Lütjens took two battleships out to attack trade

Lütjens conducted this operation well, but Narvik appears to have deeply affected him after the destruction of destroyers he had helped build and staff. Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were sent to attack the merchant vessels sustaining Britain rather than seek British battleships. The Norwegian merchant marine added valuable tonnage to the Allied pool even as Norway's occupation made those Atlantic routes harder to defend. Germany built four battleships in this period but never had more than two operational together because construction, trials, maintenance, and reserve status kept nominal strength from becoming available force. British merchant shipping, commerce-raiding doctrine, command experience, and industrial readiness all shaped the mission.