The ships had state of the art AA at the time, but it wasn't working. Heat and humidity killed their radar, so their radar-guided AA wasn't functioning. Their 2-pound ammo had also disintegrated due to time in tropical environments.
The level bombers were entirely ineffective. Of 9 G3M Nell bombers that dropped 1 500lb armor piercing bomb each onto the same destroyer target, none scored any hits and turned back. 8 G4M Betty bombers dropped on Prince of Wales and only one scored a hit that did no real damage and the ship continued on in full fighting condition.
It was an entire flight of torpedo bombers that came in low which doomed the PoW. She took a torpedo in the prop shaft which ruined the joint into the hull. They tried to repair it but it flooded many compartments, caused a rather major list, and shut down electrics. This means that the guns on one side could not depress down low enough to shoot at attacking bombers later, and the power was cut out to the electronically controlled guns, and the twin 5" turret was also without power, sitting unused. The electrically controlled rudder was crippled and the ship was running on just 1 of 3 prop shafts, effectively critically injured from 1 single torpedo hit.
A follow up attack landed 3 or 4 more hits on the starboard side, which was exposed due to the list, and undefended because guns could not aim at the attackers. This finished the ship off, though she didn't sink right away.
Meanwhile, Repulse was dodging some 19 or 20 torpedo attacks and got caught mid-dodge from both left and right at the same time and took her first torpedo hit. Moments later she took 3 more. Repulse did not have modern anti-torpedo construction or compartmentalization, being an older design. Crew were ordered overboard and she listed heavily for about 6 minutes then capsized and sank. The entire attack until she was gone lasted some 13 minutes or so.
Basically these ships were sunk for many factors, but NOT because of level bombers.
