Force Z shows how mistakes shape weapon effectiveness

The sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse illustrates an argument that success in war depends heavily on making fewer mistakes than the enemy. In this account, Japanese aircraft found the ships on their return leg while low on fuel and without self-defence weapons. An RAF message saying that no aircraft were available meant strike or combat-support aircraft, while a squadron of fighters remained ready in Singapore. The Royal Navy understood the message to exclude fighters as well, giving it a reason to maintain emission silence instead of requesting cover. The counterfactual judgment is that Repulse's evasive manoeuvring, combined with fighter intervention, would probably have allowed her to survive.