I, absolutely, had no idea that the British Royal Navy carriers had squared off against the Imperial Japanese Navy carriers, at all!!!! WOW!!! Thank God they did what they did, otherwise, things might have turned out differently for the United States Navy!!!! Things may have been WORSE for us!!!!! Eessssshhhhh!!!! Thank you, lads, of the British Royal Navy for your little-known BUT, EXTREMELY VITAL contribution to the United States Navy's efforts in the Pacific Ocean!!!! Hand salute!!! Ready, two!!!!
and tks to u yanks for the help u gave in eruope we do remember it always
@walterkronkitesleftshoe66842 жыл бұрын
Always nice to see one of the more reasonable of our transatlantic cousins commenting. Thank you Derek for carrying the torch for your country in these comments, there are far too many US commenters in most threads who do your country a great disservice. We decent types here in the UK still thank the US contribution to the destruction of 20th century militarism. Best of luck in your own current internal intrigues, we're ALL infested by corporate globalism doing its best to destroy the old world. We have to maintain the history for the future.
@derekchristophernordbye77102 жыл бұрын
@@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684 Well. Thank you for your kind words. I truly appreciate them. Yes. Sadly, many in my country aren't being educated anymore. They're being indoctrinated. Makes me wanna puke!!!! Listen. It took the generation from BOTH our countries to beat back what Sir Winston Churchill called the German government at the time: "the New DARK AGE OF NAZI TYRANNY!!!!" Along with the militarists in Japan!!!! But, thanks, again for your kindness.
@dixiefallas77992 жыл бұрын
My Father was on Warspite from the start to the end! He only spoke to me of Narvik and Matapan. Thanks for this.🇬🇧🏴
@ヤマトウズメ-r1o2 жыл бұрын
kzbin.info/www/bejne/gYLCi6BpiMx5q6s
@gybb18682 жыл бұрын
My Grandfather was in WARSPITE & VALIANT in the Med.
@dixiefallas77992 жыл бұрын
@@gybb1868 His service is respected. Very brave man.🇬🇧🏴
@ヤマトウズメ-r1o2 жыл бұрын
@@gybb1868 Your grandfather It's a hero salute!
@benjaminrush44432 жыл бұрын
They should have saved the Warspite as a museum ship.
@grahamkearnon66822 жыл бұрын
Very interesting, I served on the next Hermes, saw action in 82 in Falklands. The harrier jump jets were no larger then the Hurricanes.
@kevanquinn95598 ай бұрын
You may have seen the ensign from the older Hermes. When I was 9 we toured HMS Victory at Portsmouth, where I acted as powder monkey to assist a marine in explaining how the crew of a gundeck worked. Afterward, the marine pulled a chunk off a timber and told me to put it under my jumper. I have it within reach in a showcase in my office. We were in Portsmouth to hand over a flag that my late uncle John had accidentally left with his fiancee in Capetown about 1941-42. He'd been part of a small crew doing a night attack dropping depth charges under the steering gear of the Vichy French battleship Richelieu in Dakar harbour, for which he was mentioned in dispatches. The boat's stern ensign being bright white, he'd put it in his knapsack. He later went on leave, not realising it was still in his bag, and it got left in Capetown. When the Hermes was sunk on 8 April 1942, the flag became the only thing left from the old Hermes. We retrieved it from Capetown when we were there in 1970, and when we got back to England, presented it to admiralty staff and the captain of the new HMS Hermes.
@garyhill27402 жыл бұрын
I have noticed some rather callous and ruthless comments criticizing the RN and the RAF concerning the events chronicled in the video. While the U.S. was dealing with concerns about fighting a two ocean war, the RN was in the unenviable position of being faced with a three ocean war. What more they could have been expected to do at the time, and considering what they had to work with, I do not know. Very well made video, and much appreciated.
@model-man78022 жыл бұрын
Anybody that criticizes the British is an idiot and obviously is an amateur in history. The British held the line ALONE till we got our pants on in America. We could not have done it without our allies.Simple as that.Well done UK, Very Well Done!!!
try and imagine what it would be like for Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. All the oceans and sea have to guard and counter attack against the enemy, you have Kriegsmarine in the North Sea, English Channel Alantic ocean with submarines attacking the merchant vessels, the Regia Marina italian navy in the mediterranean, and out of nowhere you have the japanese empire attacking you in the far east. it's amazing we survived the war, let alone won it. can't imagine the uk going through that today you, the half population will just complain and ask for peace instead of going through a little hardship.
@davidedbrooke93242 жыл бұрын
Well spoken
@heyfitzpablum2 жыл бұрын
British commanding Admiral did the right thing to not seek engagement with Japanese forces. At that stage of the war and with a far superior Japanese fleet the British Navy needed to husband their forces and buy time. Engaging with the Japanese would have resulted in more losses in capital ships and probably little damage to the Japanese fleet. I'm a Yank, but I completely support the decisions of the British Admiralty, strategically they did the right thing.
@jameshannagan42562 ай бұрын
They didn't have much of a choice a large part of their strategy involved the large French fleet. It's thanks to the bravery of the French that Germany didn't get hold of the French fleet (for the most part).
@MickR0sco2 жыл бұрын
Man, warspite got around didn't she. What a ship she was.
@christopherhill44382 жыл бұрын
Should have been kept as a museum.
@chrisarmstrong80822 жыл бұрын
God bless her
@johnreed83362 жыл бұрын
Should have been preserved as a museum ship and not scrapped . Such a huge historic loss to the nation .
@euphan1232 жыл бұрын
@@johnreed8336 Enterprise as well. Sad to see pieces of history go like that.
@roadtrip29432 жыл бұрын
Battles in Norway sinking and wrecking 6 kreigsmarine destroyers in droback sound, take on mare regiana in the Mediterranean as well. Royal navy equivalent to uss enterprise as fighteningest ship
@paulcoulthard86542 жыл бұрын
Thanks very much for this fascinating account. The narration by the surviving servicemen is excellent. (though auto-subtitling struggles at times) My father was a RN Petty Officer in Fleet-Salvage Division in the Indian Ocean having volunteered at 17 (October 1942) and recounted many experiences there - and many of the place-names (Trincomolee, Columbo etc) mentioned here featured in his stories. This video footage and commentaries by those involved bring true meaning and reality to me, from my Father's own accounts - related to me back in the 60s, 70s etc.
@memonk112 жыл бұрын
So important to record these voices. Thank you for posting this. Great channel!
@herestobeingalibra95152 жыл бұрын
What an amazing story and a historical account of a battle that is intitled to far more recognition. I have always know of the British tangling with the IJN out there around the Asian Islands, Pacific, Indian Oceans... I was Clueless to the fact anything this big had happened.
@ヤマトウズメ-r1o2 жыл бұрын
kzbin.info/www/bejne/onzGYoRrapZ0hNU
@ヤマトウズメ-r1o2 жыл бұрын
kzbin.info/www/bejne/gYLCi6BpiMx5q6s
@williampaz2092 Жыл бұрын
Read the book: “The Royal Navy in Eastern Waters, Linchpin of Victory 1935 - 1942” by Andrew Boyd
@nilanjangupta7636 ай бұрын
The Royal Navy had a Pacific squadron for that very reason.
