HMS Gurkha's gunnery-minded commander, Anthony Buzzard, turned away from wind and sea to improve the conditions for controlling his guns during an air attack. That manoeuvre took the Tribal-class destroyer away from the cruiser screen and left her exposed. The after-action discussion did not treat the loss as a simple individual failure because surface-force responses to air attack were still unsettled on 9 April. Senior officers shared responsibility for allowing Gurkha to become detached when no clear concentration policy had yet been issued. Experience during the following weeks established that escorts were usually safer when they remained within supporting distance of one another.
Notable Point · 21:01-23:41
HMS Gurkha and early air-attack lessons
The loss of HMS Gurkha illustrates how surface forces were still learning whether concentration or independent manoeuvre offered better defence against air attack.