Karel Doorman - "I Attack, Follow Me"

The Battle of the Java Sea began when the American-British-Dutch-Australian (ABDA) naval command was issued in an attempt to stop the Japanese invasion of Java on February 27, 1942. The Royal Netherlands (Dutch) Navy Rear Admiral Karel W.F.M. Doorman, who commanded ABDACOM Naval forces, led a hastily-organized multinational naval force formed to defend the East Indies against an overwhelming Imperial Japanese attack. Doorman was killed and the main body of ABDACOM Naval forces destroyed during the Battle of the Java Sea. The ABDA force was decimated in a seven-hour battle. Lost in battle were Royal Netherlands cruisers Java and De Ruyter (Doorman's flagship), along with Royal Netherlands destroyer Kortenauer. The Royal Navy (British) destroyers Electra and Jupiter were also sunk. Communication difficulties played a large part in the defeat, and the Japanese invasion continued, only delaying the inevitable by one-day. The cruisers, USS Houston (CA-30), and Australian cruiser, HMAS Perth, would evade being sunk by the Japanese but fate would soon intervene at the Battle of Sunda Strait, February 28 - March 1, 1942.