Reginald Custance uses von Spee's squadron to question the armoured cruiser's effectiveness against trade. Concentrating the German cruisers gave Britain one force to find and defeat. A dozen raiders dispersed across the oceans would have created a harder protection problem. His distinction is between concentrating forces and concentrating effort: pressure on merchant shipping need not come from a single squadron.
Notable Point · 1:01:41-1:02:17
Why concentrated armoured cruisers simplified trade defence
Concentrating von Spee's armoured cruisers gave Britain a single raiding force to find, while dispersed raiders would have complicated trade protection.