HMS Tartar's Type 276 radar detected the German force at about ten miles while the Germans held only a vague warning until moonlight revealed the British destroyers. The leading 19th Division advanced line abreast rather than in the more familiar line astern. That formation spread the ships across the interception front and made it less likely that one torpedo salvo would run down several hulls. The contrast with the 20th Division's line astern shows how radar competence changed night formation tactics as well as detection. Within about a week, the 20th Division had trained into line-abreast night operations, showing how quickly combat evidence could reshape practice.
Notable Point · 2:02:03-2:03:38
Line abreast widened the radar interception
The leading Allied destroyers used radar and a line-abreast formation to widen their front and reduce the danger of one German torpedo spread striking multiple ships.