Night fighting was not meant to be a stand-alone battle but an ambush phase against a force already worn down by repeated attacks. This ambush logic formed a core strand of Japanese defensive strategy. Fast battleships, cruisers, and destroyers would deliver gunfire and torpedo attacks, then disengage rather than remain in a prolonged action. A dawn air strike and main-fleet engagement would follow while the enemy was tired, damaged, and perhaps already withdrawing. The hoped-for decisive battle would exploit local superiority and shock the opponent into accepting a negotiated settlement in a limited war.
Chapter · 1:09:51-1:14:51
From attrition to night attack and a dawn battle
Aviation and submarines would soften an enemy, fast surface forces would strike at night, and the main fleet would seek a decisive engagement at dawn.