Operation Berlin's first departure ended in weather damage and repairs, while Naval Group West reiterated that merchant shipping was the target. On the renewed attempt, British agents in Denmark and signals analysis revealed that German ships were moving toward the Atlantic. Tovey sent three battleships, eight cruisers, and eleven destroyers to intercept them. Naiad sighted the Germans as they approached the Iceland-Faroes gap. Lutjens turned north, refuelled, and chose the Denmark Strait instead. Tovey dismissed Naiad's sighting and returned to port, allowing Scharnhorst and Gneisenau to enter the Atlantic with the initiative.
Chapter · 1:36:39-1:41:00
Operation Berlin breaks out past British detection
British agents, signals analysis, and Naiad detected the German movement, but Tovey's dismissal of the cruiser sighting allowed Lutjens to gain the initiative.