Tsunami in the Java Sea

di Michal A. Piegzik (Autore)

Naval Institute Press, 2027

Japan’s stunning conquest of the Dutch East Indies secured the oil that fueled its Pacific empire and crushed Allied hopes of stopping its advance. Drawing on Japanese and Dutch sources, Tsunami in the Java Sea delivers a gripping account of the audacious campaign that culminated in the decisive Battle of the Java Sea. In December 1941 Japan unleashed a campaign of stunning reach and coordination: the seizure of the Dutch East Indies. Rich in oil, rubber, and other vital resources, the sprawling archipelago lay at the heart of Japan’s plans for a self-sufficient empire, but Pearl Harbor was only one part of a far larger grand strategy. Faced with mounting economic pressure and the Allied embargo of summer 1941, Japan sought to secure the natural resources of Southeast Asia before its war machine ground to a halt. At the center of that strategy stood the Dutch East Indies—the crown jewel of the region and the key to Japan’s quest for oil self-reliance. In Tsunami in the Java Sea, author Michal A. Piegzik presents the first comprehensive account of the Dutch East Indies campaign built extensively on both Japanese and Dutch archival sources. Drawing from years of research in archives across Europe and Asia, he reconstructs the political decisions, operational planning, and fierce fighting that determined the fate of one of the world’s most valuable colonial possessions. To seize the Dutch oil empire, Japan had to do far more than defeat an outnumbered enemy. Japanese commanders faced the immense challenge of conquering the vast territory of modern-day Indonesia before Allied forces could organize an effective defense—or destroy the very oil fields Tokyo sought to capture intact. The result was a remarkable series of naval, air, and amphibious operations stretching from Borneo and Celebes to Sumatra, Bali, Timor, and Java itself.

• Autore: Michal A. Piegzik
• Anno edizione: 2027
• Editore: Naval Institute Press
• Lingua: Inglese
• Compatibilità: Tutti i dispositivi (eccetto Kindle)
• Layout: Other
• EAN: 9798892410410