A lightly armed destroyer cannot survive by trading fire at a comfortable distance with a cruiser or battleship. Closing the range forces large-gun mountings to traverse through a greater angle as the smaller ship manoeuvres, making the target harder to track. The same advance threatens a torpedo attack, which can compel the heavier opponent to turn away or divide its attention. This geometry explains the aggression of Royal Navy and Italian destroyer forces, while German performance depended heavily on leadership quality.
Notable Point · 1:40:17-1:41:45
Why destroyers charge larger warships
A tactical explanation shows why lightly armed destroyers can improve their odds by closing with heavier opponents.