Lütjens preferred to delay until Bismarck could join Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, presenting the Royal Navy with three fast battleships instead of two. Britain might then have needed four-ship hunting groups and stronger convoy guards, rapidly consuming its available battleships and battlecruisers. Hitler's demand for immediate visible action rejected that concentration in favor of an earlier propaganda effect. The choice exchanged a potentially stronger operational position for the immediate image of German naval aggression.
Notable Point · 48:13-53:59
Lütjens wanted to wait for Bismarck
A three-battleship sortie could have forced Britain to concentrate scarce capital ships into larger hunting groups and convoy escorts.