1940
MARCH 1940
Steps to War with
Japan - Japan established a Chinese
puppet-government in Nanking.
JUNE 1940
June/July - With
its possession of the Chinese ports, Japan wanted to
close the remaining entry points into China. Pressure was
put on France to stop the flow of supplies through
Indochina, and on Britain to do the same with the Burma
Road. Both complied, but Britain did so only until
October 1940, when the road was reopened.
SEPTEMBER 1940
Axis
Powers - Germany, Italy and Japan
signed the Tripartite Pact in Berlin on the 27th.
They agreed to jointly oppose any country joining the
Allies at war - by which they meant the United States.
Vichy France
finally agreed to the stationing of Japanese troops in
northern Indochina.
NOVEMBER 1940
Fleet Air Arm Attack on Taranto - On the 11th in the Mediterranean,
British carrier "Illustrious" launched a
Swordfish torpedo biplane attack on the main Italian
naval base. Of the six battleships present, the 20
aircraft hit "CONTE DI CAVOUR" and "CAIO DIULIO" with one torpedo each and the
brand new "LITTORIA" with three. All three sank at their moorings
and "Cavour" was never recommissioned, all for
the loss of just two Swordfish. The Japanese Navy studied the attack
carefully as Pearl Harbor learnt to its cost just a year
later.
1941
APRIL 1941
Five Year Neutrality Pact
between Japan and Russia benefited both powers. Russia
could free troops for Europe and Japan concentrate on her
expansion southwards.
JULY 1941
The demand
for bases in southern Indochina was now conceded by Vichy
France. Britain, Holland and the United States protested
and froze Japanese assets, but the troops went in. The
Dutch East lndies cancelled oil delivery arrangements and
the Americans shortly imposed their own oil embargo.
Japan had lost most of its sources of oil.
SEPTEMBER 1941
Japan and the
US continued to negotiate over their differences, but as
its oil stocks rapidly declined Japan accelerated
preparations for war.
OCTOBER 1941
War Minister
Gen Tojo became Japanese Prime Minister.
NOVEMBER 1941
3rd -
The recently completed British fleet carrier "Indomitable"
ran aground and was
damaged off Kingston, Jamaica. She was due to accompany
capital ships "Prince of Wales" and
"Repulse" to the Far East as a deterrent to
Japanese aggression. Her absence in December may have
proved fatal to the two big ships.
Final
Steps to War with Japan - As talks dragged on
and the United States demanded the departure of Japan
from China as well as French Indochina, the Pearl Harbor
Strike Force sailed into the North Pacific. Vice-Adm
Nagumo commanded the fleet carriers "Akagi",
"Hiryu", "Kaga", "Soryu",
"Shokaku" and "Zuikaku", plus two
battleships, cruisers and destroyers. Britain's limited
naval deterrent to Japanese expansion, capital ships
"Prince of Wales" and "Repulse" met
at Colombo, Ceylon on the 28th, en route to Singapore.
Without the fleet carrier "Indomitable" they
had no ship-borne aircraft support.
DECEMBER 1941
Starting
Conditions - Strategic and Naval Background
 Allied
Britain
and Dominions - Responsible for defending India,
Ceylon, Burma, Malaya, northern Borneo, Hong
Kong, Australia, New Zealand, the Papua New
Guinea/Bismarck Archipelago/Solomon Islands
chain, and numerous island groups throughout the
Indian Ocean and Central and South Pacific. Few
forces could be spared from existing war zones to
protect this vast spread of territory and its
supply routes. Britain's main base was at
Singapore with its two recently arrived big
ships. Three old cruisers and some destroyers
were in Malayan waters, and a few old destroyers
at Hong Kong. By now the surviving seven cruisers
and smaller ships of the Royal Australian and New
Zealand Navies were back in the region.
United
States -
Apart from the defence of its Western seaboard,
Panama Canal Zone, Alaska and the Aleutians,
Hawaiian Islands and various islands in the
Central Pacific, the US had responsibility for
the Philippines. In the event of attack, the
defenders were expected to hold out until
relieved by the US Pacific Fleet fighting its way
from the main base at Pearl Harbor, a distance of
4,500 miles. In the Philippines was the Asiatic
Fleet with three cruisers, 13 destroyers and 29
submarines. The Pacific Fleet itself consisted of
eight battleships, three fleet carriers, 21
cruisers, 67 destroyers and 27 submarines.
