Small task forces suited the attritional approach favoured by Yamamoto's chief of staff. Senior officers could coordinate separate groups to inflict damage while limiting the force exposed to any one defeat. The comparison with naval guerrilla warfare concerns the size and purpose of these attacks. Control remained centralized within the fleet. This differed from the more independent resistance model invoked for Finnish and Swedish forces facing an overrun homeland.
Notable Point · 30:07-32:31
Small task groups within a centralized attrition strategy
Closely coordinated small forces could inflict attrition while limiting losses, with authority retained by the fleet's senior officers.