@iancarr86822 жыл бұрын
Another real quality addition to your channel. You keep on coming up with new information from archives. I admire the amount of work you put into this site! Thank you Jamie.
@walterkronkitesleftshoe66842 жыл бұрын
My father served throughout WW2 in the Royal Navy, first of all onboard HMS Dorsetshire, where he both assisted in the rescues of the Bismarck survivors, and a year later survived the sinking of Dorsetshire herself during the "Indian Ocean raid", he went on to serve onboard HMS Warspite at Salerno, HMS Valiant in the Indian Ocean and ended the war on a submarine tender HMS Adamant in Australia. He used at least two of his "nine lives" during the war, as during both the dive bombing attack on Dorsetshire, and the Fritz X attacks on Warspite, he was "off watch" from his stoker's station in the boiler rooms, which on both occasions mentioned effectively meant a death sentence. I grew up through the 60s and 70s listening to tales of hardship, boredom & terror, but also the camaraderie they shared from Dad and his shipmates whenever they paid a visit (usually assisted by plenty of "pusser's rum"). My greatest regret to this day is that I never recorded their stories. Unfortunately they have all now "crossed the bar" to use the words of Tennyson's poem. Thank you for presenting the stories of these wonderful men for posterity. Hopefully it will show younger generations that may see them that far from being "murderous British" as the MSM like to portray our country nowadays, these were ordinary young men, put through utterly incredible circumstances and finding the strength, both individually and collectively to come through the other side.
@tiptoptechno2 жыл бұрын
Another outstanding piece of original work from this channel. 10/10.
Splendid content again! One of the real gems on KZbin.
@oceanhome20232 жыл бұрын
At 10:33 we see a beautiful PBY “Catalina” flying by a most useful aircraft and everyone loved them especially the downed Flyers !
@jkdm76532 жыл бұрын
Very informative. Thanks! Hardly a "faceoff", though, happily for the British, who'd have had no chance of defeating such a large force of the IJN.
@geordiedog17492 жыл бұрын
Fascinating. From a strategic pov I never quite grasped how important the Indian Ocean was and how close the U.K. had been to serious danger. I find the persistence and level of under-estimation of the IJN (and Japanese military in general) astonishing.
@herestobeingalibra95152 жыл бұрын
That was a lesson sorely learned by anyone fighting the Japanese. For us yanks after pearl, Wake and the coral sea engagements I'd say the view piont of the Japanese Armed Forces changed quickly and drastically.
@jamesbugbee68122 жыл бұрын
Racism, alas.
@ヤマトウズメ-r1o2 жыл бұрын
kzbin.info/www/bejne/onzGYoRrapZ0hNU
@fredsas122 жыл бұрын
@@jamesbugbee6812 Nothing to do with racism.. Simply lack of experience or understanding.
@silentwatcher14552 жыл бұрын
@@fredsas12 Its racism. The whites always thought of themselves the only capable,intelligent enough to do things properly.
@petermarsh57622 жыл бұрын
There was a Canadian RCAF squadron of PBY Catalina’s in Ceylon. 413 squadron commanded by squadron leader Leonard Birchall. They had just arrived there after doing convoy protection duties on the arctic run to Russia called the Murmansk run. On April 4 1942 413 squadron was returning back to base in Ceylon from patrol when Birchall spotted a dot on the horizon. He ordered the rest of the squadron back to base while he went to investigate. His PBY was shot down by the Japanese but not before Birchall had made a full report on types size and coarse of the enemy fleet. The crew and especially Birchall were horribly treated by the Japanese but they claimed they’d had no time to make a report and had no idea as to the size and strength of the British fleet because they had just arrived in the area. This and the fact that the Japanese had sunk the 3 British ships on the east coast of Ceylon the Japanese felt that the way was clear for them to conquer Burma and India. St. Catherines Ontario native Len Birchall gained the moniker “Savior of Ceylon” for his action that day Birchall received the DFC and for his heroism and for his actions in captivity he was awarded the OBE. Winston Churchill proclaimed that Leonard Birchall made one of the most important single contributions to Victory.
@impalabeeper2 жыл бұрын
Historian Alexander Clarke thinks that Sommerville should have engaged on night attack against the Japanese. The British have radars installed on their planes and ships which would be advantageous at night while the Japanese don't have radars. So, Clarke believes that had the British attacked, they would have sunk the Japanese carriers. Also, the British were trained for night combat so they would have had the skills and advantage!
@michellebrown49032 жыл бұрын
@@impalabeeper as a Brit , sorry to have to say this , but RN carrier aircraft design/doctrine was well and truly mired in the early thirties. Of the three major naval combatant's, the RN were " the Flintstones" in carrier ops . They made their contribution later , after they had taken delivery of many US built aircraft, which replaced all British design's. They did succeed in making the F4U a viable and perhaps the most formidable carrier borne fighter of the war , however . We must accept that the US and Japan were streets ahead in Naval Aviation. Blame the RAF .
@jameshannagan42562 жыл бұрын
@@michellebrown4903 The US was just as backward it took several ass kickings for them to learn what the Japanese already knew.
@UthurRytan Жыл бұрын
@@michellebrown4903 CAP and fighter direction was lead solely by Britain, with everyone else far behind the RN, and was probably the most important thing of war for carriers. Their damage control measure meant that their carriers would never go up in fireballs even if hit by an absurdly large number of bombs (see HMS Hermes) and was the second most important thing for carriers
@bobsakamanos44695 ай бұрын
I met Air Commodore Birchall at a mess dinner years ago. Very nice, modest, unassuming fellow.
@johnsummers28222 жыл бұрын
Well done I’ve enjoyed all of your excellent videos, great footage/music and stills telling the story with veterans first hand accounts. 10 out of 10.
@pollymnbvc3 ай бұрын
My father was very proud of his service. He joined up in 1939, spent a year on the minelayer Abdiel, including convoy runs and the Battle of Crete, and was in Alexandria when they heard Barham blowing up. He went to office-training school, spent much of the rest of the war 'spud-running', in support of the Army in the Med. He was on his way to the invasion of Japan in 1945, having trained for the rocket landing ships. He returned home without a scratch, unlike so many.
@citizendisco2 жыл бұрын
My grandfather was on a merchantmen that was damaged in this raid. Limped to South Africa afterwards. This is after just escaping Singapore. Lucky man.
@davethepikernorth83982 жыл бұрын
Thanks again for enlighten me on something I knew nothing about. You do a wonderful job👍
An excellent account featuring fascinating footage and photographs. I had never seen photos taken from the flight deck of the sinking Hermes before.
@DrydockDreamsGames2 жыл бұрын
Thank you for your fantastic work, as always!
@ArmouredCarriers2 жыл бұрын
My pleasure!
@joej65102 жыл бұрын
Well, you learn something new every day and this was a big one. I never heard this and in retrospect quite glad the Brits engaged in this action against the Japanese navy.
