British intelligence examined the volume of German radio traffic as well as the content of decoded messages. Traffic analysis could produce indications of activity before codebreaking yielded readable messages. In the proposed four-capital-ship sortie, that information would be combined with aircraft reconnaissance and cruisers maintaining contact. The German concentration would face several overlapping means of detection and pursuit.
Notable Point · 48:20-48:53
Detecting German naval activity through radio traffic
Radio-message volume could reveal German naval activity before messages were decoded, complementing cruiser and aircraft surveillance.