Carrier survival widens British options from Norway to Crete

The argument develops a deliberately conditional chain rather than claiming that more ships guarantee victory. If Courageous survives and operates with Glorious under a carrier commander in Norway, Glorious is less likely to encounter Scharnhorst and Gneisenau alone. Both carriers could then reinforce later operations, potentially allowing three-carrier strength in the Mediterranean and a larger strike on Taranto. Heavier pressure on the Italian fleet could then change the struggle for Crete. Resources do not replace strategy; they create additional responses to the dilemmas an enemy presents.