Gurkha's captain, an anti-aircraft gunnery enthusiast, maneuvered toward the aircraft to improve the firing geometry for the low-angle 4.7-inch guns and bring the Pom-Poms within effective range. He favored destroying attackers, while the broader layered defence concept aimed to break formations and disrupt their bombing runs. Closing to the Pom-Pom's roughly 1,200-1,700-yard effective range meant leaving the formation and attracting the attack onto the destroyer. In this account, the convoy escaped while Gurkha was overwhelmed. The loss exposed the danger of assuming that wartime pilots would pass an exposed destroyer to pursue a more prestigious target.
Chapter · 1:26:33-1:34:58
HMS Gurkha closes the range and exposes the exercise error
Gurkha maneuvered toward German aircraft to bring her low-angle 4.7-inch guns and short-ranged Pom-Poms into action, saving the convoy but drawing the strike onto herself.