全球戰略
全球軍事，曆史，戰略
中文原著發表於《課外學習》1987年12月期
英文由作者2018年1月翻譯
Original published in Chinese in Extracurricular Studies, December 1987
Translated into English by the author in January 2018
1942年初的爪哇島，形勢危急。凶悍的日軍自1941年末偷襲珍珠港挑起太平洋戰端以後，氣勢洶洶，大有席卷南洋和整個東南亞之勢，先後占領威克島，香港，暹羅，菲律賓，馬來亞和新加坡，矛頭直指荷屬東印度群島（即今印度尼西亞）。爪哇以西的蘇門答臘島遭到日本傘兵突襲。以北的婆羅洲無可挽回地陷落了。以東的巴厘島被日本艦隊占領。東南方的帝汶島日軍也取得了立足點。荷蘭人賴以活動的中心爪哇島四麵楚歌，危在旦夕。
四國聯軍艦隊
戰略地位極其重要的爪哇如果被征服，日本攫取東南亞豐富的石油，錫，橡膠等資源的企圖即可大功告成。日軍殺氣騰騰，組成東西兩路進攻部隊合圍爪哇。西路部隊由56艘運輸艦組成，得到1艘航母，3艘巡洋艦和20艘驅逐艦掩護。東路部隊包括40艘運輸艦，4艘巡洋艦和14艘驅逐艦。麵對日軍咄咄逼人的攻勢，駐爪哇的美，英，荷，澳（American, British, Dutch, Australian, 簡稱ABDA）四國聯軍組成了一支聯軍艦隊準備抗擊。2月26日傍晚，聯軍艦隊在荷蘭海軍少將卡雷爾·多爾曼率領下駛離泗水港，首先去迎擊力量相對薄弱的東路敵軍。
聯軍14艘戰艦組成的艦隊在黃昏的紫色暮靄中高速行駛在爪哇海上，景象十分壯觀。3艘英國驅逐艦並排在前引導。緊跟著是多爾曼的旗艦荷蘭巡洋艦德魯伊特爾號，其後4艘巡洋艦編成縱隊依次跟進：英國的埃克塞特號，美國的休斯敦號，澳大利亞的柏斯號和荷蘭的爪哇號。主力兩側由6艘驅逐艦屏護：2艘荷蘭的，4艘美國的。總共有5艘巡洋艦，9艘驅逐艦，力量很強，官兵們堅信能夠給入侵者以沉重打擊。然而實際上這支臨時拚湊的艦隊分屬四國，從未在一起進行過聯合作戰訓練，戰鬥力一般而已。而且還有一個致命弱點：整個艦隊沒有一架水上偵察機，除目視觀察外無法進行空中偵察。但這卻是西方盟國為保衛爪哇能集中起來的最大一支海上力量了。隻有拚力迎戰，才有可能扭轉不利戰局，粉碎日軍企圖。
黃昏激戰
聯軍艦隊在爪哇海上航行了一天。有充分準備的日軍早已派出派出水上偵察機獲知其航向。2月27日下午四點，日軍首先發現聯軍艦隊並搶先發炮，多爾曼立即下令還擊。東路進擊部隊護航司令高木武雄少將率領4艘巡洋艦和4艘驅逐艦高速前進，試圖穿過聯軍艦隊前方，這就是“T字型迂回”。采用這種古老的戰術，高木可以用全部舷側火力射擊，而對方隻能用前跑還擊。都爾曼沒有上當，指揮艦隊急轉，於是雙方幾乎平行向西行駛，各自用舷側炮火對射。聯軍由於從未進行過聯合訓練，射擊指揮很不協調。這時隻能各自為戰，導致火力分散。而日軍訓練有素，動作劃一，艦隻雖少但火力集中。
開戰十分鍾後日驅逐艦忽然突前，在16000碼距離齊射遠程魚雷。荷蘭驅逐艦科頓納爾號和英國驅逐艦伊萊克特拉號躲避不及，立刻中雷沉沒。緊接著，高木的旗艦那智號率羽黑號，神通號，妙高號巡洋艦先集中火力重創英國巡洋艦埃克賽特號，迫使其退出戰鬥在一艘荷蘭驅逐艦護航下駛回泗水港。日艦再將全部火力轉向多爾曼的旗艦德魯伊特爾號，將其擊傷。戰鬥進行到白熱化階段，日艦越逼越近，多爾曼的旗艦漸漸不支。這時美國巡洋艦休斯敦號率4艘美國驅逐艦奮勇向前掩護旗艦。它們冒著炮火進逼至10000碼距離，用魚雷驅散了日軍隊形。高木避開魚雷後釋放煙幕，下令暫停戰鬥，準備夜戰。多爾曼損失了2艘驅逐艦，另有1艘巡洋艦被重創，自然無心戀戰，也停止了射擊。
黑夜中計
多爾曼停止戰鬥以後，一直沿海岸盲目搜索可能出現的日本運輸艦直到天黑。9點25分，一陣劇烈的爆炸聲照亮了海麵。原來殿後的荷蘭驅逐艦水星號誤中了荷蘭人自己施放的水雷。這實在太不幸了！水星號無可奈何地沒入水中，而且爆炸的巨大光亮使高木的偵察機發現了聯軍艦隊。多爾曼率其餘艦隻繼續在黑夜中前進。晚11點，忽然間夜空被照得如同白晝，原來是在上空盤旋的日偵察機投下的照明彈。前方發現日本艦隊，德魯伊特爾號，休斯敦號，柏斯號和爪哇號急忙開火，對方也開始還擊。一時間硝煙彌漫，水柱騰飛。隨著照明彈熄滅，聯軍失去了目標，隻能停止射擊。這場短促的炮戰就這樣結束了，接下去是死一般的寂靜。
誰也不知道這是高木的詭計。他用2艘巡洋艦和4艘驅逐艦與對方炮戰以吸引其注意力，自己親率那智和羽黑兩艦迂回到聯軍艦隊另一側無聲地逼近，一彈不發而放出12枚噝噝作響的魚雷撲向聯軍艦隊。中計的多爾曼一無所知，隻聽一聲聲山崩地裂的巨響，德魯伊特爾號中雷癱瘓，疾速下沉，多爾曼將軍隨300餘水兵一同被海水吞沒而無一幸免。幾分鍾後爪哇號也中雷，它為了保衛爪哇而沉沒於爪哇海上。其餘軍艦驚慌失措，群龍無首，四散逃竄。
戰略意義和戰術意義
爪哇海海戰是自1916年日德蘭海戰以來最大一次海戰，也是太平洋戰爭中第一次艦隊決戰，就這樣通過兩個回合以日本海軍的全麵勝利而告終。高木的艦隊幾乎毫無損傷。多爾曼卻損兵折將，2艘巡洋艦和3艘驅逐艦被擊沉。而且散夥的聯軍艦隊的災難並未結束。剩下的9艘軍艦除4艘美國驅逐艦安抵澳大利亞外，其餘5艘都被追殲的日艦逐一擊沉。
這場極具戰略意義的決定性海戰以後，日本牢牢控製了製海權，西方盟國在爪哇島上的抵抗孤立無援而土崩瓦解。日軍登陸以後，3月8日，荷蘭總督投降，日軍占領了全島。從此以後，日本完全控製了富饒的東南亞。
從戰術上看，爪哇海海戰盡管是一次傳統的水麵艦隻間的炮戰和魚雷戰，但航空兵的巨大作用嶄露頭角。日軍不多的幾架水上偵察機雖未直接投彈參戰，也對戰局起了很大影響，為日軍的勝利立下了汗馬功勞。
THE BATTLE OF THE JAVA SEA 爪哇海海戰
Original published in Chinese in Extracurricular Studies in December 1987
Translated into English by the author in January 2018
