Wilhelm Marschall returned to command and sank HMS Glorious, but damage to Scharnhorst removed one of Germany's only two capital ships from service. Lütjens then used Gneisenau and Admiral Hipper in a diversion intended to help Scharnhorst return for repair. HMS Clyde torpedoed Gneisenau during that effort, temporarily disabling the second capital ship as well. Raeder valued Lütjens's technical knowledge, staff experience, and cautious judgment because aggressive operations could leave Germany without a usable capital-ship force. The Royal Navy could absorb the loss of a carrier more readily than Germany could absorb damage to either Scharnhorst-class ship. This asymmetry underlies Lütjens's later reluctance to accept battles that might cripple irreplaceable hulls.
Notable Point · 1:59:18-2:04:24
Capital-ship scarcity made German tactical victories costly
The Glorious victory and subsequent torpedo damage illustrate why German commanders could not exchange ships with the Royal Navy on equal terms.