Japanese aircraft were more likely than surface ships to catch the fast American bombardment groups. A 5 January operation drew a dive-bomber attack against a large Allied cruiser-destroyer formation. Achilles took damage but kept her position, and the force continued its strike. The example shows why speed and the ability to absorb disruption mattered to the repeatable raiding system.
Notable Point · 1:59:47-2:01:04
Japanese aircraft were the main threat to fast bombardment raids
A previous raid shows why fast cruiser-destroyer groups expected Japanese aircraft to intercept them more readily than surface forces.