@TimDyck2 жыл бұрын
By tying up the Japanese fleet in the Indian Ocean Somerville bought the US time to get what was left of their own fleet organized. Somerville was wise not to endanger his Carriers with a battle because their very existence was more threatening to the Japanese then they could be in batte.
@phillipnagle96512 жыл бұрын
The strike arm of the US fleet, it's aircraft carriers, were intact, complete with modern planes. The US fleet was able to stop the Japanese at Coral Sea and defeat the Japanese at Midway within six months of Pearl Harbor. On the other hand the British were almost useless in the Indian Ocean. They lost the Prince of Wales, their most modern battleship and Repulse early. Their aircraft carriers were slow with obsolete planes.
@originalkk8822 жыл бұрын
@@phillipnagle9651 "Their aircraft carriers were slow". Top speed of the Illustrious class was 31 knots. USS Enterprise: 32 knots. The aircraft were indeed obsolete, as the Fleet Air Arm was controlled by the RAF until 1939, who concentrated almost exclusively on land based aircraft. You may not have noticed that at the time the RN were fighting the Battle of the Atlantic, keeping Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, and Tirpitz under control, and fighting for control of the Mediterranean.
@lynby62312 жыл бұрын
@@originalkk882 the Japanese virtually invented air power at sea. The US were getting slaughtered at Midway before a squadron of American dive bombers got lost in the clouds and accidentally came across the unguarded Japanese carriers and sank them virtually unopposed, giving the returning Japanese planes nowhere to land and depleting their naval Air Force.
@elcidgranada35492 жыл бұрын
@@lynby6231 now that is divine intervention xD
@juliandean55252 жыл бұрын
@@lynby6231 This is not even close. The US aircraft being shot down in the early phase of the battle were land based from Midway. The USN carrier attack was not lost and did not accidentally come across unguarded Japanese carriers. The skill and courage of Lt Comdr McClusky, commanding the USS Enterprise Air Group led to the dive bombers of VS-6 and VB-6 successful attack on two of the Japanese carriers, IJN Kaga and IJN Akagi. After searching for the Japanese at the estimated grid and bearing (based on earlier recon flights spotting the Japanese fleet) given to them prior to launch, McClusky made the astute tactical decision to search north away from Midway instead of south and closer to. This was the most likely tactical decision by Nagumo to place his fleet out of land based bomber range, whilst still in strike range of his aircraft. Whilst using the Box Search method, McClusky spotted the wake of destroyer IJN Arashi, steaming at full speed to rejoin the attacking fleet after having unsuccessfully depth-charged U.S. submarine Nautilus, which had unsuccessfully attacked the battleship IJN Kirishima. McClusky correctly assessed that the lone destroyer was returning to the fleet and followed it and launched his attack. Simultaneously, the USS Yorktown's VB-3 (also not lost in the clouds and finding their target after good navigation and search techniques) attacked IJN Soryu successfully. The Japanese fleet was not unguarded, the CAP was busy attacking the VT-3 from Yorktown who had launched their attack from low altitude.
@Amos18289 Жыл бұрын
My Grandmother and her brother was reading to go to Sunday school (in Buddhist temple) in Colombo when this happened. She loved saying stories about that day. How colombo was raided and people was fleeing Capital after this happened. ( My grandmother's family didn't) I remember having nightmares about plane bombing after hearing those stories when I was a child 😅
@MRYOUNG1234512 жыл бұрын
Excellent! Great archival footage and interviews with the sailors and airmen that were there! Bravo armored carrier!
@jasperpike2422 жыл бұрын
A friend of mine was sunk three times. Fortunately in warm waters and used to take all his friends to the pub on his ....sinking days.
@TheThingInMySink2 жыл бұрын
What I find most telling about the Japanese attitude to war during this whole thing is the fact that this isn't the only time I've heard of Japanese pilots strafing people who are already in the water, usually navies will try to rescue even the crews of enemy ships and frequently they did that if they could, to have pilots strafe at sailors who have already lost their ships really goes against all the written and unwritten rules of naval warfare.
The 5th Airforce strafed Japanese troopship survivers off New Guinea with B25's some having five 50 cals. mounted in the nose of the plane. Both sides took liberties with swimmers.
@ヤマトウズメ-r1o2 жыл бұрын
@@williamcornish3175 America is an Asian invader is not it
In their own words, doesn't get better than this, thank you!
@hisdadjames48762 жыл бұрын
Once again, stunningly good content using this unique and well-crafted structure👏👏👏 I guess he’s running out of actions for which there’s authentic footage and participant testimony, but Im so grateful for what we’ve already had and I just hope we get some more. 🤞🤞🙏🙏
@ArmouredCarriers2 жыл бұрын
Plenty of US footage. Not much US testimony. Not much UK footage. Plenty of UK testimony. Go figure.
@hisdadjames48762 жыл бұрын
@@ArmouredCarriers Thanks. I hope you are able to improvise somehow, just to keep the great content coming. If you have a ‘disclaimer’ caption or otherwise explain what you’ve done(eg. actors voices or related footage) then Im sure your viewers would understand. If you watch the acclaimed ‘World at War’ series the exact same artillery barrage and Stuka dive bombing sequences appear in 20 different battles😂 Not suggesting you need to go that far, but you needn’t be a purist either.
@dcanmore6 ай бұрын
John Moffat talking @1:56 is the Swordfish pilot credited for launching the torpedo that crippled the Bismarck.
@91Redmist2 жыл бұрын
Greetings from America. Love this channel, lots of cool stuff to learn and digest here. I have a question for y'all. Was there some reason, outside of proximity to its own naval bases, why the US fleet never participated in any major engagements in the Indian Ocean? I could be wrong, but I don't think our navy did much west of Australia except maybe patrol here and there.
@ArmouredCarriers2 жыл бұрын
Operation Diplomat was when USS Saratoga joined with HMS Illustrious in the Indian Ocean to "teach" the RN carriers how to operate in the US style. It was returning the favour of USS "Robin", when HMS Victorious went to the Pacific to fill the carrier gap and "taught" USS Saratoga about radar-guided fighter interception. www.armouredcarriers.com/illustrious-and-saratoga Ultimately, though, the Japanese navy just wasn't all that active in the Indian Ocean. Burma and Sumatra were a Japanese army operation.
@91Redmist2 жыл бұрын
@@ArmouredCarriers Thanks for the info. Keep up the great work on your channel!
with what the americans did with troops in eruope and for the most part being to far to help in the north atlantic except for the uboat cover you provided , russia convoys the indian ocean and the pacific you kept your ships until you had a decisive advantage to do what the admirals wanted to do and you did still have losses from pearl the timing was off enough to seem like you did not help but it is a false assumption, you did what you did when you could win, so no blame there bud we all did what we could and second guessing is a bummer to anyone with common sense in the end WE won and you are part of that so tk you bud and you sailors who gave it all
@ヤマトウズメ-r1o2 жыл бұрын
@@jjhry177 Wish in Japanese???
@lostinspacestudio5 ай бұрын
Interesting format for the video. Nice change from the narrated with maps approach you normally see
@matthewmoore5698 Жыл бұрын
The mind boggles at the amount of fuel these fleets use amazing !
