German destroyers meant that the British had no ability to force a result. In a post-war assessment, First Sea Lord Admiral Andrew Cunningham endorsed the tactics Dalrymple-Hamilton used during the engagement but stated that the size of the British force was "inadequate". The Kriegsmarine was also unsatisfied with the conduct of the battle, with German naval authorities believing that the destroyers should have taken shelter in coastal waters after they were sighted by Allied aircraft on the evening of 27 January. The Action of 28 January was the final engagement between British and German warships in Norwegian waters during World War II. It was also the second last surface action fought by the Kriegsmarine, with its final engagement taking place on 18 March 1945 when a force of two torpedo boats and a destroyer was defeated by two British destroyers in the Battle of the Ligurian Sea. By this time, most of the Kriegsmarines remaining warships were stationed in the Baltic Sea where they supported German military operations and the evacuation of civilians until the end of the war in May. References Bibliography Conflicts in 1945 1945 in Norway A Naval battles of World War II involving Germany January 1945 events Germany–United Kingdom military relations