Dutch - Naval forces allocated
to the defence of the many islands of the Dutch
East lndies included three cruisers, seven
destroyers and fifteen submarines.
Japan
Already
established in Korea, Manchuria, northeast China,
its main ports and Hainan, Formosa, and the
Mariana, Caroline and Marshall Island groups,
Japan now had the whole of French Indochina.
Japan's main aim was still the conquest of China,
for which the oilfields of the Dutch East lndies
(DEI) were indispensable. Also important was the
closing of the Burma Road over which Allied
supplies continue to roll. Both moves meant war
with Britain and the US, and a vital part of the
Japanese strategy was the establishment of a huge
defence perimeter stretching from Burma right
around to the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. Only in
this way could it hope to hold off the United
States once its manpower and industrial resources
were mobilised.
Japan
went to war with both the strategic and military advantages:
Strategically -
Japan was well
placed to occupy the territory needed for the
defence perimeter:
|
In the West
- much
of China was occupied and the
Neutrality Pact with Russia, coupled with the German invasion meant Japan
had little to fear for
now from this direction. Hong
Kong could be taken easily from
adjacent occupied China.
|
JAPAN
|
To the East were
the
vast distances of the Pacific. By taking
the US islands of Guam and Wake, and some of the British
Gilbert Islands, the Japanese
mandated islands (Marshalls,
Caroline's, Marianas) were
further
protected. America was also kept at bay.
|
|
To the Southwest -
Thailand and Malaya
would soon
fall to the invading forces from Hainan and Indochina. Thereafter the
capture of Burma could proceed smoothly.
The Burma Road would be cut,
India
threatened, and that perimeter was
secured.
|
In the South -
lay the oilfields of the Dutch
East Indies and the protection offered
by the island chain of Sumatra, Java
and Bali through to Timor. The main island
of Java was the target of
two
massive pincer movements:
|
Southeast - landings in north New
Guinea,
the Bismarck Archipelago and northern Solomons
would protect
the Japanese Carolines. From there,
forces could strike Australia and its supply
routes.
|
| |
Westwards - From Indochina to
northern Borneo, and later
direct to Sumatra and
Java.
|
Eastwards - From bases in Formosa and the Carolines to the Philippines. From
there to southern Borneo, Celebes and
Moluccas, and on to Timor and Bali. Then to eastern Java.
|
|
|
|
Only when Japan sought to extend the southeast and
eastern perimeters - at Guadalcanal and Midway
Island respectively in mid-1942 did it suffer the
first defeats. America's growing power would then
make Allied victory inevitable.
Militarily -
Allied and Japanese naval forces were about
balanced in numbers:
|
Major
Warship types |
ROYAL NAVIES |
DUTCH NAVY |
US ASIATIC FLEET |
US PACIFIC FLEET |
ALLIED TOTALS |
JAPANESE NAVY |
| Battleships
|
2 |
- |
- |
8 |
10 |
10 |
| Carriers
|
- |
- |
- |
3 |
3 |
11 |
| Cruisers
|
10 |
3 |
3 |
21 |
37 |
40 |
| Destroyers
|
13 |
7 |
13 |
67 |
100
|
112
|
| Submarines
|
- |
15 |
29 |
27 |
71 |
63 |
|
TOTALS |
25
|
25
|
45
|
126
|
221 |
236 |
There the comparison ended .....
The Imperial
Japanese Navy had far more carriers, its
surface task forces were well trained, especially
in night-fighting, and they had no command or
language difficulties. They also introduced the
Allies to a secret and powerful weapon in the
24in Long lance torpedo. In contrast, the Allied ships were scattered and
had no central command. Their main bases at
Singapore and Pearl Harbor were 6,000 miles
apart, and most of the strength was concentrated
with the US Pacific Fleet. For its conquests, the Japanese Army fielded only slightly more troops,
but these were usually better trained, and also
experienced in amphibious operations. They had
air superiority both overall and locally. Only
the US Pacific Fleet posed an immediate danger to
Japanese plans. Hence the decision to attack it
in Pearl Harbor rather than wait for it to try to
fight through to the Philippines. The Japanese
chose the time and place of their landings, all
well escorted by cruiser and destroyer forces.
