Operation C as a bounded carrier-warfare counterfactual

Admiral Somerville had actually launched a night search and intended to attack, so the Operation C counterfactual turns on a navigation error rather than an invented force deployment. Damaging one or two Japanese carriers might have prompted Nagumo to withdraw, but a daylight counterattack against the experienced British force remained possible. British fighter control reflected Mediterranean combat, while another night could bring a second strike if the carriers survived. A Japanese commander attacked in darkness might also overestimate the size of the unknown British force. The outcome remains theoretical. The case is useful for examining information, risk, and command decisions without assuming a British victory.