Attack geometry against moving fleets

The committee discussion lays out the practical geometry of a maritime air attack. Suggestions such as using ship smoke or preliminary bombing to estimate wind break down once the target is a fleet that can maneuver, hide itself in smoke, and defend its scouts. A preliminary smoke-bomb attack would also sacrifice surprise and would itself require accurate bombing, defeating the supposed shortcut. A rear-seat crewman and real-time reports from shadowing aircraft gave the attackers a workable way to calculate their approach to warships at sea.