Air cover was maintained by land-based aircraft
or from carriers and seaplane carriers as
necessary, and battleships and cruisers provided
distant support. By this time the annihilation of
the Allied capital ships made their presence
unnecessary.
The
few Allied maritime sorties - some surface, but
mainly by aircraft and submarine - had few
successes against the invasion fleets. And in
return they suffered heavy losses. |
Declarations and Outbreak of War - Because of the International
Dateline, events that took place on the 7th in Hawaii as
far as Washington and London were concerned, were already
into the 8th in Hong Kong and Malaya. By the 8th: (1)
Japan had declared war on Britain and the US; (2)
Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa,
Holland, the United States and a number of Central
American and Caribbean states had declared against Japan;
(3) China declared war against the Axis powers.
Using the compass directions
outlining the Japanese strategy above , attacks
in December 1941 proceeded as follows:
West - Hong Kong -
The territory was invaded from mainland China on the 8th
December, and within five days the defenders had
withdrawn to Hong Kong Island. Fighting carried on until
Christmas Day when the British and Dominion troops
surrendered.
 South West - Thailand,
Malaya, Burma - Japanese forces landed on the Kra
Isthmus of Thailand and northeast Malaya on the 8th.
From there they drove down the west coast of Malaya
towards Singapore, outflanking the defences by land and
sea. Follow-up landings took place later in the month and
in January 1942. By the 13th December they had
crossed from Thailand into the southern tip of Burma, but
stayed there for the time being. 10th - Loss of
“Repulse” and “Prince of Wales”: the
Sinking of Force Z (map left) - By the 8th, the battlecruiser and
battleship had assembled at Singapore as Force Z under
the command of Adm Sir Tom Phillips. That evening they
sailed with four destroyers to attack the Japanese
landing on the northeast Malay coast. Fighter cover was
requested but not readily available. In the evening of
the 9th, Force Z was well up into the South China
Sea. Japanese aircraft were spotted and Adm Phillips
decided to return. Around midnight he received a false
report of landings at Kuantan, further down the Malay
Peninsular and set course for there. The ships had by now
been reported by a submarine, and a naval aircraft strike
force was despatched from Indochina. Attacks started
around 11.00 on the 10th December, and in less
than three hours “PRINCE OF WALES” and “REPULSE” had been hit by a number of
torpedoes and sent to the bottom.
Following the Pearl
Harbor attack, not one of the Allies' 10 battleships
in the Pacific area remained in service.
South - Northern Borneo
and Philippines Islands - The first landings in
northern Borneo took place in Sarawak and Brunei on the
16th December, and continued through until late January
1942. In the Philippines, the island of Luzon was the
main target. Between the 10th and 22nd, landings were
made in the north of the island, in the south, and at
Lingayen Gulf in the west. The Japanese forces made a
combined drive on the capital of Manila, which was
declared an open city. They entered on 2nd January 1942
by which time preparations were being made to attack Gen
MacArthur's US and Filipino troops now withdrawn into the
Bataan Peninsular just to the west of Manila. The
southern island of Mindanao was invaded on 20th December
1941.
East - Hawaiian
Islands, Guam, Wake Island and British Gilbert Islands
- On the morning of the 7th local time (shortly after the
Malay landings) the Japanese Strike Force aircraft hit
Pearl Harbor on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. In the Attack on Pearl
Harbor,
battleships “ARIZONA” and
“OKLAHOMA”
were total losses, three more sank but
were later re-commissioned, and the remaining three
damaged. Many were killed and a considerable number of
aircraft destroyed. Although the Pacific battlefleet
ceased to exist, the three priceless fleet carriers
“Enterprise”, “Lexington” and
“Saratoga” were fortunately absent and the
large oil stocks and important repair installations left
virtually untouched. By the 10th, Guam in the Mariana
Islands was captured and Makin and Tarawa in the British
Gilberts occupied. Tarawa was then abandoned until the
following September 1942. Wake Island was attacked on the
11th December, but the Japanese were driven off with the
loss of two destroyers by the US Marine defenders. A
later attempt on the 23rd succeeded.
