The Battle of the Java Sea

by F.C. van Oosten

The Battle of the Java Sea (The Sea Battles in Close-Up Series) by F. C. van Oosten. 1976 hardcover published by the Naval Institute Press, Annapolis. Illustrated with black-and-white photographs.

128 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1976

Reviews

[Capntom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short but authoritative history of a forlorn naval action that occurred early in World War II. In order to defend the "Malay Barrier"-what's Indonesia today-from Japanese invasion, the allies quickly threw together the American-British-Dutch-Australian ("ABDA") Command. The ABDA combined fleet included elderly cruisers and destroyers under the tactical command of Dutch Rear Admiral KW F M Doorman. It joined battle with a Japanese fleet of similar size but of modern ships that seriously outgunned the allied command. The Japanese also enjoyed complete mastery of the air above the fleets. They also had a new and previously unknown (or unappreciated) the Type 93 "Long Lance" torpedo with an operating range of 20 miles or more.

In a running battle from 27 February to 1 March, the allied fleet was destroyed piecemeal. More than 1000 men(including Admiral Doorman, who went down in his flagship De Ruyter) lost their lives. The Japanese invasion of Java was delayed less than 24 hours by this gallant but hopeless action.

The book, published by the Naval Institute Press in 1976, is a concise read that details the fleet actions. Other than observing the Japanese advantages during the battle, there is little in the way of analysis, or "lessons to be learned".

[Jack Hwang · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the result of a newer research. Contrast to the other publications about the battle, this author also used several of Japanese data to compare withe the Allied data. It shed a better light on this confused and blundered battle. Comparing it with the Japanese eyewitness' reports, it showed that in a battle, the side with fewer blunders would prevail. A captain of the Japanese destroyers' presented commented bitterly, "We have won a series of battles simply because the enemy outblundered us."