Merchant ships above roughly 3,000 tons carried much of Britain's trade and handled long-range movement, which made them prime targets for raiders such as Admiral Graf Spee. A fully mechanized army was mobile on land but harder to ship because its vehicles and equipment required more complicated loading and support. The command map places the densest traffic inside smaller, busier naval areas. Those boundaries indicate advance planning for convoy control and emergency trade protection.
Notable Point · 5:08-7:30
Merchant shipping, naval commands, and a mechanized army
A map of large merchant ships explains why trade protection, convoy organization, and transporting Britain's mechanized army drove Royal Navy command planning.