The Rawalpindi encounter occurred only weeks before the Battle of the River Plate. If Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were sunk or badly damaged while Admiral Graf Spee was also lost, Hitler's aversion to risking major warships could intensify much earlier. Operation Weseruebung might lose essential heavy cover, while Bismarck and Tirpitz could be kept under tighter restrictions. German effort could shift toward submarines and change both the Battle of the Atlantic and the Arctic maritime campaign.
Notable Point · 1:16:00-1:17:43
How early surface losses could change Norway and the Atlantic war
Losing Scharnhorst or Gneisenau close to the loss of Admiral Graf Spee could push Hitler away from surface operations and alter the invasion of Norway and the Atlantic war.