An Allied carrier concentration seeks decisive battle in Asia

Japan must attack either the Philippines or French Indochina before advancing south, giving the Allied fleet a clear objective around which to concentrate. British capital ships and carriers can form the core while French, Dutch, and possibly American forces assemble around them. The coalition would seek the decisive battle Japan also wants, rather than dispersing into the small historical ABDA detachments. Several British armored carriers and American carriers could face Kido Butai, with radar, deck protection, and air-defense doctrine partly offsetting weaker Allied air groups.