Operation Y-Go echoed Pearl Harbor in its hope of catching American carriers in harbour, but the industrial balance of 1944 had changed the consequences. American carrier losses could be replaced in six to nine months, whereas Japan could not restore equivalent strength. British carrier construction also meant that Allied naval aviation was not confined to the American replacement programme. A surprise attack might buy Japan time to strengthen its defences, but it offered no credible path to reversing the war's outcome.
Chapter · 5:34-9:16
Operation Y-Go and the limits of delaying victory
Operation Y-Go is used to show that even a successful surprise attack on American carriers could only delay, not reverse, the Pacific war.