The lost cargo supports a counterfactual about capabilities Japan might have fielded by 1944. Better German-derived 20 mm weapons could have strengthened close-range air defence once tooling and production were established. Rocket- or glider-bomb designs might also have let aircraft attack ships and invasion forces from beyond some Allied anti-aircraft envelopes. Such stand-off weapons could have reduced the need for pilots to fly all the way into their targets. This was a possible consequence of successful technology transfer, not a guaranteed outcome. Industrial diamonds and electronics in the same cargo underline that the loss affected manufacturing and radar work as well as individual weapons.
Notable Point · 56:55-58:37
A counterfactual Japanese path to better air attack and defence
Earlier exploitation of German 20 mm guns and guided-weapon designs might have improved Japanese ship defence and let attacking aircraft release weapons outside the densest Allied flak.