The moment captures German confidence before the costly events later in 1941. Operation Weserübung has secured Norway, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau are about to begin Operation Berlin, and Bismarck and Tirpitz appear close to joining them. Operation Berlin itself nearly failed: had HMS Rodney been a few knots faster, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau could have met the fate later suffered by Bismarck. A four-battleship sortie would force the Royal Navy to concentrate comparable groups rather than dispatch Hood and Prince of Wales as a pair. Such a crisis could also expose Churchill to intense parliamentary criticism over earlier battleship and carrier construction decisions.
Chapter · 13:19-16:38
Why the Kriegsmarine feels strong in January 1941
Norway has been secured, Operation Berlin is about to begin, and four German battleships appear close to becoming a concentrated Atlantic threat.