German surface raiders forced Britain to prepare for more than a submarine campaign. In a counterfactual without German heavy cruisers and capital ships, earlier British orders for Flowers, Black Swans, and Hunt escort destroyers are suggested as a response to a more concentrated U-boat threat. Capital ships could then be released from Atlantic convoy cover for Mediterranean and Far Eastern duties. The absence of large German ships would also complicate the Norway operation because they transported troops. The converse is that the actual small German surface force could stage dangerous raids yet faced a much larger British concentration once a raider was hunted down.
Notable Point · 1:27:31-1:30:50
How German surface raiders complicated British convoy defense
Surface raiders affected British escort procurement and tied down capital ships that could serve elsewhere.