Werner Baumbach ship destroyer

[Graham Boak]

We know that the Germans did not have "adequate" anti-shipping forces from the start of the war, and never did. Those they did form during the war seem (open to correction) to have been mainly dedicated shipping strike units. I wonder if we are just seeing a difference in emphasis here: that Germans always considered maritime reconnaissance just as part of the job of a reconnaissance unit. On the other side, the RAF did not have dedicated maritime recce-only units either. Such units as they did have went out with bombs to attack targets of opportunity, and this is just what we see happening here.