Don Kindell

Volume 27 is designed to be used with WORLD WAR II SEA WAR, VOLUME 10: IL DUCE DEPOSED (September 1943) and VOLUME 11: BOUGAINVILLE, TARAWA & CAPE GLOUCESTER (October 1943). As in previous Additions & Corrections volumes, Volume 27 adds data acquired after the publication of Volumes 10 and 11, corrects old data entries, and adds information to the general background sections to help form the context of the war, especially how world leaders made decisions. Major additions in this volume expand on the following events: * The German Navy's reallocation and deployment of U-boats. * The Allied Liberation of Italy. * USN PT-boat deployment in the Mediterranean Sea. * Updates to Allied activities in Burma. * Japanese efforts to fortify the Andaman Islands. * Major updates to Japanese movements as they abandoned the Solomon Islands and made preparations to defend New Guinea and the Philippine Islands. * USN advances in the Solomon Islands. * USN PT-boat engagements with Japanese supply efforts.

Volume 18 corrects some old data entries in previous volumes, provides additional ship movement data and adds new information in the "General" sections to help clarify the context of the war--especially important here in these early months. The bulk of the new material concerns Imperial Japanese Navy ship movements as Japan consolidates her hold on Chinese ports and eliminates French Indochina as a source of supplies for the Nationalist Chinese. Japan begins an extensive initial buildup of naval vessels as she prepares for the fateful move to attack the US Navy and extend the Japanese Empire into Malaya, Borneo and the Dutch East Indies. In addition, we add new data on the Royal Indian Navy and the Royal New Zealand Navy, and we expand the data on the following events: The Battle of the River Plate, Fleet Air Arm actions off Norway, and naval events off Ethiopia and Somalia.

In Europe, the RAF attacked German battleship TIRPITZ in Norway, and we see the effects of the Battle of the Bulge (aka the German Ardennes Offensive). Most naval activity is between the US and Imperial Japanese Navies for the Philippines. In China, Burma and India, the US bombed Japan for the first time using B-29s staged throughout China, and the Japanese responded by advancing deeper into China to capture the US airfields. Allied forces drove into Burma, and the Japanese moved troops and resources out of Burma for the defense of Japan. In the Pacific, the Japanese initiated Operation SHO GO, leading to the land battle for Leyte plus the Sea Battles of Palawan Passage, Sibuyan Sea, the Sulu Sea, Surigao Strait, Sumar, and Cape Enga o. The US landing on Mindoro Island forced the Japanese into their last warship sortie in the Philippine Islands and an epic battle with US PT-boats. Japanese kamikaze inflicted losses on the US Seventh Fleet in Lingayen Gulf to begin the epic battle for Luzon.

The Allies advance against the Germans and the Japanese. Major events during this period: The continuing naval battle in the English Channel; attempted assassination of Adolf Hitler in East Prussia; arrival of Brazilian Expeditionary Force to join the Allies in Italy; the landing in southern France by US and French troops; the surrender of Finland and Bulgaria; liberation of French ports along the Atlantic and Mediterranean; the liberation of Guam by US Army and Marine troops; capture of Tinian Island by US marines; landing on Morotai Island by US troops; capture of Peleliu, Angaur Island and Ulithi Atoll by US forces; withdrawal of the defeated Japanese Army from Kohima and Imphal, India, back to Burma; the landing at Noemfoor, New Guinea, by US and Australian troops; resignation of the Tojo government in Japan; operations of USN Wolfpacks in the Pacific Ocean; USN air attacks on the Philippine Islands.

In April, May and June 1944, there were three major areas of naval conflict: In New Guinea: United States (US) and Australian forces landed at Aitape and Hollandia, then at Arare, Wakde and Biak Island. In Europe: The battle for the control of the English Channel heated up. The German navy attacked what they thought was an Allied convoy along the English southwestern coast. They had actually stumbled upon Operation TIGER, the Allied training exercise for the upcoming Normandy landing. RAF Bomber Command mined Biscay, Bretagne, La Pallice, Lorient, Brest, Cherbourg, Le Havre, Den Helder, Texel, the Friesian Islands, the German Bay, Kattegat, Kiel, Swinem nde, Gotenhafen, and Pillau. The Allies initiated Operation NEPTUNE to conceal the real Allied landing location from the Germans. All this culminated in the Allied landing in Normandy, France, in Operation OVERLORD. In the Pacific: The US landed on Saipan, considered Japanese territory, in Operation FORAGER, which caused the Battle of the Philippine Sea.

The World War II Sea War series is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in naval or military history. Volume 2 covers the period from April through September 1940, breaking down events by month and geographical area, then by date and time. Information is included for both military and civilian vessels, from both combatant and neutral nations.