Battle of Makassar Strait

Overview

The Battle of Makassar Strait, also known as the Action of Madura Strait, the Action North of Lombok Strait and the Battle of the Flores Sea, was a naval battle of the Pacific theater of World War II. An American-British-Dutch-Australian (ABDA) fleet—under Schout-bij-nacht Karel Doorman—was on its way to intercept a Japanese invasion convoy reported as bound for Surabaya, when it was attacked by 36 Mitsubishi G4M1 "Betty" and 24 Mitsubishi G3M2 "Nell" medium bombers, which forced the fleet to retreat.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Makassar Strait demonstrated the vulnerability of Allied surface forces to land-based air power during the opening phase of Japan's southwestern Pacific offensive. An ABDA fleet under Karel Doorman, moving to intercept a Japanese invasion convoy reportedly bound for Surabaya, was driven back by a massed strike of medium bombers before it could engage the convoy. The forced retreat left the convoy free to continue its mission, underscoring the limited capacity of the hastily assembled multinational ABDA command to contest Japanese amphibious operations in the Dutch East Indies. The action prefigured the broader collapse of ABDA naval resistance in the region in the weeks that followed.

Commanders (2)