The South Pacific air commander was away when the ships met aboard Montpelier to plan the operation. A substantial delegation from his staff attended with the ships' commanding officers. The official account calls the commander's absence unfortunate. That retrospective criticism is challenged because a staff exists to represent its commander's expertise when other duties require attention elsewhere. Effective organization allowed air knowledge to shape the plan without requiring every senior commander to attend personally.
Notable Point · 2:27:42-2:29:22
An air staff let an absent commander shape the bombardment plan
A staff delegation carried air expertise into the planning conference while its senior commander handled duties elsewhere.