User talk:David Finn/ABDACOM draft

The American-British-Dutch-Australian Command (or Supreme Command) was an attempt in 1942 to unify the command structures of the Allied particpants in the Pacific War. Led by General Sir Archibald Wavell, ABDACOM was tasked with halting the advance of Japanese forces in South-East Asia and Oceania, or what the Japanese called the Southern Resource Area. Wavell assumed command on January 15 1942 but in the face of continuing Japanese victories in the region his tenure proved short and little more than a month later, on February 25, he resigned from his post as Supreme Commander and ABDACOM was no more.

Its geographical area, from the Allied Side, went partially to the Southwest Pacific Area and partially to the China-Burma-India theater.

Battle of the Java Sea

A Japanese cruiser-destroyer force, without losing a single ship, destroyed any meaningful opposition in the Southern Resource Area by 1 March.

Potential sources

The U.S. Army Campaigns of World War II by Charles R. Anderson for the U.S. Army Center of Military History

Australian Government letter received from Churchill establishing ABDA

Globalsecurity.org short description of some of the vessels involved

Parliamentary Debates, House of Commons Official Report, Jan. 27, 1942

Boundaries of ABDA area, FDR library

U.S. Navy Combat Narrative, Battle of the Java Sea