@tobysmith3668 Жыл бұрын
The primary source for the allies was the wells in Oklahoma and Texas. The axis had captured most of the rest.
@kenney54542 жыл бұрын
"Jumping into the water I thought here we go again " That man was the luckiest RN sailor of WWII
@ArmouredCarriers2 жыл бұрын
You can hear his story about surviving the earlier sinking of HMS Repulse in my Force Z series of viceos.
@kenney54542 жыл бұрын
@@ArmouredCarriers I will look that up that up thank you again
@LesterMoore2 жыл бұрын
I for one have never or will ever call the British military, RAF and naval forces cowardly. They have proved resolute courage forever. The British Admiral displayed great sagacity and courage in his decisions. Rather than steam into a naval fight, battle pennants, flags and smoke streaming with a cutlass clenched in his teeth --- to his, his sailors and fleets assured deaths, he wisely marshaled his forces for future actions. Wise, very wise.
@ヤマトウズメ-r1o2 жыл бұрын
kzbin.info/www/bejne/gYLCi6BpiMx5q6s
@45CaliberCure2 жыл бұрын
The U.S. was caught, yet again, with a peacetime military that was completely unprepared for war. The British fought tooth and nail while we geared up for what we should have seen coming long before. Their sacrifices were legendary, and we should all be cognizant that it might happen again. We should have each other's backs and let go of the petty sniping about past differences.
@ヤマトウズメ-r1o2 жыл бұрын
@@45CaliberCure Wish in Japanese? ?? ??
@robertmarsh35882 жыл бұрын
Thanks for posting this. What a mess. Good decision to save the fleet to fight another day. Hard to have any respect for the Japanese with their consistent record of such atrocities.
@hisdadjames48762 жыл бұрын
I know war bring out the worst of us, but I still cant fathom their motivation to attack shipwrecked sailors...particularly this early in the war when everything had gone Japan’s way. 🤷♂️😢
@GasPipeJimmy2 жыл бұрын
@@hisdadjames4876 The cult of Bushido commanded such cruelty of the IJN
@keithorbell89462 жыл бұрын
@@GasPipeJimmy one query I’ve always had is why did the Japanese treat German prisoners in WWI so differently.
@elcidgranada35492 жыл бұрын
Thats what happens when you force a feudal country to rapidly modernize. If america left japan alone, they would still be using muskets by world war I and II
@stevewhite34242 жыл бұрын
@@elcidgranada3549 Who do you think the Japanese went to to learn about a modern navy after World War I?
@MarcDufresneosorusrex11 ай бұрын
I have a question: : "Due to the tropical climate in the area, the high angle radars on the Prince of Wales and Repulse became useless. " .. do you know what it refers to? It is mentionned in the Battle of Malaya.
@ArmouredCarriers11 ай бұрын
Humidity affecting the rather crude electronics of the era. Being first generation stuff, the hey had not figured out the need for insulation
@moosifer33212 жыл бұрын
The unsong heroes were the support vessels, ie Oilers/Ammunition carriers - in a way I salute the USN for taking up the fight however, they took TOO long to realise the threat, cheers Roosevelt, a sadly missed friend, sorry you never got to see the results of your efforts - I`d buy you a Pint anyday!
@if1312 жыл бұрын
It was never a real threat to the continental US. As much threat as a hornet is to a grizzly bear.
@gruntforever74372 жыл бұрын
really would like to here your EXPERT opinion on what the US could have done otherwise. ABDAFLOAT was a huge disaster; ships, men and planes lost to no effect. Force Z a huge and idiotic mistake. Lots of blunders early in the war by all the Allies. Now before the war? I ask again what could the us did that they did not do? Besides the depression making sure there was so little funding we could not even afford to test our torpedoes, we had isolationists and pacifists fighting every defense increase. FDR was not a miracle worker.
@randomlyentertaining82872 жыл бұрын
If the British had realized the threat the Japanese posed earlier as well, they probably wouldn't have thrown away the Prince of Wales and Repulse. It wasn't just the US that thought Japan wasn't a threat. The entire Western world did.
@jamesbugbee68122 жыл бұрын
Oilers launch CVs; the US Can B proud of this one acheivment. And perhaps retaining naval aviation intrinsic 2 the navy, tho' Japan did likewise.
@moosifer33212 жыл бұрын
@@gruntforever7437 I can easily answer the comment over Torpedoes - TRUST the HIGHLY trained crew that used this weapon and found it wanting. The Kriegsmarine had a similar problem, but had sorted it by Mid 1940 but you Guys didn`t seem to learn once engaged in Late 1941. FDR was the best Friend the WORLD had at this time and sadly never saw the results of his efforts - the potential of air/submarine power had not yet been realised, thank goodness the Japanese didn`t appreciate the value of RADAR!
@AbelMcTalisker2 жыл бұрын
A night attack using Albacore biplanes in a torpedo attack on Nagumo`s carriers. Only the Royal Navy could come up with that one and hope to pull it off!
@geordiedog17492 жыл бұрын
Doesn’t seem that bad an idea. What am I missing?
@TrueSonOfOdin2 жыл бұрын
@@geordiedog1749 You are missing the huge daylight range difference. Albacores and Swordfish ranges weren't all that great, so the British carriers would have to get somewhat close ... in daylight ... while the Japanese aircraft had extremely long range. I've gamed this. It's almost impossible for the British to do.
@dovetonsturdee70332 жыл бұрын
@@TrueSonOfOdin A Kate had a range of 608 miles. A Val had a range of 840 miles. An Albacore with torpedo had a range of 710 miles, in point of fact.
@TrueSonOfOdin2 жыл бұрын
@@dovetonsturdee7033 Thanks for the correction, ds. I'll have to check my game.
@moosifer33212 жыл бұрын
Swordfish against Bismark/Taranto?
@JJbm42332 жыл бұрын
Seriously what is wrong with the algorithm KZbin! I constantly do searches for World War II Indian Ocean naval battles, as well as searches on HMS Hermes aircraft carrier. And this comes to me six months after it was originally released are you flipping kidding me really!!!!! Great video too bad KZbin wasn’t willing to let me know when you originally released it🎉
@walterkronkitesleftshoe66842 жыл бұрын
C'mon surely you can't be disappointed with the never ending outflow of "K-pop", "anime", and "augmented reality" lifestyle channels that YT constantly "recommends for you"?
@allancollins50426 ай бұрын
i am in my late 90s and served on the wartime ILLUSTRIOUS
@andrewcharles4592 жыл бұрын
You always have the best stock footage.
@whirving2 жыл бұрын
That IJN fleet was formidable. 5 carriers and 5 battleships, as well as 2 of their most powerful heavy cruisers. Somerville had already proven himself in the Mediterranean and this was additional proof of his high caliber.
@johnburns4017 Жыл бұрын
*six* carriers. Five fleet one smaller.
@launcesmechanist9578 Жыл бұрын
Had no idea this event had occurred. Just goes to show you learn something new everyday!