Monthly Loss Summary
Indian
Ocean - 5 merchant ships of 800 tons
Pacific Ocean - 241 merchant ships of 432,000 tons
1942
JANUARY 1942
Allied Command -
Early in the month, British Gen Wavell was appointed to
command ABDA (American, British, Dutch, Australian)
forces responsible for holding Malaya and the Dutch East
Indies.
West - Malaya and Burma
- In their drive on Singapore, the Japanese captured
Kuala Lumpur on the 11th. To the north they crossed into
southern Burma from the Kra Isthmus on the 15th, and on
the 20th started the invasion of Burma from central
Thailand. Thailand shortly declared war on Britain and
the United States. On the last day of January, the
retreating British, Australian and Indian troops withdrew
into Singapore Island, after being driven down the length
of the Malay Peninsula. By then carrier
"Indomitable" had flown off 48 Hurricanes for
Singapore via Java.
South - Philippines and
Dutch East lndies - As the US and Filipinos were
slowly pushed into Bataan, the Japanese began the
invasion of the Dutch East lndies from southern
Philippines. First landings took place on the 11th at
Tarakan in Borneo and in the Celebes. More followed later
in the month, but which time they had reached the
Moluccas in the drive south towards Java. 17th -
Japanese submarine "I-60" tried to pass through the Sunda Strait for
the Indian Ocean. She was located and sunk by destroyer
"Jupiter" escorting a convoy to Singapore. 20th
- Submarine "I-124" minelaying off Darwin, northern Australia,
was sunk by Australian minesweepers
"Deloraine", "Katoomba",
"Lithgow" and US destroyer "Edsall".
Southeast - Bismark
Archipelago - The first Japanese move towards the
southeast took place on the 23rd with landings at
Kavieng, New Ireland and Rabaul, New Britain. Rabaul
became the major Japanese base in the South West Pacific
and helped dictate the whole strategy of Allied moves in
the next two years.
Monthly Loss Summary
Indian
Ocean - 13 merchant ships of 46,000 tons
Pacific Ocean - 30 merchant ships of 71,000 tons
FEBRUARY 1942
West - Malaya,
Singapore and Burma - On the 8th, Japanese forces
started crossing over to Singapore Island. Heavy fighting
took place, but by the 15th Singapore surrendered and
over 80,000 mainly Australian, British and Indian troops
were doomed to captivity. Many did not survive as POW's.
The Allies had lost the key to South East Asia and the
South West Pacific. In Burma the Japanese pushed on
towards Rangoon.
South - Dutch East
lndies - The two-pronged advance on Java continued
with airborne landings on Palembang in southern Sumatra
on the 14th, followed up by landings from the sea one day
later by forces carried from Indochina. A few days later
the islands of Bali and Timor were invaded from the
Celebes and Moluccas respectively. The scene was set for
the conquest of Java.
27th February-1st March - Battles of the
Java Sea - ABDA's
main naval force was commanded by the Dutch Adm Doorman
and consisted of a mixed squadron of cruisers and
destroyers for the defence of Java: heavy cruisers
"Exeter" and the US "Houston", light
cruisers "Perth" (Australian), "De
Ruyter" and Java" (both Dutch), destroyers
"Electra", "Encounter",
"Jupiter", plus two Dutch and four American.
