Rising Sun, Falling Skies: The Disastrous Java Sea Campaign of WWII

   Jeffrey Cox has written a wonderful and well researched book on the subject of tenacity. The US, British, and Dutch forces held out against the massive Japanese onslaught in the East Indies, despite having no support and being caught off guard. Within minutes of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japan’s aircraft carrier planes were bombing Malaya, Singapore, Dutch East Indies, US controlled Philippines, and other targets in the Pacific and Indian oceans. The allied warships held out, but it’s clear from this book that it was all futile.

    I recently reviewed a book called The Battle of Peach Tree Creek, which covers the Confederates desperate (and typically fearless) attempt to defend Atlanta in the Civil War. I see many similarities between that battle and the Java Sea campaign. You had one side that was bigger than the other, and the defenders wouldn’t surrender without a fight, no matter how badly they were beaten. But the difference is that the USA allowed itself to be caught off guard. Intelligence should’ve honed in on the massive Japanese fleet heading their way, and the Philippines should’ve had much better air defenses. The British, despite their numerous overseas colonies, had no aircraft carriers, and neither did the Dutch navy. According to this book, their warships were badly designed.

    The facts are the facts, but Cox crafted this book based on everything that happened during the time, and the people behind the Java Sea campaign. He writes extensively on the admirals, the leaders on both sides, and the belligerents motivation for grabbing territory and having the colonies far from home.

    I wonder if the Java Sea campaign is an example of the hazards of colonialism. The Netherlands were a tiny nation, with a massive colony oceans away, and their navy was not capable of defending it. The British, with their vast colonies, had little air defense in Asia. Perhaps they were reluctant to build up their armies after WWI? The French hid behind the useless Maginot Line, so maybe Britain and the Netherlands were similarly inclined to avoid beefing up their navy and air power?