:54

Would an Arethusa-class cruiser be a better choice at Narvik?

For a counterfactual Narvik deployment, an Arethusa-class light cruiser offers more useful hitting power than Atlanta or Dido because its six-inch guns complement the destroyers' rapid fire.

Question

Would taking an Atlanta-class cruiser to the battles of Narvik be useful?

Short answer

An Arethusa-class cruiser is the preferred choice in this counterfactual because its six-inch guns add heavier shells while British destroyers already supply rapid 4.7-inch fire.

Notes

In this Narvik counterfactual, an Arethusa-class cruiser is preferred because British destroyers already supply substantial 4.7-inch fire. Atlanta or Dido would add more rapid fire when heavier shells would be more useful. Arethusa's six-inch guns combine that extra hitting power with manoeuvrability in the fjord. Warspite also went farther up the fjord than a postwar chart shows.