@ColinBayes4 ай бұрын
16:37 my father was SBS Marine on the Cornwall and was in the magazine when she was hit - he escaped and ended up in the water with survivors. Oil from the ship affected his body particularly his ears.
@RemusKingOfRome2 жыл бұрын
Excellent, this should be a computer game - British fleet V Japanese Fleet in the Indian ocean.
@nostromoau Жыл бұрын
I'm quite surprised that the 'Eastern' fleet was almost incapacitated by a shortage of water....were there no desalination facilities in those days?
@ArmouredCarriers Жыл бұрын
They had a desalination ship at their secret base in the Maldives. It's just that the R-Class was so old and designed for the frigid waters of the North Sea and North Atlantic. Their systems couldn't meet tropical demand.
@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684 Жыл бұрын
Ships had "evaporators" to supply fresh water, but the ships boilers ALWAYS had first call on that supply.
@redskindan78 Жыл бұрын
In "Shattered Sword", Parshall and Tully remind us that the Japanese "Striking Force" was a raiding force, and that Pearl Harbor, the Indian Ocean, and even Nagumo's part of Midway, were all raids. Until the US Task Force 58, beginning in 1943 and 1944, it was assumed that a carrier group could not stand by and overwhelm a land position. The IJN's Indian Ocean raid was never intended to advance with the Japanese Army in Burma toward capturing India or the Indian Ocean. If nothing else, the IJN would not cooperate with the Army. It saw the IJA as almost as dangerous an enemy as the Allies. (Oh, and yet another splendid video, Armoured Carrier!)
@jefferynelson2 жыл бұрын
thanks to whomever recorded this man's speaking
@jamesbugbee68122 жыл бұрын
So much as yet unseen film (even if anachronistic @ times)! Forgive my lack of enthusiasm 4 the Albacore vs the (strangely lucky) Swordfish; a disorderly herd of the former looks 2 me like air pollution. That shot of several Rs in loose formation called up the phrase 'The King's ships were at sea' 💜, w/ Rs upholding completely that WWI look. Poor old Hermes was never meant 4 anything resembling this event; she was N aviation scout prototype, & well done as such 💔. The Japanese looked very cheerful in this early period, pre Coral Sea. Again, absolutely lovely film! 💜
@ArmouredCarriers2 жыл бұрын
Yeah, the Albacore lost out over the Swordfish through sheer reliability and resiliance. And Hermes was never more than an escort carrier.
@chrislong39382 жыл бұрын
Amazing footage that I've never seen before! The shit I normally look at is American-centric, but still! This story is amazing!!! Thanks!
@jonathanbaincosmologyvideo38682 жыл бұрын
Just note that no aircraft carriers in operation in ww2 used a ramp on their deck. The ramp causes a loss in horizontal velocity, which increases the chances of a stall, and therefore decreases the maximum payload capacity of the aircraft itself. No American carriers have ever used a ramp either.
@jonathanphillips55142 жыл бұрын
Ramps are used to allow the planes to take off and land with heavier payloads on modern carriers. This applies to VTOL aircraft but not sure about others
@awatt2 жыл бұрын
America hasn't caught up yet. Still waiting for them to make a supersonic passenger plane.
@paladin0654 Жыл бұрын
I'm not sure you can call this a "face off" let alone an analog to Midway. The fleets didn't engage each other. Nonetheless, very compelling first hand accounts. Thank you.
@ArmouredCarriers Жыл бұрын
face-off. : a method of beginning play (as in hockey or lacrosse) in which two opponents face each other and attempt to gain control
@sillyone520622 жыл бұрын
22:50 helpless men in the water were considered worthy targets for bombs. I'm glad to know that such men were likely killed soon after at Midway.
@toytoy10912 жыл бұрын
I don't see any distinction between 'helpless' men inside a ship that's being attacked, or 'helpless' men in the water waiting to be rescued so they can get back in a ship and start fighting again. It's a bit childish to say, that one we can kill, but that one we must leave alone.
@originalkk8822 жыл бұрын
@@toytoy1091 Possibly you don't see a distinction because you aren't a sailor.
@toytoy10912 жыл бұрын
@@originalkk882 Ha ha. I spent many years sailing big yachts deep sea - sometimes single handed. However - that has nothing to do with the point in question. And the point is this : if u have an enemy that needs to be killed, why allow him the privilege of excusing himself from the fight because suddenly his circumstances have changed for the worse? A sailor saved from the water (or an airman saved by parachute) is an enemy who will be quickly be given a new ship (or plane) in which he will return and try to kill you - all over again. The protocol of not killing sailors in the water, or airmen on a parachute, or soldiers in a hospital, is actually rather childish. Why risk your life to kill an enemy, only to allow that enemy to escape and come back and kill you later?
HMS Warspite should be preserved in Portsmouth. Scrapping the Grand old lady was a insult and betrayal.
@johnhanson59436 ай бұрын
Not surprising when you understand the establishment is traitorous and criminal to the British peoples.
@moosifer33212 жыл бұрын
PS Didn`t HMS Dragon get transferred to the VALIANT Free Polish Navy, and once totally worn out, serve on as a breakwater/blockship at Normandy/D Day? Excellent channel, no use of inappropriate film, and cheers to, in particular the RNAS, the `Scrap Iron Flotilla`s` Vampire, box of cigars!
@dovetonsturdee70332 жыл бұрын
Dragon actually had a major refit at Cammell Lairds between January and August, 1943, after being handed over to the Polish Navy. She was torpedoed and badly damaged off Normandy in July 1944, and too crippled to be worth repairing. Fortunately, most of the crew survived, and a sister ship, Danae, was handed over to the Polish Navy in October, to which they transferred. Danae was renamed 'Conrad.'
@raymondyee2008 Жыл бұрын
“Air Conflicts Pacific Carriers” had a mission loosely based on this.
@matthewmoore5698 Жыл бұрын
Can you imagine re living these battles in your head , even if you were a kid of nineteen at that time , every day you would be re living it
@oceanhome20232 жыл бұрын
I have read that some of the British fleet was hiding out at Diego Garcia which did not show up on Japanese maps !
@ArmouredCarriers2 жыл бұрын
It was Adu Atoll at the bottom of the Maldives. It was set up as a secret refueling and reprovisioning base - largely because the R-class battle ships were so short ranged. But also as an "ace up the sleeve" in case of unwanted surprises.
@oceanhome20232 жыл бұрын
@@ArmouredCarriers Thanks ! Was Diego Garcia used at all during WW2 ?
@ArmouredCarriers2 жыл бұрын
@@oceanhome2023 It was used as a flying boat station and a Royal Navy refuelling base. Mostly for anti raider and anti-submarine search ops.
