On December 10, 1942, mere days after Pearl Harbor, the Pacific had quickly become the newest battleground of World War 2, where the Allies faced a new enemy: The Empire of Japan.
That day, Force Z, a British naval squadron in the South China Sea, aimed to deter Japanese expansion in the Far East. The group had a key player in their mix: HMS Electra. This E-class destroyer, led by Lieutenant Commander Cecil Wakeford May, quickly gained a reputation from Norway to Russia to the Pacific islands. Her lucky streak as a successful convoy escort earned her the nickname “Lucky ‘lectra.”
Without air cover despite their superior’s pleas, the Z group provided escort and anti-submarine defense. The Allies underestimated Japan's military capabilities at the time, assuming their longest-range torpedoes were ineffective.
Their mistake was quickly made evident when nearly 100 land-based and torpedo bombers of the Imperial Japanese Navy surrounded the entire Z Force.
The stage was set for Lucky ‘Lectra to prove it still deserved that name…