Invasion Fleet Challenged (Jan. 1992)

This article is about the Battle of the Java Sea.

On February 26, 1942, a Japanese invasion fleet was headed for the Dutch East Indies, aiming for the port city of Surabaya on Java. It was sort of a motley invasion fleet with lots of merchant ships carrying the troops.

As with all articles of this type, there are numerous details about the actual battle.

Yamamato had redeployed some forces, and this left the Java invasion fleet without adequate air cover. The two fleets engaged each other and many mistakes were made on both sides. There were also examples of the launching of forty plus torpedoes all at one time, all of which missed, on the Japanese side, and the launching of numerous torpedoes on the part of the American side, all of which missed.

Ultimately, the Japanese strength was too much and the Allied fleet was defeated. The article points out that the Japanese commander, Admiral Takagi, was not rewarded but was actually chastised basically for taking too long to win the battle and for wasting ammunition and fuel.

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