In early 1942, the island of Java faced a critical situation. Since the Pearl Harbor attack in late 1941, aggressive Japanese forces had started the Pacific War. Ambitious and ferocious, the Japanese aimed to sweep the entire Southeast Asia, having already conquered Wake Island, Hong Kong, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaya, and Singapore. Now, they were targeting the Netherlands East Indies (today’s Indonesia). West of Java, Sumatra was attacked by Japanese paratroopers. North of Java, Borneo hopelessly fell. East of Java, Bali was occupied by a Japanese fleet. Further east, the Japanese established a base in Timor. Being totally surrounded by all sides, Java—the center of Dutch activities—confronted grim prospects.
ABDA Allied Fleet
If the strategically important Java had been conquered, the Japanese goals of taking over the rich Southeast Asian resources such as oil, tin, and rubber would have been accomplished. Armed to the teeth, the Japanese endeavored to unleash a pincer movement against Java with two forces (Eastern and Western Attack Forces). The Western Attack Force had 56 transports, and was supported by one aircraft carrier, three cruisers, and 20 destroyers. The Eastern Attack Force included 40 transports, four cruisers, and 14 destroyers. Confronting such powerful forces, the Java-based American, British, Dutch, and Australian (ABDA) forces formed an Allied fleet to resist. At dusk on February 26, the Allied fleet, commanded by Dutch Real Admiral Karel Doorman, sailed out of Surabaya to meet the relatively weaker enemy Eastern Attack Force.
Bathed in the purple evening mist of sunset in the Java Sea, the Allied fleet of 14 ships steamed at a high speed, and looked spectacular. Sailing side by side, three British destroyers screened ahead. Behind them was Doorman's flagship Dutch cruiser De Ruyter. Following the flagship, four cruisers formed a column: Exeter (British), Houston (American), Perth (Australian), and Java (Dutch). Covering both sides of the main force were six destroyers: two Dutch and four American. In total, this was a sizable fleet with five cruisers and nine destroyers. Officers and men were confident that they would deliver a severe blow on the invaders. However, in reality this was a scratch team coming from four navies, which had never sailed or exercised together before this sortie. Their fighting power was not outstanding. In addition, they suffered from a fatal weakness: the entire fleet did not have a single float plane, and therefore could not undertake any reconnaissance other than relying on lookouts. Nevertheless, this was the most powerful force that the ABDA Allies could assemble to defend Java. To frustrate Japanese advances, only gallant resistance could turn around the unfavorable situation.
