The first history of how the aircraft of the British Pacific Fleet shattered Japanese oilfields in Sumatra, starving Japan of oil and proving how Anglo-American navies could fight together. With the war in Europe in its final stages, by 1944 the Royal Navy was able to put together a major force to join the campaign against Japan. The British Pacific Fleet was arguably the most powerful fleet the Royal Navy has ever sent into action. In this book, renowned naval historian Angus Konstam explores how the first target of British naval power in the Pacific would be the strategically vital oil fields in Japanese-occupied Sumatra, part of the Dutch East Indies. Between April 1944 and January 1945, the task force struck oil fields and production centres, Japanese airfields, naval facilities and troop concentrations. Initially working alongside US Navy carriers, and learning their ruthlessly effective fast carrier doctrine, the British would end the Sumatra campaign with a powerful fleet of ten carriers of their own. Packed with dramatic artwork, maps, 3D diagrams and archive photos, this is the first history of the Sumatra raids, a prime example of how naval air power could achieve key strategic ends. They also proved that the Allied navies could fight successfully alongside one another - paving the way for the BPF's participation in the capture of Okinawa.

This pioneering volume traces the history of the region which became Indonesia, from early times to the present day, in over three hundred specially drawn full-colour maps with detailed accompanying text. In doing so, the Atlas brings fresh life to the fascinating and tangled history of this immense archipelago. Beginning with the geographical and ecological forces which have shaped the physical form of the archipelago, the Historical Atlas of Indonesia goes on to chart early human migration and the changing distribution of ethnic groups. It traces the kaleidoscopic pattern of states in early Indonesia and their gradual incorporation into the Netherlands Indies and eventually into the Republic of Indonesia.

During the Japanese occupation of large parts of Asia and the Pacific in 1941–45, Japan raised significant numbers of troops to fight alongside them, as well as militias to guard their conquests. The total number of these soldiers is estimated at no fewer than 600,000 men. These ranged from the regular troops of Manchukuo (200,000 men), Nanking China (250,000), Thailand, and recruits from the 'puppet' Burmese Independence Army (30,000) and Indian National Army (40,000), to constabularies and spear-wielding militias in the Philippines (15,000), Borneo, Indonesia and New Guinea. Many of the recruits from former European colonies hoped for independence as part of the 'Greater East-Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere' proclaimed by Japanese propaganda, but Japan's intentions were entirely cynical. They formed alliances to deny the Allied powers access to territory that they could not actually occupy, and raised these large numbers of auxiliary troops to relieve the manpower burden of occupation, or simply as 'cannon-fodder'. This extensively researched study examines each of these armies and militias in detail, exploring their history and deployment during World War II, and revealing the intricacies of their arms and equipment with stunning full-colour artwork and previously unpublished contemporary photographs.

An illustration-packed new account of the powerful Royal Navy fleet that fought alongside the US Navy throughout the last year of the Pacific War. The British Pacific Fleet was the Royal Navy's primary contribution to the direct defeat of Japan in 1945, and is among the most powerful fleets Britain has ever sent into action. With naval supremacy in home waters achieved by 1944, many of the best and most modern ships in the Royal Navy could be sent to the Pacific, including battleships, submarines, light forces, replenishment groups, and shore establishment. However, the main striking force was the fast carrier force. Illustrated throughout with dramatic new artwork, 3D diagrams, maps and archive photos, this book explains how the Royal Navy joined the Pacific carrier war, and how the fleet adopted the US Navy's ruthlessly effective fast carrier doctrine. With ships optimized for short-range operations in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, the BPF had to rapidly adapt to the long-range, high-tempo warfare of the Pacific, and the story is often one of inspired improvisation. The BPF shared the US Navy's terrifying experience of kamikaze strikes, and famously its armoured carriers proved tougher than the US counterparts. With discussion of the ships, their technology, how the fleet was organized and commanded, and how it fought the campaign, this book is a fascinating exploration of the Royal Navy's part in the victory over Japan.