Never considered British & Japanese Navel Action in the Indian Ocean. Without their presence the US Battle of the Coral Sea and subsequent engagements leading up to Midway could have resulted in different consequences. Makes you realize how formidable the Japanese Navy & Naval Air were in the early stages of the Pacif Theater in WW II. Thank God the English didn't surrender to Hitler and the USA didn't "Beg" for merch after Pearl Harbor. Thanks
@dagalfheim70566 ай бұрын
The swordfish escape is amazing
@joshuabr33572 жыл бұрын
Muito bom seu canal 🙋🏽♂️🙏🇧🇷🌍
@alkeylau7332 жыл бұрын
Can someone please tell what was the piece of music that was used in the beginning of the video, I have heard it before but I can’t find it’s name
@warrenolmsted2 жыл бұрын
It’s the opening of Bizet’s L’Arlesienne Suite No. 1.
@bolas19392 жыл бұрын
I wonder about 5:25... "2 Polish destroyers" are mentioned and that is quite surprising, cause not a single Polish warship ever operated on the Indian Ocean during WW2. At least as far as I know.
@ArmouredCarriers2 жыл бұрын
Memories fade with time, I guess. Or perhaps Poles made up part of some of the crews. I'll try to check.
@besserschreiben94815 ай бұрын
Why George Bizet's music?
@eslima70 Жыл бұрын
Amazing!
@TomDog58125 ай бұрын
What is a "face-down"? Do you mean face-off, as in a confrontation for possession?
@ArmouredCarriers5 ай бұрын
face down [face down] definition overcome someone or something by a show of determination: "he faced down persistent hecklers at a noontime rally"
@derekchristophernordbye77102 жыл бұрын
Japan's attack on the British Royal Navy's fleet base in Ceylon (now, called Sri Lanka) was their "Pearl Harbor."
@tridbant2 жыл бұрын
Sometimes you feel for the Japanese loss of life, like when capital ships sink, so many thousands died. Then you hear the stories of them trying to massacre survivors of sink ships. Which makes you change your mind Also theses atrocities were happening at the early parts of the conflict before the reported incidents of similar allied events.
@kenney54542 жыл бұрын
Exactly what I was thinking
@Tigerheart012 жыл бұрын
It's not taught often in Western history classes... but the atrocities the Japanese perpetrated on the peoples of South East Asia, and the way they treated prisoners of war is often cited as worse than the Nazis ever were in Europe. The Holocaust was awful, no doubt, but more people in China, Korea, Philippines and Burma were straight up murdered than the Holocaust can be attributed to.
@darrelllang40762 жыл бұрын
Britain held the line and did the best with what they had . We should always remember what they did.
@bobsakamanos44695 ай бұрын
Britain was slow in preparing for war that was inevitably going to involve battles over oil fields. The top brass knew this.
@jj-eg5up2 жыл бұрын
"Britain's Midway"? They could have chosen a more fitting title. I was not familiar with this story, and I was waiting for the British fleet to somehow surprise the Japanese fleet and repulse them from the Indian Ocean. Sounds like quite the opposite. At one point in the video a sailor was speaking of the British Fleet as a deterent to the Japanese entering the western Indian Ocean. I want to learn more about this because it doesn't sound like the Japanese were deterred in any fashion. Interesting video none the less, and I respect the fight of the British to hold out during the war inspite of their initial losses.
@dovetonsturdee70332 жыл бұрын
The Indian Ocean raid was undertaken to protect a large Japanese troop convoy movement after the fall of Singapore. The Eastern Fleet did indeed act as a deterrent to Japanese ambitions in the western Indian Ocean, because such a Japanese operation would have required a major transfer of Japanese naval assets from their main area of operations, the Pacific. As a result, the Japanese never had any ambitions in the Madagascar area, if for no other reason than that the logistics involved were totally beyond their capabilities.
@donaldhill38232 жыл бұрын
Seems more like Pearl Harbor then Midway or even Coral Sea. Not sure this can be counted as a face off between Carriers.
@ArmouredCarriers2 жыл бұрын
It was abandoned after the first try. The RN Albacores were on deck with torpedoes for most of the night after the sighting, but the two fleets passed within 80 miles of each other as the radar-equipped RN scouts couldn't find the Japanese again. After that Somerville found out the Japanese had five carriers, so he thought the odds were against him. www.armouredcarriers.com/battle-for-ceylon-hms-indomitable-formidable
@jamesbugbee68122 жыл бұрын
Of the 5 great carrier battles, this was a sort of half-battle preview, as the Falklands almost was a carrier battle postscript (God killed the wind 4 that one).
@blxtothis2 жыл бұрын
Never heard of or publicised by US media! Incidentally, why the Christmas Hymn introductory music?
@ArmouredCarriers2 жыл бұрын
Simply as it was used to introduce some newsreels at the time and is therefore out of copyright…
@Riccardo_Silva2 жыл бұрын
Correct me if i'm wrong. Apart from the Kido Butai, which was far more potent than the british carrier force (although that "night attack" thingy seems to me attractive and viable), neither Fuso class nor Ise class ships could have faced the four "R"s and their formidable 15"/42 guns with any hope of success, let alone the four Kongos that were actually in Nagumo' s fleet. In this respect admiral Somerville's fleet was by all means a force to be reckoned with. Of course, those same four ships would have been a quick job for the KB, therefore i think Somerville's behaved wisely.
@estarriol47102 жыл бұрын
The R class ships were worn out and of little value as fighting units. They looked impressive on paper, but they were assigned to the slow division which Somerville never planned to allow to see action.
@Riccardo_Silva2 жыл бұрын
@@estarriol4710 True, i know. But, all the same, The Kongos could only flee at full speed in front of them. A couple of those very accurate 15" shells on that paltry 8" side armor *could* have spelt their demise. Of course i'm just speculating: the true brunt of the japanese force was the overwhelmingly strong KB, so mine is just a rather fanciful attempt at a "what if" scenario.
@Riccardo_Silva2 жыл бұрын
@Joke Franic yes. I don’t know exactly what the FAA’s night-time capabilities were, but we know what the FAA’s overall capabilities were, and they were pretty good, despite their outdated equipment. So I wouldn’t rule out as impractical or unrealistic, a successful night attack. Just speculating, tho.
@AbelMcTalisker2 жыл бұрын
@@Riccardo_Silva They had a fair bit of experience in night operations in the Mediterranean over the previous few years, the Taranto attack being the best-known example. Trying to find a fleet at sea in the dark though was asking a lot but attacking during the day would have likely gone at least as badly as the USN`s Devastator attacks at Midway.
@Riccardo_Silva2 жыл бұрын
@@AbelMcTalisker sorry, i couldn't find solid evidence of that (still searching), but i read somewhere they had developed airborne radar supported tactics for night operation. Can you clarify this to me? I'd be most grateful!
@carlgreisheimer87012 жыл бұрын
I wonder why the island on HMS Hermes was so high.
@TrueSonOfOdin2 жыл бұрын
Admiral Denis Boyd commanded the carriers, and his son Andrew wrote a book about the Eastern Fleet extolling its role in the war. I have a free print-and-play game on my webpage titled Mongoose vs. King Cobra: Indian Ocean Carrier Raid, if anyone is interested. REAL hard to get the British carriers close enough for a night-time torpedo attack. I've included heightened collision possibilities if they *can* get a strike in. Think flaming (Roman) pigs among Carthagian elephants ... at night. 😈
Was there any corvette in the fleet against the Japanese. Navy . My grandfather who was in the Australian army in ww2 . My grandfather told me in 1960s as a child that corvette would roll in bath tub ?
