With the Netherlands getting stomped by Germany early in the Second World War, the contribution
of the Dutch to the Allied cause can sometimes go a little under the radar. In reality, the
Dutch pressed the fight in the Netherlands and elsewhere in the world, operating under
commands based in other Allied countries. The Dutch Royal Navy, in particular, was a
formidable military branch with a proud, deeply-rooted history, and it didn't just keel over and
die when Dutch ports fell into German hands. In fact, the Dutch Royal Navy fought like
hell in the Pacific War, especially in the waters surrounding modern-day Indonesia. In
this video, we're going to provide an overview of the Dutch Royal Navy's involvement in World
War II, focusing mostly on its exploits in the Pacific.
In a classic der Führer play by Adolf Hitler, he drove his war machine into the Netherlands
on the 10th of May 1940, forcing the Dutch military's surrender just five days later.
Rather than simply gifting them to Hitler, the Dutch Royal Navy moved as many of its
naval vessels out of their ports as they could, sending them to relative safety in Britain.
For the rest of the war, that portion of the Dutch Navy operated alongside the Allies around
Europe, participating in the evacuation at Dunkirk and the Normandy landings, to name
just a couple operations. Of course, empires were in fashion back then, and the Dutch were
totally aboard that train with their rule on what was then the Dutch East Indies and
is now Indonesia
In defence of the Dutch East Indies, four Dutch cruisers, seven Dutch destroyers, fifteen
Dutch submarines, and a whole lot of Dutch ovens were stationed in the Javan city of
Surabaya. The Dutch also maintained a force of at least five submarines in Western Australia.
While the Dutch Navy was involved in quite a few scuffles in the Dutch East Indies campaign
and beyond, we're going to keep our focus on some hot submarine action at the start
of the campaign, the Battle of the Java Sea, and the Battle of Sunda Straight.
Just before World War II kicked off, a Dutch admiral by the name of Conrad Helfrich was
put in charge of all Dutch Naval forces in the Dutch East Indies. Shortly after the Pacific
War got off to an explosive start with the Attack on Pearl Harbor, Helfrich was ordered
to stick it hard and fast to the Japanese, especially Japanese supply lines. Making good
use of his Western Australia-based subs, he sunk 54 Japanese vessels in the first 54 days
of the Pacific War, earning himself the nickname of "Ship-a-day Helfrich." To put that in perspective,
he sunk more Japanese vessels in the first few weeks than the British navy and American
navy combined. Early in January 1942, Allied command gave birth to the American-British-Dutch-Australian
Command or ABDACOM — the supreme command for all Allied forces in South West Pacific.
While command of the naval component of ABDACOM, ABDAFLOAT, went first to an American admiral,
it passed to our Dutch buddy Helfrich on the 12th of February, just in time for the hands-down
most disastrous naval battle of the Dutch East Indies campaign.
Operating under the command of Admiral Helfrich, Dutch Rear Admiral Karel Doorman was put in
charge of an ABDAFLOAT force which included most of the Dutch Royal Army's warships as
well as some British, American, and Australian vessels. Doorman, while not super keen on
Helfrich's balls-to-the-wall strategy himself, was tasked with leading an almost kamikaze
head-first offensive against the Imperial Japanese Navy. On the 17th of February 1942,
Doorman's strike force — composed of two heavy cruisers, three light cruisers, and
nine destroyers — departed Surabaya, Java. His objective was to intercept and destroy
a Japanese convoy. As Doorman engaged the Japanese Navy in the Java Sea, he learned
very quickly that he was hilariously outgunned. Each time the Dutch-led strike force attempted
to penetrate the Japanese convoy, the convoy's escort force would lay absolute waste to the
Allied ships, all but obliterating the strike force within the span of a day. Late in the
night, Doorman's flagship, the HNLMS De Ruyter, was struck by a long-lance torpedo and dressed
in flames. The ship's electrical systems were char-grilled, and the crew were unable to
stop De Ruyter from burning and flooding. While Doorman had the privilege of being rescued,
he decided to go down with his ship instead, which sunk below the waves around three hours
after getting the torpedo hit, taking 367 sailors, and Doorman, with it. The few warships
which survived tried to flee, some to other places in the Dutch East Indies, some to Australia,
and some all the way to Ceylon. Unfortunately, most of them were destroyed as they limped
away, as was the case for one American heavy cruiser, one Australian light cruiser, and
one Dutch destroyer in what came to be known as the Battle of Sunda Strait.
Wounded in the Battle of the Java Sea, the American USS *Houston,* Australian HMAS *Perth,*
and Dutch HNLMS *Evertsen* were giving it legs through the Sunda Straight between Java
and Sumatra, having fallen under the de facto command of Royal Australian Navy officer Hector
Waller. He did quite well considering the hand that was dealt to him. As a result of
poor intel, his tiny, ragtag force stumbled upon a Japanese invasion convoy of more than
50 transport ships escorted by at least *a dozen* warships. Surrounded, Waller had no
choice but to go down fighting, emptying every shell aboard the HMAS *Perth.* In the chaos
which ensued, Japanese friendly fire sunk a troop transport ship, wounded three more
troop transports, and sunk a minesweeper. Of course, *Houston, Perth,* and *Eversten*
went down too, taking over 1,000 sailors, including Waller, with them. The 675 Allied
sailors who survived the Battle of Sunda Straight were taken as prisoners of war.
All in all, 10 of the 14 warships which entered the Battle of Java Sea were destroyed during
the battle or while trying to flee it. The Japanese took the island of Java shortly after.
By the 1st of March, ABDACOM was dissolved, and the enemy had a firm grip on the Dutch
East Indies overall, winning the campaign on the 9th of March 1942. While the Dutch
Navy's surface vessels were all but obliterated, its submarines were able to get out of Java
and continue operations in the Pacific. Hunting down Japanese tankers out of Western Australia,
the Dutch became known as the "Fourth Ally" in the Allied campaigns in the Pacific Ocean
and Indian Ocean, along with the Aussies, Kiwis, and Yanks. The Dutch submarine HNLMS
*Zwaardvisch* was the most successful of these submarines, sinking a range of Axis vessels,
including but not limited to Japanese transports, minelayers, and guardboats and the German
submarine U-168, which it torpedoed in October 1944 off Java.
While this was by no means a comprehensive list of every scrap the Dutch Royal Navy took
part in in the Pacific, it might now be obvious to you that the Dutch fought like hell. But
we're interested to hear what you think. Can you think of any other battles the Dutch Royal
Navy was involved in in the Pacific? What about anywhere else in the Second World War?
Please share your thoughts in the comments.