Devonshire passed within about fifty miles of the action in which Scharnhorst and Gneisenau sank Glorious and two destroyers. Cunningham had requested an escort or larger force for the politically vital evacuation mission. Glorious and her destroyers could have accompanied the fast cruiser without imposing a major speed penalty. A vice admiral aboard Devonshire might also have insisted on maintaining an aerial patrol when the carrier's captain did not consider one necessary. This remains a counterfactual, but success would have depended on force grouping, command authority, and continuous carrier air cover.
Notable Point · 27:18-28:26
The Glorious loss exposes the cost of a missed escort group
A counterfactual pairing of Devonshire, Glorious, and her destroyers would have created a fast evacuation group with carrier air cover.