An intercepted Japanese Army message and a report from Australian coastwatcher Paul Mason gave the Americans warning that a supply force was coming. Tanaka's careful routing nevertheless made Allied air spotting uncertain, while the American force itself was detected. For the Americans, stopping the resupply was the immediate objective. Tanaka could judge the encounter differently: damaging scarce American heavy cruisers would serve the wider Japanese decisive-battle logic even if the supplies never reached shore.
Notable Point · 49:32-52:38
Intelligence reveals the run, but victory means different things
American intelligence exposed Tanaka's resupply mission, while Tanaka could still see a chance to trade destroyer risk for damaged American cruisers.