Japan's weak night-carrier capability followed a deliberate doctrinal tradeoff rather than simple institutional oversight. Japanese doctrine reserved darkness for long-range torpedo attacks by cruisers and destroyers, making friendly identification a serious problem if carrier aircraft attacked in the same battlespace. The Royal Navy accepted the hazards of night flying because it expected to use darkness to offset numerical inferiority. Operation C therefore brought together two different doctrinal choices, giving the smaller British carrier force an opportunity that would not have existed in daylight.
Notable Point · 50:38-52:18
Japan traded night aviation for surface torpedo freedom
Japanese reluctance to conduct carrier strikes at night followed a deliberate effort to protect its own cruiser and destroyer torpedo attacks from friendly fire.