In this counterfactual, a surviving Force Z becomes the center of a much larger Allied concentration. Three British carriers, Saratoga, surviving American Asiatic Fleet units, Dutch ships, and Eastern Fleet reinforcements could assemble around it. Japan would then need a major force to challenge that concentration. An approaching Japanese carrier force might draw further American carriers south, producing a large battle near Singapore or the Dutch East Indies instead of the historical sequence at Coral Sea and Midway.
Notable Point · 2:36:04-2:36:59
Could a surviving Force Z draw the carrier battle to Southeast Asia?
A reinforced Force Z could draw Japanese and American carriers into a major Southeast Asian engagement.