They, the British, were creamed at Arrakan in 1943, During the bungled British operation against Sumatra in 1944, a combination of Japanese fighters and misuse of weather fronts showed that Sir Philip Vian's TF 67 was not ready for prime time. Operation Robson that was. As late as January 1945 off Palambang, Vian had another try. This time the weather cooperated. It was only Japanese IJA aviation. The strikers were thoroughly chopped up. Operation Meridian that was, against "green" IJA pilots. The refinery was blown up and the Japanese lost 14 aircraft (British claimed 50.). What we do know is that the British failed to score significant permanent damage and at least 7 attackers were splashed, but half of the strikers were so shot up, they were write-offs. (20 planes.)
Columbo 42? British radar was shut down. Losses; 27 British aircraft caught on the ground, 5 Japanese aircraft to AAA during 5 April. British cruisers Dorsetshire and Cornwall sunk. Round 2 was another winner on 9 April. HMS Hermes, HMAS Vampyr (spelling?) and HMAS Holyhock (spelling?) sunk. Between those two episodes Admiral Sir James Somerville (HMS Formidable and HMS Indomitable on hand) supposedly tried to fight a night air/sea action with Nagumo. He never found Nagumo. British claimed 30 Japanese planes splashed in total from the 2 Columbo visits. Actual? Japanese sources list 14 to enemy action and 11 to operational accidents. Damage to another 20. Pearl Harbor was 29 confirmed by wreckage and was worse as to damage, but MURPHY, this is April 1942 with a British fleet alerted at SEA! Make that 3 times the British boloed against the First Team.
Vinegar Joe, Wedemeyer, or even Eisenhower, himself, the bottleneck was always Chiang. At least Mao listened and learned from his peers. He might even have listened to Americans after Otto Braun and his Russian cohorts bugged out and left the CCP in the lurch during the Long March. But that is 1935, and calls for more foresight than Washington possessed at the time.