In this assessment, mine damage was an acceptable operational risk of the Durazzo raid, although a covering force could have been prepared in advance. Sending that force early could have alerted the Allies, while sending it later might still have created a distraction or a larger fleet action. The destroyer inventory constrained those choices: the five Tatras under discussion were already with Helgoland. Any additional destroyers assigned to cover would therefore have come from the older Huszar class. Their crews were capable and hardworking, but committing those ships to the expected action was judged unwise. The shortage of suitable destroyers limited the force that could support the raiders.
Notable Point · 37:17-38:42
Durazzo exposed the cost of having no modern destroyer reserve
An advance covering force could have helped at Durazzo, but the Tatras were already committed and using older Huszars carried its own risks.