Heavy Fighting at Dusk
The Allied fleet sailed in the Java Sea for a whole day. It was shadowed by float planes launched by well-prepared Japanese warships. At 1600 on February 27, the Japanese spotted the Allied fleet and commenced firing first. Doorman immediately ordered to return fire. Rear Admiral Takeo Takagi, Commander of the Escort Force for the Eastern Attack Force, led four cruisers and four destroyers to have a high speed run, trying to cross the "T" in front of the Allied fleet. With this classical tactic, Takagi could unleash broadsides from all of his ships, while the opponents could only fire back with their front guns. Doorman did not fall for this trap, and ordered a quick turn. Therefore, both sides almost sailed in parallel toward the west, shooting at each other. Because the Allied ships had never trained together, coordination among ships was weak. As a result, every ship blasted away at will, resulting in dispersion of firepower. In contrast, the Japanese—despite having fewer ships—were well trained, their shooting well coordinated, and their firepower more concentrated.
Ten minutes into firing, Japanese destroyers suddenly charged ahead, launching a salvo of long-distance torpedoes at 16,000 yards. Dutch destroyer Kortenaer and British destroyer Electra failed to evade, and were jackknifed and sunk immediately. Then Takagi's flagship cruiser Nachi led cruisers Haguro, Jintsu, and Myoko to concentrate their fire to first cripple British cruiser Exeter, and then turned all of their fire on flagship De Ruyter, which was injured. The intense battle became white-hot, Japanese ships approached closer, and Doorman's flagship suffered. Then American cruiser Houston led four U.S. destroyers to bravely charge ahead to protect the flagship. Under enemy gunfire, they closed the distance and launched torpedoes at 10,000 yards, which forced the Japanese ships to disperse. Takagi, after combing torpedoes, made smoke and ordered his ships to break off and to prepare for a night battle. Doorman lost two destroyers, and had one cruiser crippled. He naturally was not interested in prolonging the engagement, and stopped shooting too.
Falling into the Trap at Night
After Doorman broke off from the engagement, he searched along the north coast of Java to find possible Japanese transports into the dark night. At 2125, a huge explosion illuminated the sea. It turned out that the last ship in the column, Dutch destroyer Jupiter, accidentally hit a mine laid by the Dutch themselves. It was so unfortunate! Jupiter helplessly sank, and the bright light stemming from the explosion enabled Takagi's float planes to discover the Allied fleet. Doorman continued to lead his fleet to search in darkness. Suddenly at 2300, the night sky became as bright as the day light. It was because of the flares dropped by Japanese float planes that were circling above. Because the Japanese fleet was discovered in the distance, De Ruyter, Houston, Perth, and Java commenced firing in a hurry, and the enemy fired back too. The scene was full of smoke and splashing water columns. As the flares gradually dimmed, the Allies could not see their targets, and had to cease firing. Then this quick exchange of gunfire stopped.
What followed was dead silence, as nobody on the Allied side knew Takagi's trap. He had ordered two cruisers and four destroyers to exchange fire with the Allied ships in order to attract their attention. Without firing a shot, Takagi personally led Nachi and Haguro to quietly move to the other side of the Allied fleet, and launched 12 torpedoes, which silently swam toward their targets. Falling into the trap, Doorman had no idea about this danger, until his ship was enveloped in explosions as loud as landslides. Badly crippled, De Ruyter soon went down. Admiral Doorman and over 300 officers and sailors were all swallowed by the sea. After a few minutes, Java also stopped dead. In defense of Java, Java sank in the Java Sea. Leaderless, other ships panicked and escaped the scene.
Strategic and Tactical Significance
The Battle of the Java Sea was the biggest sea battle since the Battle of Jutland in 1916, and was also the first major fleet action in the Pacific War. After two rounds, it ended with the Japanese Navy's complete victory. Takagi's fleet suffered almost no damage. Doorman—having lost two cruisers and three destroyers—was totally smashed. Disasters did not leave the surviving ships, which were disbanded. Of the nine surviving ships, except four U.S. destroyers that safely arrived in Australia, all of the remaining five were sunk by Japan's pursuing forces one by one.
After this strategically important, decisive battle, Japan was able to enjoy complete sea superiority, and the Allies' isolated resistance in Java quickly collapsed. After Japanese forces landed, the Dutch governor surrendered on March 8. Then all of Java was occupied by Japanese forces. At last, Japan had complete possession of the rich Southeast Asia.
From a tactical standpoint, although the Battle of the Java Sea was a conventional surface engagement fought with gunfire and torpedoes, the significant role played by naval aviation was still evident. The few float planes did not directly participate in the fighting, but they made a tremendous difference in influencing the outcome and contributing toward the Japanese victory.
