[Graham Boak]

Early in the war, the torpedo bombers near the Channel were intended for operations against German fleet units, rather than the supply line attacks required in the Mediterranean. Very little important German economic shipping used southern waters, with the Channel Stop operations left in the hands of light bombers and fighterbombers largely because of the size of the targets.

The Germans took some time to develop a good capability for airborne torpedo attacks, so was not in a position to gain any such success in the early years.