After Lutjens returned from Norway, Wilhelm Marschall resumed command and chose to attack HMS Glorious and her destroyer escorts. The victory sank Glorious, Acasta, and Ardent, but Acasta torpedoed Scharnhorst. Raeder relieved Marschall and selected Lutjens for temporary fleet command because he trusted his staff judgment and caution. On 20 June, Lutjens took Gneisenau and Admiral Hipper to sea to divert attention from Scharnhorst's damaged passage home from Norway. The diversion worked, but HMS Clyde torpedoed Gneisenau, leaving both German capital ships in need of repairs. Lutjens and Raeder regarded the earlier attack on Glorious as an unnecessary engagement, although the carrier's potential value elsewhere complicates that judgment. Lutjens had risen to fleet command just as his operational battleship force became unavailable.
Notable Point · 1:18:53-1:27:02
Glorious, damaged battlecruisers, and Lutjens's promotion
Marschall's victory over Glorious left Scharnhorst damaged; a later covering sortie under Lutjens also cost Germany the use of Gneisenau.