This work investigates the strategic failures and tactical circumstances that led to the destruction of the HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse by Japanese air forces in December 1941. Martin Middlebrook, a noted military historian, utilizes archival records and firsthand accounts from survivors to reconstruct the events surrounding the deployment of Force Z. The book argues that the loss was a direct consequence of inadequate air cover and a fundamental misunderstanding of the changing nature of naval warfare in the Pacific theater.

Military historians frequently cite this work as a definitive account of the engagement due to its meticulous use of primary source interviews. Readers often note the clinical and objective tone Middlebrook maintains while documenting the chaotic nature of the naval battle.