British planning placed enormous fuel reserves in Australia, and those stocks later supported British and American Pacific operations. The reserves show that preparation for a distant war included material infrastructure as well as a reinforcement plan. Singapore was the network's principal prebuilt maintenance harbor. Losing it removed the facility that the Navy expected other services to help defend. Serious logistical preparation could still fail when it depended on joint assumptions and one geographic point.
Notable Point · 40:17-41:31
Fuel stockpiles, Singapore, and the infrastructure of Far East war
Prewar fuel storage and the Singapore base show the material preparation behind Far East plans and the consequences of losing their principal dockyard.