The Last Foray of Force Z

My object is to surprise and sink transports and enemy warships (before air attack can develop).

Objective chosen will depend on air reconnaissance.

Intend to arrive at the objective after sunrise tomorrow 10th.

If an opportunity to bring KONGO to action occurs this is to take precedence over all other action.

– Admiral Tom Phillips, extract from his orders to Force Z

This is a scenario for my ruleset There's The Effing Scheer, and its expansion Striking Effectively First, which allows you to wargame early- to mid-war WW2 naval combat.

On the face of it, an operation involving Force Z in December 1941 should not be that interesting of one to refight.

Will the capital ships escape back to port or will the Japanese land-based bombers find and finish them before they can make it?

A scenario where one side is running and the other is trying to catch them felt too much down to just luck.

But as always, I want to put you in the shoes of the commanders. The Japanese might hope that the British will turn away to the south, but can they count on it?

What if Phillips accepts the risk of those Nell and Betty bombers and commits to a night attack, how will you defend the slow transports? Which ships are you willing to sacrifice?