This new work explains how Britain's defense establishment learned to engage Japan's armed forces as the Pacific War progressed.
Prior to Japan's invasion of Southeast Asia in December 1941, the British held a contemptuous view of Japanese military prowess. The situation was not helped by the high level of secrecy which surrounded Japan's war planning, as well as the absence of prior engagements with the Imperial Japanese Navy and Army.
The fall of 'Fortress Singapore' in February 1942 dispelled the notion that the Japanese were incapable of challenging the West. British military...