They put to sea on the 26th on the news that
invasion convoys were approaching. Failing to find them
they headed back to Surabaya the next day, but before
getting in, more reports arrived and the Allied force
went out again towards a position to the northwest. The
main battle started on the 27th at around 16.00
against the two heavy, two light cruisers and 14
destroyers covering the Japanese transports. Both Allied
heavies opened fire at long range, but "Exeter" was soon hit and her speed reduced. In
the resulting confusion one of the Dutch destroyers was
torpedoed and sunk. As "Exeter" returned to
Surabaya with the second Dutch destroyer, the Royal Navy
destroyers went in to attack and
"ELECTRA" was sunk
by gunfire. Adm Doorman headed back south towards the
Java coast and sent off the US destroyers to refuel. He
then turned to the north with his remaining four cruisers
and two British destroyers. By now it was late evening
and
"JUPITER" was lost
probably on a Dutch mine. "Encounter" picked up
survivors from the first Dutch destroyer and shortly
followed the Americans to Surabaya. The four cruisers,
now without any destroyers, were in action sometime
before midnight and both "DE RUYTER" and "JAVA" were blasted apart by the big Japanese
torpedoes. "Perth" and "Houston" made
for Batavia, further west along the north coast of Java.
The next evening, on the 28th, "Perth"
and "Houston" left Batavia and sailed west for
the Sunda Strait to break through to the Indian Ocean.
From Surabaya three of the US destroyers went east and
eventually reached safety through the shallow Bali
Strait. "Exeter's" draught was too great for
this route and the damaged cruiser had to make for the
Sunda Strait accompanied by destroyer
"Encounter" and US destroyer "Pope. "
28th/1st March - BattIe of the Sunda
Strait - Late that
evening "PERTH" and "HOUSTON" ran into the Japanese invasion fleet in the
Strait and attacked the transports. They were soon
overwhelmed by the gunfire and torpedoes of the covering
cruisers and destroyers and sank in the opening minutes
of the 1st March. A Dutch destroyer following astern
suffered the same fate.
Later on the morning of
the 1st March, "EXETER", "ENCOUNTER" and "POPE" fought a lengthy action with a
cruiser force to the northwest of Surabaya before they
too succumbed. Of the entire Allied force in the Java
Sea, only three old US destroyers managed to get away.
Australia -
Aircraft from four of the Pearl Harbor Strike carriers
raided Darwin, Northern Territories on the 19th. One
American destroyer and a number of valuable transports
were lost.
Monthly Loss Summary
Indian
Ocean - 18 merchant ships of 38,000 tons
Pacific Ocean - 54 merchant ships of 181,000 tons
MARCH 1942
West - Burma -
Rangoon, the entry port for the Burma Road, fell on the
8th. Towards the end of the month the Andaman Island
group in the Indian Ocean flanking the south of Burma was
occupied.
South - Philippines and
Dutch East lndies - As the US and Filipinos struggled
to hold on to Bataan, Gen MacArthur was ordered to leave
for Australia. There he assumed the post of Supreme
Commander, South West Pacific. US Adm Nimitz was to
command the rest of the Pacific. The Java landings went
ahead on the 1st and Batavia, the capital of all the DEI,
fell. The Allied surrender was agreed on the 9th. On the
12th, northern Sumatra was occupied and the rest of March
was spent consolidating the Japanese hold throughout the
many islands. Japan's southern perimeter had been secured
in less than four months. Strong Japanese naval forces
patrolled the Indian Ocean south of Java to stop the
escape of Allied shipping.
South East - Bismarck
Archipelago, New Guinea, British Solomons Islands -
The Bismarck Sea was secured with two series of landings.
To the north the Japanese took Manus and other parts of
the Admiralty Islands. In northern New Guinea, they
landed in the Huon Peninsula at Lae, Salamaua and
Finschhafen. When they occupied the northern island of
Bougainville, the scene was set for the fierce Solomons
Islands battles to come.
Monthly Loss Summary
Indian
Ocean - 65 merchant ships of 68,000 tons
Pacific Ocean - 98 merchant ships of 184,000 tons
APRIL 1942
5th-9th - Japanese Carrier Attacks on
Ceylon - A new
British Eastern Fleet had been assembled under the
command of Adm Sir James Somerville, recently of Force H.