@ArmouredCarriers2 жыл бұрын
Australia had a bunch of corvettes called the Bathurst class. One is preserved in Whyalla.
@wayneiles98232 жыл бұрын
@@ArmouredCarriers How was the corvettes use doing in the war in the Royals australian navy. ?
@ArmouredCarriers2 жыл бұрын
@@wayneiles9823 Convoy escort, minesweeping, coastal patrols mostly as I understand it.
@dovetonsturdee70332 жыл бұрын
HMS Hollyhock, a Flower Class Corvette, was sunk at around the same time as HMS Hermes.
@GM-fh5jp6 ай бұрын
Almost the Entire Kido Butai was there....Kaga left early and went home to Japan before Operation C. So 5 fleet cariers flush from success at Pearl Harbor and East Indies + 4 battleships, 2 heavy cruisers and lots of destroyers. No Fleet of any nation could have stood up to the Japanese in a sea fight that day. Only 80 miles away...what a show it would have been had they clashed. Luck was with Somerville and the Royal Navy that day ;)
@dovetonsturdee70336 ай бұрын
'That day' certainly not. But Somerville was intending a night attack by radar equipped aircraft. Something against which the Japanese had no means of defence.
@GM-fh5jp6 ай бұрын
@@dovetonsturdee7033 That early in the war they wouldn't have been much good at night attacks, let alone co-ordinating with a radar plane. I doubt they would have achieved much even if they could have found the Kido Butai. Maybe some contact with the picket ships, posible a fix on a Heavy Cruiser but that's about it.
@dovetonsturdee70336 ай бұрын
@@GM-fh5jp Swordfish aircraft had been equipped with radar since October, 1940. A year later, one was able to sink a U-Boat at night by this means. Why do you think that it would have been possible to fix a heavy cruiser, or a 'picket ship,' but not an aircraft carrier?
@GM-fh5jp6 ай бұрын
@@dovetonsturdee7033 The whole force was a pin prick in a vast black ocean, at no time did Somerville have enough info to launch that mythical attack. The positional situation of both fleets was only fully understood *after* the war when historians had access to Japanese records and human accounts of the near miss of the opposing forces.
@dovetonsturdee70336 ай бұрын
@@GM-fh5jp Yet a reconnaissance Catalina of 413 Squadron had located Nagumo's force at 1600 on 4 April, and a second one from 205 Squadron continued sending position reports until 0615 on 5 April. At around the same time as the sinkings of Cornwall & Dorsetshire at around 1400 on the same day, Somerville launched four Albacores which narrowly missed the Japanese Carrier Division 2 at around 1500, and would have spotted it had Nagumo not made a series of course alterations. In any event, Div. 2 was spotted by the two northernmost Albacores at around 1600. By 1655, Somervillie knew the Japanese position with reasonable accuracy, and signit from Colombo told him a course and speed. In short, he was not in a position akin to that of a blindfolded man searching for a black cat in a coal cellar. He had a reasonably good idea of the location of Nagumo's force. Nagumo had no similar idea about the whereabouts of Force A. Even after being spotted by the Albacores, he did not send out a search to seek the carrier or carriers from which they had originated. In short, only by bad (or, perhaps, good) luck did Somerville's attempts to seek out the Japanese come to naught. The fact that an Albacore strike did not happen does not reduce it to a mere myth. Read 'Boyd, The Royal Navy in Eastern Waters. Seaforth Publishing, (2017)' for fuller details.
@bensturges74122 жыл бұрын
Fascinating stories...Lucky they didn't have to engage enemy more than they did.
@kristelvidhi50382 жыл бұрын
And to think i never thought the Germans and Japanese actually worked together in battle. And in the Indian Ocean never the less.
@tubaman5007 ай бұрын
My Dad was a Royal Marine part of X Turret on HMS Resolution
@champagnegascogne97552 жыл бұрын
Were there any records of Warspite downing a Japanese naval aircraft during that raid?
@ArmouredCarriers2 жыл бұрын
I don't believe so. The only encounters between RN units and Japanese aircraft were HMS Devonshire, Cornwall, Hermes and HMAS Vampire. Albacores encountered IJN aircraft. Not sure the claims of Zeros crashing while attempting to intercept were ever verified.
@walterkronkitesleftshoe66842 жыл бұрын
@@ArmouredCarriers HMS Dorsetshire.
@naregk2 жыл бұрын
The question must have come up and answered before but can anyone name the intro music track?
@ArmouredCarriers2 жыл бұрын
It's from the start of a WW2 British propaganda film. I'll have to search what it is.
@warrenolmsted2 жыл бұрын
Bizet’s L’Arlesienne Suite No. 1
@naregk2 жыл бұрын
Thank you!
@walterkronkitesleftshoe66842 жыл бұрын
@@warrenolmsted Amongst the chaff, there's always someone who can provide the grain. Thank you for that.
@warrenolmsted2 жыл бұрын
@@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684 awww thanks 😊 although it was extremely familiar I had to hum it into Google to actually identify it (a little known feature)
@heshangunarathna32622 жыл бұрын
They only just mention this raid in our history books..In my opinion any person regardless of being british, canadian , sinhala, tamil who participated in defence of ceylon should be a hero in sri lanka
@senakaweeraratna7412 жыл бұрын
Who should get the credit for ending Western colonial domination of Asia? The freedom fighters of Asia. Who are these freedom fighters? Netaji Subash Chandra Bose and his Indian National Army, Sukarno of Indonesia, Aung San of Burma, Ho Chi Minh of Vietnam, Mahatma Gandhi of India and Hideki Tojo, Prime Minister of Japan. They were all united by one overriding aim described in a nutshell ' Asia for Asians'.
@heshangunarathna32622 жыл бұрын
Seriosly....ask about tojo's heroics from chinese or koreans. They will think you as a lunatic on the spot. Search about rape of Nanking. And seriously while japan caused our freedom indirectly they never intended that. And Japanese consider everyone inferior to them at that time..Do you seriously think asia under japanese occupation would be better? And your answer is totally irrelevant to my comment..while I hate colonial powers and admire the leaders of independence movement in asia that is not the point. I consider those british and canadians who participated in defence of ceylon heros because they were protecting us from the far right nationalistic japan...
@senakaweeraratna7412 жыл бұрын
@@heshangunarathna3262 Ask the Natives of America, Australia, South America, Australia, New Zealand, Namibia and Belgian Congo and Black Africans in general, what they think of the White man and their Genocidal Crimes against Humanity, you will receive a fitting reply.
