Before Narvik, the German destroyer force comprised six Type 1936 ships, two surviving Type 1934 ships, and twelve Type 1934A ships. None of the Type 1936A or Mob ships had yet entered service, so the later criticism of their 150 mm guns concerns the replacement programme. The loss calculation starts with roughly twenty-two destroyers at the outbreak of war, subtracts two earlier losses and eleven in the Narvik operation, and leaves nine. That shortage restricted coastal convoy escort, fleet protection, and amphibious operations. It also underpins the argument that Operation Sea Lion was impractical even if the remaining destroyers had performed as well as Germany expected.
Chapter · 2:41-5:01
Narvik left the Kriegsmarine without enough destroyers
The Narvik losses cut Germany's operational destroyer force from twenty ships to nine, leaving barely two-fifths of the roughly twenty-two available at the war's start.