Fish oil made the Lofoten raid strategically worthwhile

Claymore is compared with the better-known Battle of Cape Matapan in strategic importance, despite involving far less fighting. The raid struck fish-oil production that supplied lubricants used by the Nazi munitions economy. Reaching the Lofoten Islands was a long-range gamble because the landing force had neither land-based fighters nor a carrier. Period air-defense doctrine expected fighters to break formations into flights before heavy anti-aircraft guns separated them into individual attackers for medium and light weapons. Without that first layer, bringing the battlefleet closer would have exposed valuable ships to an air threat they were not organized to manage efficiently.