Customer Reviews

Hunting of Force Z Pb (Cassell Military Paperbacks S.)

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In an over-worked book, author Richard Hough seeks to almost provide a complete history of the Royal Navy from the advent of the steel battleship through to 10 December 1941 when the capital ships which formed Force Z, HMS' Repulse and Prince of Wales, were lost off Malaysia.

Only 3 days earlier, the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbour where they had sunk almost the entire American naval battle fleet with only minor loss to themselves. Of course they had the best possible advantage, not only that of complete surprise, but also that of making the attack prior to the actual declaration of war being received by the USA. The relevance of discussing Pearl Harbour in connection with the loss of Force Z is simple. Only a few days before that scandalous Japanese attack, a US Army-Navy pamphlet was published which carried a photograph of the 32,600 ton dreadnought battleship USS Arizona underway at sea below which was the telling caption "It is significant that despite the claims of air enthusiasts no battleship has yet been sunk by bombs."

As with the US Navy, so the Royal Navy was also of the impression that the battleship was far mightier than the humble aircraft. As far as the US was concerned, Pearl Harbour changed all that. Unfortunately, the British were still not convinced! So it was that, in the full knowledge of the events of Pearl Harbour, Admiral Phillips sailed from Singapore without air cover on a mission to intercept an ageing Japanese battleship. It was a ship he never saw. Even when informed that they were being followed by an enemy spotting aircraft, he took no action but continued on his way. When the full aerial might of the Japanese came, it was as ruthless as it was efficient and neither the Repulse nor Prince of Wales stood any chance of survival. Admiral Phillips did not survive the engagement.

Altogether, a good account although, as I say, a little too much preamble for my liking.

NM

Potboiler history of the loss of Repulse and Prince of Wales off Malaya on 10 December 1941.

If you know nothing about this, you might find it worth a look, but compared to Middlebrook and Mahoney's excellent "Battleship", the whole thing has a stale, second hand feel to it, with little evidence of much if any original research.

Apart from various typos and a couple factual errors I came across in the edition that I picked up in a second hand shop, you could also criticise the author for dealing with the actual events of 10 December far too briefly.

Recent editions of this 1960s book are sadly yet more evidence that some books simply aren't worthy of a reprint.