The carrier striking force was expected to shield the invasion and destroy the American fleet, yet many useful escorts and capital ships served elsewhere. Four fleet carriers received two Kongo-class battlecruisers, two Tone-class cruisers, a light cruiser, and fifteen destroyers while other formations retained ships that could have reinforced the screen. Taking the light carrier Hosho with only eight biplane torpedo bombers made little sense while stronger protection remained dispersed. The proposed alternative assigns each fleet carrier dedicated cruiser and capital-ship protection. Force allocation needed enough resilience to work even if the enemy had already discovered the operation.
Chapter · 52:37-1:00:22
Kido Butai as an underprotected sword and shield
Japan dispersed battleships, cruisers, and destroyers while leaving its four vital fleet carriers with an escort too thin for their central role.