Admiral Whitworth entered with HMS Warspite and nine destroyers against the eight German destroyers still at Narvik. His force eliminated the remaining German warships and drove troops away from the harbour, with HMS Cossack and other destroyers pressing into the port. Yet the formation of a Royal Marine division had reduced the extra Marines available aboard the fleet, leaving Whitworth unable to mount an immediate landing. A German provision ship that had been scuttled onto the shallow seabed escaped further attention, and the captured depot ashore still held supplies intended for Fleischer's Norwegian 6th Division. The result shows that a decisive harbour victory could destroy a fleet without securing the port's logistical assets.
Chapter · 41:49-45:24
Warspite's third battle and an unseized port
Warspite and accompanying destroyers destroyed the remaining German destroyer force, but a shortage of landing troops left Narvik's logistical advantage in German hands.