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(More customer reviews)The Forgotten Fleet is really the story of two fleets: the British Pacific and East Indies Fleets, both created out of the Eastern Fleet in November, 1944. They were "forgotten" because although they were the largest Commonwealth fleets in history, with over 600 ships and 250,000 men between them; and especially despite that the British Pacific Fleet (BPF) was the most balanced and powerful force fielded by the Royal Navy during the Second World War, they were both created after the decisive American victories over the Japanese Navy at the battles of the Philippine Sea and Leyte, and their contribution to the defeat of Japan had not previously been well recognized. Winton splendidly remedies this oversight with an excellent and necessary account that deserves a place on the bookshelf of anyone interested in the war in the Pacific.
The book is organized by specific subjects rather than chronologically, an approach that better addresses both the unique challenges the Royal Navy faced in the Pacific theater and also, by treating them separately, more coherently tells the stories of carrier air and submarine operations--as with the U.S. Navy, the branches of the Royal Navy principally responsible for taking the war to Japan. Winton begins the book with a review of the Pacific conflict, identifying and expanding upon the political events that led eventually to the deployment of the BPF, particularly the Quebec conference ("Quadrant") held in August 1943. Other chapters are devoted to the British carrier strikes against the oil facilities at Palembang in January 1945; operations Iceberg One and Two, carrier line periods attacking the Sakishima Gunto in support of the U.S. invasion and occupation of Okinawa; operations in the Indian Ocean, submarine operations, the Fleet Train, operations against the Japanese home islands in July and August 1945, and finally events following the Japanese surrender, such as the return to Hong Kong.
The chapter devoted to the Fleet Train is a particularly commendable feature of The Forgotten Fleet. In the Atlantic Theater, the Royal Navy was accustomed to operating out of well-established bases and relatively short periods at sea. In the Pacific, this approach was not feasible and so in order to support operations against Japan the BPF needed to be provided, as the U.S. Pacific Fleet was, with an at-sea refueling and replenishment capability sufficient to support carrier operations for weeks at a time. In the words of Admiral Fraser on p. 269: "...the distances involved are similar to those of a fleet based in Alexandria, with advanced anchorages at Gibraltar and the Azores, attacking the North American coast between Labrador and Nova Scotia." With expert understanding, Winton describes the challenges involved, the organization created to meet those challenges, the context of the effort within overall British wartime shipping requirements, and the direct impact Fleet Train issues had on combat operations. The story of the Fleet Train is an essential part of the whole and Winton's recognition of its importance does much to recommend his book.
Another laudable characteristic of The Forgotten Fleet is Winton's readiness to give credit where credit is due. While some British historians of the Second World War may describe the Americans as military or naval amateurs backed up by a powerful economic machine that mitigated the consequences of failure or obviated the need for real strategic planning, Winton does not. He candidly admits that the USN had perfected a new form of naval warfare in the Pacific, one that the Royal Navy needed to learn, and frequently compares American practices favorably with British ones. For example, he admires the rapid pace of American carrier flight operations, noting that the British initially required significant improvement. More than once he describes American organizational and technical achievements in at-sea replenishment with admiration and approval. Balanced by discussions of the advantages of armored flight decks, among other things, the effect is to make The Forgotten Fleet a frank and even-handed account.
The Forgotten Fleet also benefits tremendously from Winton's careful research, exacting attention to detail, excellent illustrations, and tables summarizing important facts. Immediately following the preface, for example, is a tabular chronological summary of the Pacific war, relating events in the central Pacific, South-West Pacific, and South-East Asian theaters and setting the stage for all that follows. In the chapters on carrier operations Winton is careful to list the names of all the ships comprising the carrier task forces assembled for various operations, as well as when particular ships were released from or joined the formations. (Appendix A is a list of all the ships in the BPF and East Indies Fleet on V-J Day.) Winton similarly describes the composition of the airwings on the various carriers and discusses the merits of the types of aircraft in each. Summary tables document sorties flown, ordnance expended, and aircraft losses. Winton meticulously references his sources and some of these are personal interviews with British personnel involved.
Overall, The Forgotten Fleet is an excellent history of a little-known subject, and a wonderful complement to the many great books about U.S. naval operations in the Pacific during World War II. Five stars.
NB: I read the edition first published in Great Britain by Michael Joseph LTD in 1969. The dust jacket matches the customer image.
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