The variety of ships were split into two groups. A fast
group included battleship "Warspite", carriers
"Indomitable" and "Formidable", heavy
cruisers "Cornwall" and
"Dorsetshire", two light cruisers plus
destroyers. In the slower group were four 'R' class
battleships, old carrier "Hermes" and some
cruisers and destroyers. Two Australian destroyers
accompanied each group. As the Ceylon bases of Colombo
and Trincomalee were poorly defended and too far forward,
Adm Somerville was operating out of the secret base of
Addu Atoll in the Maldive Islands SW of Ceylon. Early in
April, two Japanese forces headed into the Indian Ocean.
One under Adm Ozawa with carrier "Ryujo" and
six cruisers mades for the Bay of Bengal and east coast
of India. In a matter of days 23 ships of 112,000 tons
were sunk. Japanese submarines sank a further five off
the Indian west coast. Bad as this threat was, the real
one came from the carrier strike force of Adm Nagumo with
five Pearl Harbor carriers - "Akagi",
"Hiryu", "Soryu", "Shokaku"
and "Zuikaku" - plus four battleships and three
cruisers.
The Japanese fleet was
first sighted on the 4th south of Ceylon, and
shipping cleared from the ports. In the morning of the 5th
a heavy raid on Colombo sank destroyer
"TENEDOS"
and armed merchant cruiser "HECTOR". Heavy cruisers "CORNWALL"
and "DORSETSHIRE" were to the southwest,
sailing from Colombo to rejoin the Royal Navy's fast
group. Found at noon they soon went to the bottom under a
series of aircraft attacks. But Adm Nagumo had not yet
finished. As Adm Somerville's two groups searched for the
Japanese from a position between Addu Atoll and Ceylon,
they circled round to the east. From there, on the 9th,
Japanese aircraft found the shipping cleared from
Trincomalee and back on its way in. Carrier "HERMES", Australian destroyer "VAMPIRE"
and corvette "HOLLYHOCK"
were amongst those that soon went down.
The Japanese ships left the Indian Ocean, never to return
again in force. Not knowing this, the surviving ships of
the Royal Navy withdrew - the slow group to Kilindini in
East Africa and the other to the Bombay area.
Philippines -
Conclusion - Japanese units made their final push on
Bataan and on the 9th, the Americans and Filipinos
surrendered. The island fortress of Corregidor held out
until the 6th May. Some resistance continued on other
Philippines islands. The infamous "Bataan
March" of American and Filipino POW's followed.
The
Doolittle Raid - American
B-25 bombers under the command of Col Doolittle took off
from US carrier "Hornet" for the first ever
raid on Japan on the 18th. damaged was slight, but the
strategic implications were to prove fatal to the
Japanese.
Monthly Loss Summary
Indian
Ocean - 31 merchant ships of 154,000 tons
Pacific Ocean - 7 merchant ships of 14,000 tons
Strategic
and Maritime Situation - Indian and Pacific
Oceans
To the west
and south the Japanese had secured their
perimeter to plan. They would also do so in the southwest
as the British, together with the Chinese were
steadily driven out of Burma. The debate was now
whether or not to push out to the southeast
towards Australia and New Zealand, and eastwards
to the United States. Japanese gains had been at
little cost, not least on the naval side as can
be seen from the losses up to end of April from
all causes:
|
Major Warships |
British |
Australian |
Dutch |
US |
ALLIED |
JAPANESE |
| Battleships
|
2 |
- |
- |
2 + 6* |
4
|
-
|
| Carriers
|
1 |
- |
- |
- |
1
|
- |
| Cruisers
|
3 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
7
|
-
|
| Destroyers
|
7 |
1 |
7 |
5 |
20
|
5
|
| Submarines
|
- |
- |
8 |
4 |
12
|
7
|
|
Totals |
13 |
2 |
17 |
12 |
44 |
12 |
* 6
battleships sunk at their moorings or
damaged.
