The proposed advice to Admiral Reginald Henderson prioritizes dual-purpose destroyer guns and a much larger carrier fighter component. A slightly larger Illustrious-class hull without the internal lift arrangement might have accommodated 24 fighters and 36 strike aircraft. Deck-edge lifts would recover hangar space, while the fighter component could use a rugged navalized Hurricane rather than a more difficult Spitfire conversion. Greater air-group capacity could then reshape the carriers' operational options across the war, though no single design choice would guarantee victory.
Notable Point · 4:25-6:56
A larger air group for Illustrious
An alternate-1937 design discussion asks how bigger carriers, deck-edge lifts, and a 60-aircraft group might have changed British naval aviation.