Imperial forces were now streaming unchecked into the Netherlands East Indies. American, British, Dutch, and Australian (ABDA) warships formed into a hastily assembled fleet only to be soundly defeated in three battles-Flores Sea (February 4), Badoeng Strait (February 19/20), and Java Sea (February 27).īy March, most of the Allied surface forces had been swept aside, American land forces were backed into a small corner in the Philippines, and Singapore, the large British base in Malaya, was under a Japanese flag. In February, the beleaguered Allies decided to combine naval forces in Southeastern Asia. The ships, unfortunately, were to fare no better in Dutch waters. With the loss of the main operating facility and the Philippine defenses crumbling in the face of a Japanese invasion, most of Hart’s surface units were able to escape south to the Netherlands East Indies. Much of America’s land-based airpower that was to support the naval units had also been wiped out. ![]() Japanese bombers demolished the Cavite Navy Yard near Manila just days after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. Hart’s Asiatic Fleet stood directly in the path of Japan’s southward expansion. Much smaller than the Pacific Fleet, and equipped with mostly outdated surface ships, the fleet was in no way capable of winning a serious confrontation with the Imperial Japanese Navy.īeing based in the Philippines, however, meant that Admiral Thomas C. ![]() The early months of 1942 were dark days for the United States Asiatic Fleet.
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