Now it was the
Allies' turn to establish a defence perimeter
running from the Hawaiian Islands around to
Australia and New Zealand. With most of the ANZAC
forces in North Africa, it was left to the
Americans to garrison many of the islands needed
to protect the supply routes from the US to the
two Dominions. By now they were occupying the
Line Islands south of Hawaii as well as Samoa,
Tonga, New Hebrides and New Caledonia. The
Australians were reinforcing Port Moresby in
Papua New Guinea and New Zealanders landing in
Fiji. The "Doolittle Raid" made a
decisive impact on Japanese strategy. The Allies
had to be kept away from the homeland. Japanese
conquests would be extended both to the southeast
and east. Landings would be made at Port Moresby
to bring Australia within bomber range, the
southern Solomons and beyond would be taken to
cut US-Australia supply lines, and Midway Island
and the Aleutians occupied to isolate Pearl
Harbor. Each of these three moves led to three
famous battles - (1) Coral Sea, (2)
Guadalcanal, and (3) Midway, each one a step-too-far. Thereafter the Japanese
would be on the defensive.
|
MAY 1942
8th -
Landings at Diego Saurez, Madagascar - Concerned about the Japanese
carrier sorties into the Indian Ocean and the
vulnerability of the Cape of Good Hope/Middle East convoy
routes, Britain decided to take Diego Saurez at the north
end of Vichy French Madagascar. Under the command of
Rear-Adm E. N. Syfret (recently appointed to Force H), a
large force of ships including battleship
"Ramillies" and carriers
"Indomitable" and "Illustrious"
assembled at Durban, South Africa towards the end of
April. The assault took place on 5th May in Courrier Bay
to the west of Diego Saurez. By the 7th the fighting was
over and the important anchorage was in British hands. On
the night of the 30th, Japanese submarines
"I-16" and "I-20" launched midget
submarines for attacks on Diego Saurez. "Ramillies" was
torpedoed and badly
damaged and a tanker sunk. By September the complete
occupation of Madagascar became necessary.
Burma - On 29th
April, Lashio was captured and the Burma Road cut in the
north. Supplies for China now had to be flown over high
mountains known as the 'Hump' for nearly three years
until a new road was finally completed in early 1945.
Mandalay fell on the 1st and by mid-month the retreating
British Army was crossing the border into India. Chinese
forces were also back in China as well as India. With
the conquest of Burma, Japan's western defence line was
in place.
Papua New Guinea and
British Solomon Islands - Sailing from Rabaul, a
Japanese invasion force headed for Port Moresby, Papua
New Guinea covered by light carrier "Shoho" and
cruisers. Distant cover was given by a carrier strike
force of two fleet carriers. From the Coral Sea, aircraft
of US carriers "Lexington" and
"Yorktown" searched for them. First success in
the Battle
of the Coral Sea (step-too-far 1) went to the Americans on the 7th when
their planes sank "SHOHO" off the eastern tip of New Guinea. Next
day, on the 8th, more aircraft strikes put fleet carrier "Shokaku" out of action on one side and sank
"LEXINGTON" and damaged "Yorktown" on the other. A draw in naval
terms, the battle was a strategic defeat for the Japanese
as the invasion ships turned back, leaving Port Moresby,
so close to the north tip of Australia, safe for now.
Throughout the battle, neither side's ships sighted each
other - the first time in naval history a major action
had taken place in this way. Before the battle started,
the Japanese took the opportunity to occupy a small
island called Tulagi in the southern Solomons, close to
the larger unknown island of Guadalcanal.
Monthly Loss Summary
Indian
Ocean - 4 merchant ships of 22,000 tons
Pacific Ocean - 5 merchant ships of 17,000 tons
JUNE 1942
Midway and the
Aleutians - Adm Yamamoto, with over 130 ships in a
number of separate groups, set out to seize Midway
island, occupy the western Aleutians, attack the eastern
end, and draw out the Pacific Fleet for destruction. At
the heart of the armada was the First Carrier Fleet (Adm
Nagumo) with four of the Pearl Harbor attack carriers.
The Americans had far fewer ships, but these included
carriers "Enterprise", "Hornet" and
"Yorktown" barely repaired after the Battle of
the Coral Sea. Battle of Midway (step-too-far
2) - On the 3rd, Dutch Harbor, close to Alaska,
was attacked from two light carriers. But the main battle
was far to the south off Midway between the carrier
aircraft of both sides. On the 4th/5th in the close run
battle, all four Japanese carriers - "AKAGI", "HIRYU", "KAGA" and "SORYU" went down. "YORKTOWN" was badly damaged and finished off by a
Japanese submarine on the 7th. The Japanese forces
retreated, Midway was spared, and the Allies had their
first major strategic victory of World War 2. However,
the Japanese Navy remained strong, with more carriers in
the Pacific than the Americans. The occupation at this
time of Attu and Kiska in the Aleutians was of little consequence.
