A Short Sunderland drives off Force Z's attackers

What would a Sunderland crew report, and how would Tom Phillips react, if their aircraft drove off the Japanese attack on Force Z?

The imagined report understates the action while recording exhausted ammunition, and Phillips would challenge the misunderstanding over fighter support.

The counterfactual pits a Sunderland's heavy gun battery against Japanese bombers described here as short of fuel and stripped of defensive armament. A flying boat driving them off would expose the consequences of the misunderstanding between a request for fighter support and a response about strike aircraft. Its crew's imagined report understates the action while noting that almost all ammunition was expended. The Sunderland's distinctive silhouette is also offered as protection against British ships mistaking it for an attacker. Preservation depends on the airframe surviving the war: Hendon is suggested, followed by a possible Singapore museum if the wider campaign also changes.