Q&A · 1:55:25-1:56:48

How force grouping could have protected HMS Glorious

A command counterfactual argues that Glorious should have returned from Norway within a cruiser-and-destroyer group rather than sailing as an exposed carrier.

Question

Would HMS Glorious and her escorts still have been lost under a more careful Norwegian-campaign command arrangement?

Short answer

Probably not, because the carrier would have remained inside a cruiser-and-destroyer group instead of sailing with inadequate operational security.

Notes

The first change in this counterfactual is organizational rather than technological: Glorious would not be allowed to proceed independently. Keeping the carrier with Norfolk, destroyers, and other available ships would force any German interception to meet a stronger and less vulnerable formation. Better grouping would also preserve more warning and air-cover options than the historical arrangement. Improved operational security would make the loss of Glorious and her escorts much less likely, without guaranteeing every British ship's survival.