Recommended Reading Please!

[Bill Durrant]

Can all you clever people out there recommend some general and specific reading, and internet resources on the following please:

British Fleet in the Indian Ocean January - June 1942

Many thanks in advance [&o]

[Punzer]

Wow. It looks like you've stumped the forum. 63 hits. No advice. I wish I could help, but I'm new to WWII in the Pacific. I'm devouring Eagle Against the Sun by Ron Spector and Crisis in the Pacific by Gerald Astor, but niether book is good for you. Good Luck and Happy Hunting! [:)]

[Hipper]

bill there is not much on the RN in the indian ocean in this period

the best option is to get some histories of the individual ships involved, the official histories deal with the indian ocean raid and madagascar but not much

there is some company that is reprinting the naval staff histories but they have not got to the indian ocean yet and those books are quite expensive £60

have a look on amazon

your best bet is to haunt second hand bookshops looking for Somervilles biography or some individual ship histories

Cheers

[Milman]

There is one chapter about that period in Churchill's memoars . But you probably look for something more detailed .

[Dili]

http://www.naval-history.net/index.htm
 
This place probably have the answer, if not you can still mail the author.

[hvymtl13]

I've placed a couple of interesting Internet links here for you. The second is an E-book with more depth to the Stratgey I believe. The first is a site listing Operations along with thier losses and thier oppoents losses in a timeline. the listing has links within the timeline as you will see that offer a bit more in depth information on the ships themselves and some of the operations. I hope this is similar to what you are looking for. I find the site very informative but you have to fill in the blanks so to speak on what the priorities were for the Navy at thet time.
http://www.naval-history.net/WW2RN27-BritishShipsDestroyers.htm#than Timeline listing

http://www.naval-history.net/EBook02-00WW2RNIndex.htm The E-book available for download

Edit*
I just noticed it is the same site dili placed. I had it bookmarked under the Royal Navy but the site has info on Many ships and strategies of other Navies as well. Good site Dili.

[Nikademus]

Several sources come to mind that might help you;

1) Bloody Shambles Vol II (Christopher Shores)

Gives a very detailed account of Nagumo's operations in the Indian ocean and the British countermovements.

2) Bloody Shambles Vol III (Shores)

Gives a good overview of British movements and dispositions. Gives full coverage of their later carrier ops though thats mostly post 42.

3) Dust Clouds in the Middle East (Shores)

Contains a full chapter on the Madagascar operation of 42.

4) The Pacific War (John Caputo)

Good generalized coverage of British operations in the IO and CBI theater.

[Feinder]

I have "Forgotten Fleet", it's very good (and quite readable for a reference book).  But basically the RN didn't do much at all in the Pacific between April 42 (after the IO raid by KB) up until end 1944.
 
The Brits kept waffeling back and forth about a sea invasion of Rangoon during 1943, but they rightfully guessed that the risk from LBA in Burma would significantly threaten the fleet.  The Brits did loan HMS Victorious to the USN back in 11-42(?), she was reflagged as USS Robin.
 
During 43/44, the Brits put liasons aboard several of the uSN CVs, and were able to obvserve the USN growing pains of large fleet operations. 
 
In 1944, there was pressure on the Brits to "liberate the Ozzies" from the Americans.  The German and Italian fleets has been neutralized, so their was a bit of politics about sending the a fleet to the Pacific.  Churchill wanted to invade Rangoon.  The Americans considered that a likely bid a re-establishing colonies, and didn't think there was much utility in attacking someplace that far from Japan (when the Americans were already driving in CentPac, Burma was out of the way).  Basically, the Americans were of the mindset of, "Well, as long as the BPF doesn't get in the way, let 'em come."  The Admiraty -did- want to get involved, not concerned with the politics or Rangoon, but simply because they did consider the was with Japan their war as much as the Americans, and in 1944 finally ready to throw something into the ring that wouldn't just be a side-show.  There -was- a lot of back-n-forth about the "side show".  Britian didn't want to just send a fleet around the world to do secondary tasks with no real value, they wanted to be able to contribute (and I'm sure a strong showing at India was a consideration -India was fracturing quickly).  After considerable back-n-forth, the BPF came under command of Nimitz (they did NOT want to be under Mac, and get stuck doing clean up in Dutch New Guinea).
 
BPF's first forray was to bomb Palembang (fall of 44 I think).  It was counted succesful, but it was certainly a "learning experience" - high operational lossees, poor air-sea-rescue coordination, abyissmal flight and radio discipline (which lead their strike bombers getting jumped on 2(!) occasions while their escorts went off chasing CAP over an airfield (not even over the refineries).
 
From Pal, they sailed to Oz, and then north Ulithi, where they joined in the invasion/suppression of Okinawa.  They put the lessons of Pal to good use, and were the northern group assigned to keep the staging the AFs suppressed so Japan could not stage into Okinawa.  This made them prime targets for Kamis, and in the space of about 3 weeks, their CVs took about 6 hits.  However the the USN liason offer remarked to Adm Vian after Formidble was hit for the 2nd time in the week (regarding armored flight decks)...  "Geez, one of ours get hit, and she goes back to Pearl for 6 months.  One of yours gets hit, and you just call out the sweepers).  A bit of (near) truth to that.  The "usual" from a Kami, while destroying planes topside, would put about about 18" dent in the deck, and beyond that, it was hose it down, push everything over the side, and dump in some quick-drying cement.  Flight deck ops resumed usually resumed in under an hour.  (and thats as far as I've gotten).
 
