Night formations and small-craft tactics

The two divisions of the 10th Flotilla show why formation practice mattered in confined night fighting. The experienced 19th Division could use radar and plot information to remain line abreast, bringing more ships onto the enemy without sacrificing approach speed. The less experienced 20th Division used the safer line-ahead approach because following the next ship demanded less difficult station-keeping in darkness. Motor torpedo boats and motor gun boats followed the same logic by operating in pairs, a manageable unit for keeping bearings and changing formation at night. Two pairs could then combine as a division, scaling a simple tactical building block into a larger force.