How exercises carried World War I biases forward

Interwar exercises converted incomplete World War I evidence into different national habits. British aviators could gain prestige by attacking capital ships in exercises, even though wartime aircraft would also take easier opportunities against destroyers and other escorts. American exercises increasingly rewarded the force that struck first, which could push fleet defense and coordination into the background. Japanese testing favored highly agile, lightly built aircraft whose advantages looked convincing within the scenarios chosen. The Thach Weave shows how robust American aircraft and mutually supporting pairs could bring gunfire against a Mitsubishi A6M Zero attacking from astern. Tactics and construction could therefore overturn an advantage that had looked decisive within Japan's preferred tests. Exercise rules could confirm assumptions that a different test would expose.