Some Thoughts on That Battle Off Malaya

Though it has now been over 83 years since the loss of HMS Prince of Wales and Repulse in ‘the Battle off Malaya’, in Japanese the Malay oki kaisen, it is worthwhile to take a fresh look at the battle. After a brief review of the story (Part I),1For more on the subject, readers may wish to consult the author’s article, ‘75 Years On: A Battle Off Malaya and the Loss of the Prince of Wales and Repulse’ The Naval Review Vol. 105, No. 2 (May 1997), 168-75. I offer some thoughts on the perennial question of who was to blame (Part II) and how a single Japanese search plane pilot affected the outcome…