@heshangunarathna32622 жыл бұрын
@@senakaweeraratna741 you are comparing white colonizers of 18th and 19th century against 20th century industrial barbarians..how smart of you? And pls tell me how japanese be any better than british. First of all pls tell me why are you generalising white men? Like thinking all of them are evil or something. Even in america before the revolution british kept american colonies from expanding which will only raise the tensions between natives and colonies. It was only after 1776 revolution they had manifest destiny ideology where they took all the lands from natives. And why are you saying things like this which is not connected to japanese raid against ceylon. Obviously at the moment ceylon was promised freedom after the ww2. And in an unlikely event japanese conquest we would have to give up that and instead open up brothels for japanese soldiers like they did in korea. I may hate european imperlism of past 500 years .And I know the things that led to that. But in 1942 there were no more bigger enemy of ceylonese than japanese. And if for a moment british empire had abandoned us we would be under the yoke of japanese co prospherity sphere. If you for a moment think that japanese cared about other asians then you are delusional.
@Desertfox182 жыл бұрын
@@senakaweeraratna741 Just because Japan accidentally opened the way for Brits to handover Ceylon to uneducated politicians doesn't mean you should support brutal WWII Japanese Empire. Brits also were brutal, but still Brits were much more humane in the 20th century than Japanese who even bombed a mental hospital. Would you thank N*zis because they were also a cause of the Ceylonese independence?
@holdfast45311 ай бұрын
Arguably the one battleground where HMS Warspite did not get scarred, did not spin those excellent 15” guns around … playing cat and mouse with the Japanese
@karlriina69502 жыл бұрын
It's an oft neglected yet important battle but more comparable to Coral Sea or even Force Z. The only up side is some of the Japanese elite carrier pilots were lost, and there would be no effective replacements...
@ArmouredCarriers2 жыл бұрын
I cheekily chose "Midway" as Ceylon was mid-way between Singapore and the Mediterranean! And the Japanese brought five carriers.
@allandavis82012 жыл бұрын
When you consider the fact that in almost every respect the empire/commonwealth countries in the Southern Hemisphere were nowhere near being combat ready, not even ready to take on the, at that time, Italian naval forces that were not exactly the cutting edge of sea power, if the combined vessels of the southern fleet had met the full might of the Japanese navy it could have been a total rout, British naval might was considerable, but not so considerable that it could cover both the northern and southern theatres of war, we, the allied forces at that time, had such vast areas to cover, on land, sea and in the air that we were lucky to survive. No disrespect to any of the allied forces at the time but, and there is always a but, our respective governments almost cost the demise of our nations because they FAILED COMPLETELY in maintaining the military in a position to defend ourselves, just as they are doing today, the British military as it stands could NOT fight their way out of a soggy paper bag, let alone going into any future conflict, a conflict that could, just could, be just around the corner. The loss of Hermes and her escort vessels was bad enough, but it could have been far far worse, we dodged a bullet when they attacked those vessels and not the main fleet. Admiral Somerville made exactly the right decision in deciding not to put the rest of the fleet in jeopardy.
@ArmouredCarriers2 жыл бұрын
It's certainly not a clear-cut fact. I suggest you go check Dr Alexander Clarke's youtube site. He has some very detailed and in-depth analysis of the rearmament campaigns of the 1930s. And by 1942, the Italian and German navies were all but defeated. Mostly they behaved as "fleets in being' to tie down RN forces from reinforcing the Indian Ocean and Pacific.
@@ArmouredCarriers I do apologise, I didn’t make it clear that my comment was my opinion, and your probably right that by 1942 the axis navy’s were a mere shadow of their original strength, but in the years up to then the RN was definitely not on the front foot. perhaps I was reading your reply incorrectly, it seems a little antagonistic, hopefully I am wrong, I have trouble gauging peoples feelings nowadays, to many bangs on the head and destroyed hearing, in a nutshell it’s emerging dementia.
@ArmouredCarriers2 жыл бұрын
@@allandavis8201 No, the apologies are all mine. Looking back at it, my response was overly brief and therefore very easy to see as curt. You are correct, the RN wasn't on the front foot. It was stretched very thin between the Arctic, North Atlantic, South Atlantic, Mediterranean and Indian Ocean. Australia and the Pacific was, before 1945, simply a theatre too many ... Much to the annoyance of us Aussies!
@kevinstreet57092 жыл бұрын
Brilliant
@Dragonblaster12 жыл бұрын
I sometimes think the HMS Prince of Wales was cursed from the outset. All the other KGV-class battleships survived the war, including service in the Pacific.
@ArmouredCarriers2 жыл бұрын
I will do a video on her sinking at some point.
@johnstewart97452 жыл бұрын
HMS formidable,my fathers old ship 🇬🇧
@christopherbentley72892 жыл бұрын
Thank you so much for covering this to many clearly unknown action of WWII, about which I already know bizarrely in the context of my Fan Blog for Valérie Čižmárová, 'Bananas For Breakfast', where I recently celebrated the Fifty-First 'Birthday' of the recording of her 'Za sluncem, za vodou'/'Borůvek pár' ('In Sunshine, In Water'/'A Few Blueberries'), which itself was on the Twenty-Ninth Anniversary of the Easter Sunday Raid. What a shame this video didn't itself appear in time for that Eightieth Anniversary, therefore. It was quite a relief that the Japanese didn't capitalise on this clear victory, by actually invading Ceylon, which would have made this a really 'dangerous moment'. 'Bananas For Breakfast' can be found via the Gravatar link in my KZbin user profile, if visitors to this video would like to see how a naval battle in WWII could possibly relate to Pop music in 1970s Czechoslovakia! It links, via the old 'Bananas For Breakfast' Blog post entitled 'Night Flight', to the 'Armoured Carriers' article, 'Britain's Midway', linked from this video, BTW.
i liked the writing at the start no bull just plainly stated, and first hand accounts of those there, did not know the dutch had a ship there glad to see u put her in, 5v2 carriers he made the correct choice no cowardice there just common sense and bombing the sailors in the water by the Japanese well im not surprised since it is well known for a dark time in their history which they blank out, very well setup AC will sub
@clive3732 жыл бұрын
Every side did similar, don't kid yourself.
@johnnash51182 жыл бұрын
It appears that Somerville read Sun Tzu.
@CAGED17022 жыл бұрын
My Father In Law served on the "Indomitable" from 1942 until 1945. He never spoke about it. All I know is that the ship was kamikaze'd several times.
@denniscashell2407 Жыл бұрын
23:18, Imagine, someone u never met, and who dragged u thru the ocean by ur hair, now had you peacefully in his shoulder. Frickin Blanco supreme pizza strikes again
@BA-gn3qb2 жыл бұрын
Why do you call it "Britain's Midway", when they lost?
@ArmouredCarriers2 жыл бұрын
I was being a smartass. Ceylon (Sri Lanka) is mid-way between the Mediterranean Theatre and the Pacific Theatre, and confrontation involved carriers on both sides, and it happened in April 1942.
@pierluigitossani2 жыл бұрын
fine job, but if you put written parts in the video, you should leave the time for being read... or short them, or avoid to insert them
@ArmouredCarriers2 жыл бұрын
Learning experience, sorry. I shall be more careful in the future.
@pierluigitossani2 жыл бұрын
@@ArmouredCarriers thank you for your work. You have set up a very fine graphic
@rburns97302 жыл бұрын
@@pierluigitossani I just pause the video when reading. I also find toying with the playback speed in settings can help with narrations that are a little too fast or slow.