The wider counterfactual gathers as many nearby warships as possible to create a fuller task force. Advance knowledge of the landing location permits an earlier departure, a night attack and a rapid withdrawal. Radar-directed 14-inch gunfire is treated as a strong asset against the invasion's merchant shipping. The accompanying doctrinal point is that British night operations could commit the whole force, including heavy ships. Orders would seek additional destroyers and cruisers, move ships south from exposed places such as Hong Kong, and request submarines. Dutch ships are also considered for the concentration. These options depend on hindsight about where and when the Japanese landings occur.
Notable Point · 2:23:35-2:25:58
Concentrating Force Z for a night attack on the invasion shipping
With advance knowledge of the invasion, the proposed Force Z response concentrates more ships and attacks the landing force at night.