The destroyers sent into the Second Battle of Narvik might have completed the naval task without placing a battleship in confined waters. Warspite nevertheless supplied overwhelming gunfire and a powerful statement of British commitment. Her presence could have yielded greater strategic value had she also carried landing craft and troops able to seize Narvik immediately. The later clarification that she fired over hills but still approached the harbor shows both her useful fire support and the danger posed by German torpedoes.
Notable Point · 1:57:14-2:01:40
Warspite at Narvik: firepower, risk, and a landing opportunity
Warspite brought overwhelming firepower into confined waters, but the commitment would have made more sense if troops and landing craft had immediately exploited the victory.