What might happen if Somerville's Royal Navy carrier force fought Kido Butai in the Indian Ocean?
Short answerBritish night-strike and radar advantages could inflict severe carrier losses, though the exact supporting capital-ship positions require more detailed reconstruction.
NotesThe answer imagines Kido Butai continuing an Indian Ocean fight against the Royal Navy rather than disengaging. British radar-assisted strike aircraft could attack at night, when Japanese fighters and air defenses lacked comparable radar support. A determined British strike might disable two carriers and, at the extreme, threaten all five assigned to the operation. Surviving Japanese capital ships could then face Warspite and the R-class battleships, with Renown potentially approaching as reinforcement. The precise ship positions would need fuller plotting.