Gloucester sent back into the Battle of Crete with little AA ammunition

Gloucester had impressed Admiral Andrew Cunningham at the Battle of Cape Matapan before serving as Force B's command ship around Crete. British groups were trying to prevent Axis reinforcement of the island, and repeated air attack and near misses consumed the cruisers' high-angle ammunition. The reported reserves were forty percent for Ajax, thirty-eight for Orion, thirty for Fiji, twenty-five for Dido, and only eighteen for Gloucester. Ajax, Orion, and Dido were sent back toward Alexandria, while Gloucester and Fiji remained. Gloucester's capability and value encouraged commanders to keep using her, yet that decision left a prominent cruiser exposed without the ammunition needed to sustain her defence.