After receiving the battle report sent back by Genda, the Mobile Fleet headquarter was thrown into complete disarray.
The fifty or so ship-borne aircraft of the first Plane Group had attacked a Fleet oiler, failing to find the carrier spotted by the reconnaissance aircraft.
At that moment, a staff officer suggested an immediate adjustment to the attack operation, calling for Major Yan Ben to command the return of the second Plane Group.
The reason was straightforward: the second Attack Aircraft Group included eight Zero Fighters, and with the first Attack Aircraft Group returning earlier, the Zero Fighters in charge of air defense would also be only eight.
Moreover, shortly after the second Attack Aircraft Group took off, all Zero Fighters were equipped with an auxiliary fuel tank, and could loiter near the Fleet until one o'clock in the afternoon. By that time, the escort fighters from the first wave of Attack Aircraft could take over the air defense duties.
