The unusually heavy naval cover was intended first to overawe Vichy resistance and encourage a quick decision ashore. British planners also feared that a delayed landing might tempt the Japanese fleet to strike a valuable concentration of carriers, transports, and escorts. Admiral Somerville watched Japanese movements after their Indian Ocean raid and kept the Eastern Fleet close enough to reinforce the operation. Joining his force to the Ironclad covering ships could produce a three-carrier response backed by battleships. The contingency reflects both respect for Japanese operational reach and the vulnerability created whenever landing ships tie a fleet to a fixed objective.
Notable Point · 12:04-14:35
Planning against Japanese intervention
The heavy naval cover was meant both to overawe Vichy resistance and to meet a possible Japanese strike into the Indian Ocean.