The Darkest Hour: Volume 1 - The Japanese Offensive in the Indian Ocean

(Paperback)

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The book presents the Imperial Japanese Navy offensive in the Indian Ocean in MarchApril 1942 and the British attempt to stop the enemy's advance towards India. The Darkest Hour presents the Imperial Japanese Navy offensive in the Indian Ocean area in MarchApril 1942, the main goal of which was to destroy the Royal Navy in the Far East and achieve domination on the eastern flank of the Pacific War on the eve of the Battle of Midway. The bold operation of two Japanese task forces (Kido Butai and Malay Force) in the Indian Ocean could not be possible without the fall of Singapore in February and the Dutch East Indies in early March 1942. From the strategic point of view, the Japanese offensive in the Indian Ocean was the only moment in the Second World War when the Axis forces could coordinate their efforts to severely threaten the position of the British Empire in the crucial Middle East and India areas. The Darkest Hour describes the strategic planning of both sides in FebruaryMarch 1942, including the Japanese navy projections on the last steps of the first stage of the Pacific War, and the Royal Navy's hopes to halt the enemy advance without taking any significant risks. The Japanese offensive in the Indian Ocean began in March 1942 with the invasion of the Andaman Islands and Christmas Island. By securing both vital positions, the Japanese navy planned to establish its advanced bases in the eastern part of the Bay of Bengal. In the next step, the invincible Kido Butai consisting of five aircraft carriers and their escorts, was expected to crush the British bases on Ceylon and once and forever destroy the main core of the Eastern Fleet. The chaos provoked by the Kido Butai would then become a great opportunity for the Malay Force to cut off the British shipping routes in the western part of the Bay of Bengal. The Darkest Hour is the first systematic attempt to describe the less-well known part of the Pacific War by researching both British and Japanese archive documents and other secondary sources published in many countries, including the United Kingdom, Japan, and India. AUTHOR: Michal A. Piegzik is a Polish Ph.D. in law, living and working in Japan as a researcher, bringing new light on the Pacific War campaigns. 75 b/w photos,1 colour ill, 24 colour profiles, 4 maps, 31 tables

Reviews

"Michal Piegzik has produced a very good analysis of the Japanese thrust westwards into the Indian Ocean."-- "The Northern Mariner"
"For the casual reader, it serves as an effective introduction to the southern China-Burma-India theater in the earliest days of World War II. For the more-focused armchair historian, the text and notes will save significant time otherwise spent translating Japanese primary documents and references"-- "The Journal of the Air Force Historical Foundation"
"This is an amazingly detailed book... This is a great book on a little-known period in World War II. The details are incredibly researched, maps clearly explain the campaign, and the photos and drawings are immaculate."-- "IPMS/USA"
"This book uses extensive accounts from the Japanese and offers considerable balance to the usual books that center on English-language accounts...an exemplary account of the early operations and the forces involved."-- "Historical Miniatures Gaming Society"
"Piegzik has presented an incredibly detailed account of the first part of Japanese naval actions in the Indian Ocean in 1941 and early 1942. He provides the latest information obtained from British, American, and Japanese archives - something no other writers have been able to include...far and away the best detailed account of the action."-- "Naval Historical Foundation"
"...will provide the reader with a vast and clearer knowledge and understanding of this aggressive operation."-- "Model Shipwrights"

Author Bio

Michal A. Piegzik is a Polish Ph.D. in law, living and working in Japan as a researcher, bringing new light on the Pacific War campaigns. In his academic career, he was awarded the Japanese Ministry of Education (MEXT) scholarship for exceptional research results and putting in practice the modern approach in science: presenting significant issues to the general audience, while deeply investigating Western and Japanese archives sources and publications. Graduating from the Faculty of Law at the University of Wroclaw in 2015, he is currently researching Japanese family law at the Tokyo Metropolitan University. The Pacific War is his life's passion which also remarkably influenced his academic skills and career path. He lives in Sagamihara (Kanagawa prefecture), spending free time traveling around Japanese cities and the countryside with his wife. He is an author of five monographs and over 20 articles related to Japanese law and the Pacific War. The presented book is his debut in British historiography.