Japan's earlier success in naval aviation encouraged it to retain policies that no longer regenerated experienced aircrew quickly enough. Its different experience of World War I also helped sustain confidence in those methods. After Santa Cruz, rebuilding an offensive carrier arm would take longer than the Americans would allow. The conclusion also offers a counterfactual about the campaign's beginning: a properly secured Guadalcanal would have taken the Americans longer to prepare an attack against. Its thin garrison instead let them take a risk and reinforce the position before Japan could respond adequately. Even the subsequent pressure exerted by Japanese naval power could not dislodge that established force.
Chapter · 1:44:23-1:45:58
A tactical success and strategic defeat
Santa Cruz left Japan with a tactical result but without the surviving aircrew, landing power, or time needed to turn carrier advantage into victory on Guadalcanal.