In-depth review of Imperial Japanese Army Air Force fighter units and pilots Detailed study of equipment (e.g., the Zero fighter), operations from Pearl Harbor to kamikaze attacks, and pilots who achieved ace status Heavily illustrated with photos of pilots, aircraft, and unit insignia

Thoroughly researched and generously illustrated, Australia 1944-45 is the compelling final instalment in Peter Dean's Pacific War series.

A detailed, illustrated history of the torpedo boat destroyers of the Nazi German Navy. The warships of the World War II German Navy are among the most popular subjects in naval history, and one of the best collections is the concise but authoritative six volume series written by Gerhard Koop and illustrated by Klaus-Peter Schmolke. Each book contains an account of the development of a particular class, a detailed description of the ships, with full technical details, and an outline of their service, and are heavily illustrated with plans, battle maps and a substantial collection of photographs. This volume in the series details the more than 40 German destroyers, including captured ships that saw service during World War II. Chapters range from their design and development, armament and machinery, to the differences in appearance, camouflage schemes, and modifications. This book also covers the destroyers’ careers and the many actions they fought, complemented by illustrated plans, technical drawings, maps, and a comprehensive gallery of photographs.

This finding aid will help researchers interested in Japanese war crimes, war criminals, and war crimes trials to navigate the vast holdings of the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration at College Park (NARA). It will also be useful to anyone interested in military, intelligence, political, diplomatic, economic, financial, social, and cultural activities in the Far East during 1931-1951, as well as to those searching for information regarding Allied prisoners of war; the organization, functions, and activities of American and Allied agencies; and the Japanese occupation of countries and the American occupation of Japan. While not aimed at researchers interested in the strategic and tactical military and naval history of the war in the Far East, this finding aid may nevertheless be useful to those with such interests, if only to identify record groups and series of records that may bear on those topics. This finding aid covers records from over twenty record groups and includes materials declassified under the Japanese Imperial Government Disclosure Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-567) as well as records that were never classified and those declassified before the passage of the Disclosure Act. Because the process of identifying, declassifying, accessioning, and processing of records under the Act is taking place as this finding is being compiled, late arriving records may not be identified in this finding aid. Researchers should consult the IWG Web site (http://www.archives.gov/iwg/) for a complete and up-to-date list of records declassified under the Japanese Imperial Government Disclosure Act. Federal agencies involved in the identification and declassification of relevant classified records ascertained that there were relatively few pertinent records that were still classified. Most relevant records were either never classified or were declassified decades before the Act and were already in NARA’s custody. While this finding aid’s coverage is broad, it is not comprehensive. Researchers may find other relevant series of records within the record groups mentioned or not mentioned. Researchers are encouraged to use other finding aids and consult with NARA staff to locate records of interest. In addition, the National Archives at College Park holds nontextual records (such as still photographs and motion pictures) that researchers may want to examine. Other NARA facilities hold many records and donated material related to World War II, including records related to the subjects covered in this finding aid. This is particularly true of the Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Harry S. Truman, and the Dwight D. Think of archives as vast mountain ranges of records with the archivists guiding the expeditions. Explorations on familiar, well-trodden paths produce new perspectives when examined with fresh eyes and imagination.

The air campaign that incinerated Japan's cities was the first and only time that independent air power has won a war. As the United States pushed Imperial Japan back towards Tokyo Bay, the US Army Air Force deployed the first of a new bomber to the theater. The B-29 Superfortress was complex, troubled, and hugely advanced. It was the most expensive weapons system of the war, and formidably capable. But at the time, no strategic bombing campaign had ever brought about a nation's surrender. Not only that, but Japan was half a world away, and the US had no airfields even within the extraordinary range of the B-29. This analysis explains why the B-29s struggled at first, and how General LeMay devised radical and devastating tactics that began to systematically incinerate Japanese cities and industries and eliminate its maritime trade with aerial mining. It explains how and why this campaign was so uniquely successful, and how gaps in Japan's defences contributed to the B-29s' success.