Somerville's missed opportunity during Operation C

Which admiral would you most want to slap?

Somerville receives the criticism because more aggressive action during Operation C could have inflicted serious losses on the Japanese carrier force, despite admiration for him.

The energetic Somerville seen earlier in the war might have damaged or even destroyed important parts of Nagumo's force during the Indian Ocean raid. Japanese leaders needed to preserve strength for the coming American campaign, so even limited losses might have prompted withdrawal. A British night strike could also have exploited weaknesses in Japanese damage control.