Quote:
Originally Posted by TorpX
I haven't read anything devoted to the battle, but I did read Capt. Hara's account of it in JAPANESE DESTROYER CAPTAIN. It seemed like a sickening, useless slaughter. So many allied ships lost, at negligable cost to the IJN. He compared the Java Sea battle to the Layte Gulf battle, with the positions of the USN and IJN reversed.
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What's amazing is all the meetings, plans to deal with the Jap invasion the preceding year and no real agreement. More interesting was defending Singapore, one Admiral thinking they could hold with all their big fortress guns facing the harbor, another warning the Japs would come through the jungles from behind. They thought that impossible, but the Japs cut through rather easily..
It is rather sad that it was known no real hope for the allied forces and they should've retreated. It's not like their action served any purpose at all, because no assets to deal with it. Still they fought and died bravely, knowing it was basically hopeless.
Touching story. To think what this man went through..