Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 The attack on Force Z, which was the British battleship Prince of Wales, the battlecruiser Repulse, and four destroyers, was the end result of a train of unfortunate circumstances. By November 1944, when the British Pacific Fleet was formally in being, the United States Navy and Marine Corps had already won for the Allies nearly complete control of sea and air over most of the Pacific. #2 The British Pacific and East Indies Fleets were a magnificent contribution by a nation 10,000 miles from the action who had already fought a war at sea for five years and over five oceans. But the American 3rd/5th and 7th Fleets were far larger and more powerful than both British fleets combined. #3 The fall of Singapore was a dark and terrible episode for the Navy, but there were two gallant naval actions fought by Allied ships in the Java Sea on 27 and 28 February. Four cruisers and three destroyers were sunk in these actions. #4 The Japanese raiders were Vice Admiral Nagumo’s formidable Striking Force, which included five of the six carriers that attacked Pearl Harbour. They attacked Colombo on Easter Sunday, 5 April, and sank the cruisers Cornwall and Dorsetshire.

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 The problem of how to use Special Intelligence, which was code-named ULTRA, was especially acute at sea, where the Admiralty traditionally exercised only remote control and gave the local Commander-in-Chief all the forces and intelligence he needed. But ULTRA eventually gave the Admiralty an unprecedented overall view of the enemy’s naval operations and intentions. #2 There were many forms of intelligence available to the Allies in World War II. The Sigint, or Signal Intelligence, Service was responsible for the interception and exploitation of all enemy radio transmissions, which might yield intelligence. #3 The Admiralty took the strictest precautions to safeguard the ULTRA secret. It was revealed only to certain Flag and Senior Officers, and not more than three other selected members of the cypher staff. The names of these ULTRA-indoctrinated officers had to be communicated to NID. #4 The British government knew that the German Navy, Army, and Air Force were all using cyphers based on the Enigma machine, which was an electro-mechanical wired encyphering machine with a series of drums or wheels. It was difficult to obtain the correct settings for the drums or wheels, so it was easy for the British to make mistakes when trying to account for Allied forces at the scene.

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 The signing of the Japanese surrender documents on board the U. S. battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945 was a solemn moment. It all seemed a long way from a certain Sunday morning in December 1941, when Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, C. -in-C. Pacific, had looked out of his office window and seen a swarm of Japanese planes bombing, torpedoing, and strafing his battle fleet moored in Pearl Harbor. #2 Pearl Harbor was a disaster for the Americans, but politically it came as a relief. The attack was a victory which ensured their defeat. The Americans abhorred war, and their politicians avoided it by every possible means. #3 The signing of the Japanese surrender documents on board the U. S. battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945 was a solemn moment. It all seemed a long way from a certain Sunday morning in December 1941, when Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, C. -in-C. Pacific, had looked out of his office window and seen a swarm of Japanese planes bombing, torpedoing, and strafing his battle fleet moored in Pearl Harbor. #4 The signing of the Japanese surrender documents on board the U. S. battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945 was a solemn moment. It all seemed a long way from a certain Sunday morning in December 1941, when Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, C. -in-C. Pacific, had looked out of his office window and seen a swarm of Japanese planes bombing, torpedoing, and strafing his battle fleet moored in Pearl Harbor.

The author, a professor of history at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand, presents a comprehensive survey of Commonwealth history from the time of soul-searching about the future of the British Empire, which marked the middle years of Queen Victoria’s reign, to the year when Britain decided to enter the European Community. The account is divided in three periods - 1869 to 1917, 1917 to 1941, and 1942 to 1971. Within each period a four-fold thematic divisions is followed: Dominions, Indian Empire, crown colonies, and protectorates.

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 The destroyers trailed a net behind them as they steamed southwards, leading the Japanese cruiser to believe they were retreating. When they turned north to attack, the giant ship was there. #2 The flotilla leader was attacked by the cruiser and the destroyer that were following her. The noise of the battle was intense, with men shouting and banging on each other’s shoulders to get attention. The flotilla leader was eventually saved by another destroyer. #3 The battle against the Japanese cruiser Haguro was a brilliant, but very risky, operation. It could not have taken place if the C-in-C’s initial orders had been obeyed, and it could never have been successful but for Japanese negligence. #4 The story of the battle of the Java Sea lived on in the memories of the Royal Navy, and was taught to new generations of officers. It was never to be repeated, but it proved that nothing had been lost in the Royal Navy’s ability to fight.