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The ABDA (1942) a failure or a lesson for the allies?

Discussion in 'Naval Warfare in the Pacific' started by Skipper, Dec 26, 2013.

  1. gunbunnyb/3/75FA

    gunbunnyb/3/75FA Member

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    of course we do have to remember that FDR had to play all kinds of backroom games with the republicans since "36" just to get any ships built at all,so that was just one of many reasons that anything west of HI terr. had been wrote off. and that the US asiatic fleet wasn't that strong to begin with.Plus the us ship commanders had not really been trained to work with anyone but other us fleet units, we must remember that few (if any) countries would have had joint fleet exercises with allies or even loose friends, so its no wonder that ABDA could not get its act together, the various fleet and/or air units just did not have the time needed to learn how to work with each other as a unified team.
     
  2. steverodgers801

    steverodgers801 Member

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    The main reason the Dutch survived for a year is they were using Portugese territory as a hide out, The Japanese finally did invade the territory, but they were worried about losing one of the few neutrals who they had a ambassador with.
     
  3. von_noobie

    von_noobie Member

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    That's actually incorrect steve.

    Portuguese Timor was 'invaded' by a joint Australian/Dutch force on December 17th 1941. While officially the Dutch complained about it unofficially the Portuguese troops had no issue and the Governor apparently came out welcoming them personally.
     
  4. steverodgers801

    steverodgers801 Member

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    Im not sure how you show I was wrong. The Japanese did not invade Timor because they were afraid of official Portuguese reaction.
     
  5. A-58

    A-58 Cool Dude

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    I don't think that the Japanese were really that worried about Portugal's reaction to anything. Here's a little excerpt from Wiki about Portuguese Macao in WW2.

    During the Second World War, unlike Portuguese Timor which was occupied by the Japanese in 1942 along with Dutch Timor, the Japanese respected Portuguese neutrality in Macau, but only up to a point. As such, Macau enjoyed a brief period of economic prosperity as the only neutral port in South China, after the Japanese had occupied Guangzhou (Canton) and Hong Kong. In August 1943, Japanese troops seized the British steamer Sian in Macau and killed about 20 guards. The next month they demanded the installation of Japanese "advisors" under the alternative of military occupation. The result was that a virtual Japanese protectorate was created over Macau.

    When it was discovered that neutral Macau was planning to sell aviation fuel to Japan, aircraft from the USS Enterprise bombed and strafed the hangar of the Naval Aviation Centre on 16 January 1945 to destroy the fuel. American air raids on targets in Macau were also made on 25 February and 11 June 1945. Following Portuguese government protest, in 1950 the United States paid US$20,255,952 to the government of Portugal.]Between the end of the Pacific War and the establishment of the People's Republic of China, Macau served as a safe haven for refugees of the civil war in mainland China.
     

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