The pressure on Cunningham began before Crete. Churchill had recently proposed beaching HMS Barham and one or more cruisers across Tripoli's entrance as fixed fortresses and blockships. Cunningham objected to sacrificing the ships and their crews, offering a night bombardment supported by carrier-dropped flares instead. The exchange exposes the tension between political demands for visible action and an operational commander's responsibility to preserve scarce capital ships for achievable purposes.
Notable Point · 34:32-37:50
Churchill's proposal to beach Barham at Tripoli
Cunningham's reluctance to risk Formidable at Crete is placed beside Churchill's earlier proposal to beach Barham and cruisers as blockships at Tripoli.