Harwich Force made destroyers independent surface combatants

Harwich Force fought German units in the southern North Sea on missions that helped shape later destroyer operations. Destroyers there dealt with air threats, surface opponents, and occasional larger ships while conducting missions without a battle fleet dominating the scene. They became the combatants rather than merely the screen around named cruisers or battleships. Those mixed and independent duties anticipated much of the destroyer work seen again in World War II.