Japanese commanders inferred an extraordinary result from one attack transmission and intercepted American radio traffic about the raid. Those fragments matched the second Pearl Harbor that planners already expected, so they were treated as evidence of a war-changing success. A C6N flight over Ulithi the next day found the carriers still present and no fuel visible on the water. Expectations distorted the battle-damage assessment when direct evidence was scarce.
Notable Point · 49:18-50:06
Reconnaissance disproves the expected second Pearl Harbor
Japanese expectations of a war-changing success rested on scant radio traffic until a C6N reconnaissance flight revealed no visible fleet damage.