"85 Fighter Jets vs. 2 Warships: A Battle for Supremacy"

In December 1941, Winston Churchill received devastating news that the HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse had been sunk by Japanese aircraft. Reflecting on the event, Churchill described it as one of the most shocking moments of the war, as it symbolized the collapse of significant hopes and plans. The loss left the British and American fleets in the Pacific and Indian Oceans vulnerable, with Japan gaining naval supremacy across the region.

The HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse were British Royal Navy warships that formed part of Force Z, a task force sent to the South China Sea to deter Japanese advances toward Malaya and Singapore. On December 10, 1941, both ships were attacked and sunk by Japanese bombers and torpedo planes near Kuantan in British Malaya. Their loss was a major blow to British naval strength in Southeast Asia.

Captain Leach and Admiral Phillips perished with the HMS Prince of Wales during the attack. In recent years, the wrecks of both ships have sadly been targeted and plundered for scrap metal by illegal salvagers.