The Eastern Fleet and the Indian Ocean, 1942-1944: The Fleet that Had to Hide

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We can name only its old leader who in his genial and gallant person for so long reflected the magnificent spirit of the Fleet. There are a number of gaps in the story that would have benefitted from some added chapters, mostly concerning ships and their status and activities. The size of the airstrike on Colombo was Somerville's first concrete evidence that the Japanese force contained more than the two carriers he expected.

However, the plan was based on information provided by the Far East Combined Bureau (FECB), which identified only two carriers in the Japanese force. Their Fairey Fulmars and Swordfish, both far too slow for Pacific combat would need to be replaced by Sea Hurricanes, and then Seafires and the American Carrier aircraft that would allow them to revenge their fallen comrades. Neither individually nor together could the two Eastern Fleet forces challenge a determined Japanese naval assault.Force A consisted of the battleship Warspite, the aircraft carriers HMS Indomitable, and HMS Formidable, and three cruisers.

Finance is provided by PayPal Credit (a trading name of PayPal UK Ltd, Whittaker House, Whittaker Avenue, Richmond-Upon-Thames, Surrey, United Kingdom, TW9 1EH). The other reviews on this page seem to reflect that it is of interest to a number of knowledgable readers who highlight some of the books weaknesses, or take exception to some of the author's conclusion. As usual in this series, there are great period phots as well as the usual full color profiles in the center section of the book.At about 16:00 on 4 April, PBY Catalina flying boat (AJ155/QL-A) from the Royal Canadian Air Force's (RCAF) 413 Squadron flown by Squadron Leader Leonard Birchall spotted Nagumo's fleet 360 mi (310 nmi; 580 km) south-east of Ceylon [24] [25] on a course that would have entered Somerville's previous patrol area from the south. What I liked is that the author provides sufficient maps and charts in the proper place in the book so that we can follow both the Japanese and British movements. Until 1941, the main threat to British interests in the region was the presence of German commerce raiders ( auxiliary cruisers) and submarines.

Radar-based fighter direction would allow Force A to avoid surprise attack by neutralizing shadowing Japanese aircraft. Read more about the condition New: A new, unread, unused book in perfect condition with no missing or damaged pages. British pre-war naval planning for the Far East is part of the story, as is the disastrous loss of the battleship Prince of Wales and battlecruiser Repulse in 1941, but the body of the book focuses on the new fleet, commanded by Admiral Sir James Somerville, and its operations against the Japanese navy and aircraft as well as Japanese and German submarines.In the vast reaches of the Pacific- Britain's pre-war doctrinal mistake about both Battleships and aircraft were almost fatal- and resulted in the Imperial Fleet retiring before the Japanese Imperial Fleets. Their Carriers were small and carried too few aircraft to operate serious modern aerial strike forces. Somerville sailed on 30 March in expectation of an attack on 1 April, and deployed his fleet in a patrol area 100 miles (160 km) south of Ceylon. The Darkest Hour: Volume 1: The Japanese Naval Offensive in the Indian Ocean 1942 – The Opening Moves. Later in the war, once the fleet had been reinforced with an American aircraft carrier, it was strong enough to take more aggressive actions against the Japanese, and these are described in vivid detail.

The bold operation by two Japanese task forces (Kido Butai and Malay Force) in the Indian Ocean would only be possible with the fall of Singapore in February and the Dutch East Indies in early March 1942. The main base of the Eastern Fleet relocated to East Africa, and Ceylon was reinforced, but Somerville kept his fast carrier division, Force A, ". The author brings Eastern Fleet activities to the fore with good descriptions of its personalities, ships, and actions. Eastward, the deterioration was still more rapid as the Americans stepped with 700 league boots across the Pacific islands, marching on the Philippines. In June, the IJA developed a plan for a major offensive in the Indian Ocean, including an invasion of Ceylon.

The location and destruction of these German raiders consumed much British naval effort until the last raider – Michel – was sunk in October 1943.