Hipper:-
Was it really Pound's illness that caused this debacle? I understood he simply misjudged the situation perhaps because he was not convinced of the intelligence suggesting Tirpitz and co had returned to base.
When you alone, whoever you are, are confronted with the same information as everyone else but come to a different conclusion to all of them (bar one), a little voice inside your head should be asking yourself why is that? Given that Pound died of an already diagnosed Brain Tumour the following year it is highly probable that the lack of that little voice and the Brain Tumour were related. Of course, as PN has pointed out, it is unproven. I suspect though that it was the case.
The really sad thing is that it seems the others sitting around that table (bar one) did not think that Pound should have heeded them, nor that they should take further action. PN points out that they were all 'Navy through and through', and hence placed their Service above all else, including PQ17. If fingers need to be pointed anywhere then mine would be pointed at them, rather than at Pound.