Why German night fighting did not meet expectations

Why did German experience not make the Kriegsmarine uniformly strong at night fighting?

Some craft were effective, but rigid training and limited junior autonomy may have reduced the flexibility needed in destroyer night actions.

Capable S-boats and torpedo craft contrast with less convincing German destroyer performance after dark. One tentative explanation is that a small fleet carrying many senior officers encouraged rigid training and micromanagement, leaving junior commanders fewer chances to exercise judgement. This remains an interpretation rather than a settled conclusion. It fits the wider argument that night fighting depended on decentralised initiative as much as on torpedoes, optics, or radar.