The proposed naval defeat preserves Norway and removes German destroyers and cruisers while forcing any surviving capital ship into lengthy repair. Scharnhorst and Gneisenau would be absent, leaving Bismarck without a worked-up partner until Tirpitz became available much later. The lack of Norwegian airfields and submarine bases also leaves German forces without escorts or air support as they enter the exposed North Sea. Scapa Flow and Rosyth sit beyond the reach of most German bombers when those aircraft cannot operate from Norway. The Royal Navy therefore gains time to refit its own ships while Germany loses both hulls and the forward geography needed to use its remaining fleet.
Notable Point · 10:08-14:12
A failed invasion strips away German naval options
If the invasion fleet is destroyed, Germany loses destroyers, cruisers and perhaps Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, while also losing Norwegian bases for aircraft and submarines.