An established commander-in-chief could review the theater's scattered defenses before war. A senior headquarters might question sending a Canadian brigade to isolated Hong Kong rather than concentrating forces for Malaya. It could also stop the Royal Air Force from building more airfields than available aircraft and ground troops could protect, favoring defended sites with surge capacity. Centralization does not guarantee victory, but theater-level accountability can expose mismatches between infrastructure, assigned units, and operational priorities.
Notable Point · 2:34:08-2:34:52
A theater command could concentrate troops and airfields
A senior Far East headquarters could question dispersing Canadian troops to Hong Kong and building more airfields than available aircraft and ground forces could defend.