Monthly Loss Summary
Indian
Ocean - 18 merchant ships of 90,000 tons
Pacific Ocean - 6 merchant ships of 31,000 tons
JULY 1942
Papua, New Guinea -
After failing to take Port Moresby by sea at the time of
the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Japanese planned to land
on the north coast at Buna and Gona and advance overland
by way of the Kokoda Trail. They landed on the 21st and
moved south, just as the Australians were preparing to
defend Kokoda itself and push north on Buna. The Japanese
captured Kokoda on the 29th, and throughout August slowly
pushed the Australians back south towards Port Moresby.
Monthly Loss Summary
Indian
Ocean - 9 merchant ships of 47,000 tons
Pacific Ocean - 6 merchant ships of 32,000 tons
AUGUST 1942
Guadalcanal
(step-too-far 3), British Solomon Islands - The
Japanese were now extending their hold in the southern
Solomons and building an airfield on the island of
Guadalcanal. From there they could move against the New
Hebrides, New Caledonia and other islands along the
supply routes to Australia and New Zealand. After the
Japanese presence was discovered, the US 1st Marine
Division landed on the 7th, soon capturing the airstrip
which was renamed Henderson Field. Close cover was
provided by a force of American and Australian cruisers. 9th - Battle of
Savo Island - In
the early hours of the 9th a Japanese force of seven
cruisers and a destroyer headed for Savo Island to the
north of Guadalcanal to get at the US transports. Instead
they stumbled on five patrolling cruisers. Taken
completely by surprise, heavy cruisers "CANBERRA" and the American
"ASTORIA", "QUINCY" and
"VINCENNES" were hit by a torrent of gunfire and torpedoes
and sank in an area soon known as lronbottom Sound. The
fifth cruiser "Chicago" escaped and Australian
cruisers "Australia" and "Hobart"
were close by but took no part in the action. The
transports were untouched. From now on, as both American
and Japanese forces tried to bring in supplies and
reinforcements, numerous naval battles were fought in and
around the southern Solomons. Battle of the
Eastern Solomons -
On the 24th, Japanese and American carrier groups
covering supply operations to Guadalcanal were in action
to the east of the Solomons island chain. Japanese light
carrier on "RYUJO" was sunk and the American "Enterprise" damaged. From now on the Japanese
relied increasingly on 'Tokyo Express' destroyers to
bring in supplies by night down 'The Slot' - the waters
between the islands of the Solomons.
Papua, New Guinea -
In their move on Port Moresby, Japanese troops
landed at Milne Bay at the extreme southeast tip of Papua
on the 25th. The
mainly Australian resistance was strong and by the 30th,
the invaders were starting to evacuate. By early
September they had gone - the first major setback
Japanese forces had experienced on land.
Monthly Loss Summary
Indian
Ocean - 1 merchant ship of 5,000 tons
Pacific Ocean - 3 merchant ships of 1,500 tons
SEPTEMBER 1942
Papua, New Guinea -
In
mid-month the Japanese reached their furthest point down
the Kokoda Trail, within 30 miles of Port Moresby. Australian troops now went over to
the attack and slowly drove north towards Kokoda.
Guadalcanal, British
Solomon Islands - As the two sides struggled to build
up their forces, more fighting took place for possession
of Henderson Field. US carrier "WASP" was torpedoed by submarine
"I-19" on the 15th, yet another casualty of the
attempts to reinforce the island. Only carrier
"Hornet" remained operational in the South
Pacific, but she was joined by the repaired
"Enterprise" in October.
British Gilbert Islands
- After a brief stay in December 1941, Japanese forces
reoccupied and started fortifying the atoll of Tarawa.
This was as far as they get
......
For the complete period 1941 to 1945, see Indian Ocean/SE
Asia Campaigns and Pacific Ocean Campaigns
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