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

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Damage to British destroyers at this time included Kimberley which was crippled by Italian shore batteries. So too and even more was China, still fighting our common enemy, Japan, after five years and still almost with bare hands.

To sum up, an interesting read but with a few gaps and surprises that could have been explained a little more. For readers seeking some action the narrow escape of Somerville fleet from Nagumo's carrier force is narrated in superb detail; as are the later RN carrier raids on Sumatra and the Nicobars. Charles Stephenson’s authoritative study should appeal to readers who have a special interest in the war with Japan, in naval history more generally and Royal Navy in particular. This book fills a gap in the historical literature of what took place in the Indian Ocean during WWII.Providing a worthwhile narrative on a less well-known subject, this book serves as a reminder that, even during a global conflict, kinetic action remains only a part of what navies ask warships to do. The Eastern Fleet included, from time to time, as well as British warships, a number of warships from the British Dominions of Australia and New Zealand as well as other Allied nations, such as the French battleship Richelieu, other ships from the Free French Naval Forces, the Netherlands, and the United States. Although it was the largest fleet deployed by the Royal Navy prior to 1945 and played a vital part in the theater it was sent to protect, it has no place in the popular consciousness of the naval history of the Second World War. This is something in which many other books are lacking and these maps only increase the understanding of the situation as it unfolds. Russian valour and martial skill won that day, but Britain too, may take pride that her factories cast so many of the victors’ weapons and her faithful fleets carried them to Russia through the icy Arctic and the sweltering Persian Gulf.

Somerville's decision to refuel at Port T – rather than on Ceylon – on 2 April allowed the Eastern Fleet to avoid Nagumo a few days later, and likely saved the Eastern Fleet from destruction. 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. On 22 November 1944 the Eastern Fleet was split into the British Pacific Fleet, receiving the majority of the ships, and the remnant, which became known as the East Indies Fleet. However, the Japanese had no short-term plans to follow up on their success, and within the year operations in the Pacific made it impossible to do so.By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions. At 17:00 he received signals intelligence (SIGINT) from Colombo reporting the Japanese course at 14:00 as southwesterly at 24 knots. The Germans had converted merchant ships to act as commerce raiders and allocated supply ships to maintain them. Much the same could have been expected had Somerville still been on station when the Japanese arrived – as they did – from the southwest.