An early Brewster Buffalo would meet the A5M or perhaps the A4 rather than the later A6M Zero used in many Second World War comparisons. Contemporary Italian aircraft are judged much less threatening, with the Breda 88 and Caproni AP.1 offered as examples. This remains a speculative comparison. The argument rests partly on concentrated British anti-aircraft fire and armoured flight decks designed with Mediterranean air attack in mind. Those defences would not make carriers invulnerable, but the available bomb loads and attack profiles would be less likely to stop them quickly. Combat against Japan would also give British crews practical experience before they met Italy.
Notable Point · 22:26-27:52
Italian air power faces a Pacific-tested carrier fleet
Early Japanese and Italian aircraft would face British naval fighters, armoured carrier decks, and a fleet already trained in a major campaign.