German planning envisioned Scharnhorst and Gneisenau returning from Berlin and then joining Bismarck and Prinz Eugen for an April sortie. Gneisenau's engines alone required about four weeks of repair, while Scharnhorst was in worse condition. Germany therefore had to delay the next operation or send Bismarck without the two ships. It chose the latter course. The raiders' long cruise had converted an operational success into a lost opportunity for the concentration the Atlantic strategy required.
Notable Point · 2:44:36-2:45:25
The repair clock blocked an April concentration with Bismarck
The returning raiders were meant to join Bismarck and Prinz Eugen, but their machinery could not be repaired in time for the planned April operation.