If forward carrier operations occupy Soviet attention, convoy planners can shift routes south of Cornwall and toward the central Atlantic. A route near the Azores and then toward Portugal avoids the most direct path from Soviet northern bases. The extra days at sea buy distance from bombers and submarines rather than representing wasted time. On the final approach, convoys can sail along Portugal and France, cross the Bay of Biscay, and enter the Channel under increasingly strong friendly land-based air cover.
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Southern routes trade time for safer Atlantic passage
Convoys could accept longer voyages near the Azores and southern approaches to reduce Soviet bomber time on target and complicate submarine interception.