But the short anser is, the Brits didn't do much, esp in IO/SRA between 42 until end of 44.
 
"Forgotten Fleet" is very good (and a bit more readble than Bloody Shambles series, I'm still slogging thru the 2nd one, just a bit dry).  But Forgotten Fleet just includes a summary of post PoW/Repulse and IO Raid, and picks up with prep on the Palembang raids.
 
-F-

[Mark VII]

haven't been on the forum for a while....

***The Forgotten Air Force by Air Commodore Henry Probert released by Brassey's(London/Washington). The Royal Air Force in the war against Japan 1941-1945. Has some good order of battle tables appendix's.


***Operation Pacific by Edwyn Gray, Naval Institute Press. RN role in the war.


***Grave of a Dozen Schemes by H.P. Willmott, Naval Institute Press. British naval planning 1943-1945. The RN had plans but never the shipping.


***Battleship by Martin Middlebrook and Patrick Mahoney,Scribners. About POW and Repulse.

Grave and Forgotten are very interesting books.....terry

[Knavey]

ORIGINAL: Feinder

I have "Forgotten Fleet", it's very good (and quite readable for a reference book). -F-

And WHO got you that book! [:D]

[Bill Durrant]

Thanks guys. My Naval History Professor "convinced" me to do my dissertation on this subject. In due course I'll put my bibliography on the forum.

[Feinder]

"dissertation" - You're getting a doctorate in History?  Sweet.  You plan on going the acedemic (professor) route, or some other line of work (civics?).
 
-F-

[Feinder]

Oh, and "forgotten..." seems to be a theme here, but there's also a book, "Forgotten Armies : the fall of British Asia 1941 - 1945". It's more about the politcs than anything else (but there is plenty on the land/air and to minor degree naval campaigns), but if you're doing a disseration, you'll probably want to include it in your reading. Frnakly, I found it rather dry, but I rdid learn alot from it.

-F-

And yes Knavey, -you- gave me Forgotten Fleet, and Forgotten Armies. While you're at it, why don't you get that Forgotten Air Force for me, that out to cover it. And who is your favorite brother that got -you- the complete Bloody Shambles series?

[Nikademus]

its extremely dry but worth a read though it mainly concentrates as mentioned on the political climates of the former UK colonies as well as the various resistance movements on both sides of the fence after the Japanese occupation took place.

[Howard Mitchell]

'War with Japan' volume II, by the British MoD Naval Historical Branch, ISBN 0-11-772818-7, covers the first six months of the Pacific war with a natural concentration on the Royal Navy. I think it's long out of print though.
 
Roskill's 'War at Sea 1939-1945' volume II, ISBN 1843428040, has 30-odd pages on the period you are after; volume I, ISBN 1843428032, has a few on the very end of 1941. These books are part of the British Official History of the Second World War and is still in print.
 
'Engage the Enemy More Closely' by Correlli Barnett, ISBN 0-340-33901-2, has a chapter on PoW and Repulse and a few pages on subsequent operations.
 
'Carrier Observer' by Gordon Wallace, ISBN 1-85310-307-1, is a personal account of the war as seen by a FAA observer. He served on Formidable in the Pacific in early 1942 as well as bizarrely flying Bisleys (Blenheim Mk Vs) when detached to 18 squadron RAF in North Africa.

[Knavey]

ORIGINAL: Feinder
And yes Knavey, -you- gave me Forgotten Fleet, and Forgotten Armies. While you're at it, why don't you get that Forgotten Air Force for me, that out to cover it. And who is your favorite brother that got -you- the complete Bloody Shambles series?

Didn't Joy give me one of the Shambles series? You got me 2/3 of the way there, and she finished it up. I am done with the 3rd book if you want me to drop it off when we come over tomorrow.

Just started a "dry" book on the Battle of Leyte. I can tell this one is going to take some work to get through.

[ctangus]

ORIGINAL: Knavey
Just started a "dry" book on the Battle of Leyte. I can tell this one is going to take some work to get through.

Let me guess - Willmott's latest?

[WingedIncubus]

EDITED: Non sequitur.

[Bill Durrant]

I came to study later in life. I did my BA in History part time and graduated in 2004. I'm now half way through an MA in War Studies at Kings College, London. I finish with my dissertation next August. My course this year is entitled 'Navies and Seapower' run by Professor Andrew Lambert who holds, I think, the only Naval History Chair in the UK.

In about 4 years time my pension kicks in and with that I'd love to do some sort of Military History lecturing whilst completing a thesis - unlikely, but everybody's got to have a dream.

BTW - apparently the best point to start at on this subject is: The Somerville papers: selections from the private and official correspondence of Admiral of the Fleet Sir James Somerville - handily located in the Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, which is owned by Kings College, London [:)]

ORIGINAL: Feinder

"dissertation" - You're getting a doctorate in History?  Sweet.  You plan on going the acedemic (professor) route, or some other line of work (civics?).

-F-