Once the initial conditions had failed, Midway and, to a degree, Coral Sea can be read as efforts to reset the strategic problem. Japanese operations tried to make the American carrier force accept a battle in which a large portion could be destroyed. The underlying purpose was to recover the annihilating encounter that Japan could not otherwise force. The comparison is with the High Seas Fleet's repeated attempts to isolate and damage part of the Grand Fleet. The analogy shows why a weaker navy had to manufacture a favourable concentration rather than fight the opponent's full strength on demand.
Notable Point · 42:26-43:19
Midway and Coral Sea as attempts to reset decisive battle
Early Japanese carrier operations sought to draw the American carrier force into the annihilating encounter that the original war plan required.