PQ 17's legacy without a simple villain

The next convoy, PQ 18, gained an escort carrier, while Admiral Ernest King sought to withdraw Task Force 39 for demands in the Pacific. King and Pound each faced competing strategic obligations. Pound selected a poor option, but later knowledge that Tirpitz did not attack cannot be read back into the intelligence available at the time. His alternatives exposed heavy ships, weakened Atlantic lifelines, or left merchant ships vulnerable after their escort withdrew. Escort-carrier fighters and anti-submarine aircraft later reduced this dilemma by disrupting reconnaissance, countering submarines, and buying time for heavy ships to react against surface raiders.