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Here we see Grumman Hellcat fighters from No.808 Squadron, Fleet Air Air, being ranged on the flight deck of the Ruler class escort carrier HMS Khedive during a naval action off Sumatra in April 1945. In the back left we see the battleship HMS Queen Elizabeth, possibly firing some of her forward guns.
© IWM A 28885
Sumatra 1944-45 – The British Pacific Fleet’s oil campaign in the Dutch East Indies, Angus Konstam.
Looks at the Royal Navy’s return to Far Eastern waters as an offensive force, the series of carrier raids against the Japanese controlled oil industry on Sumatra that both helped cripple that industry and gave the British valuable experience before they joined the Americans in the Okinawa campaign. Demonstrates how quickly the Royal Navy learnt to emulate the US Navy, taking advantage of their vast experience of large scale carrier operations (Read Full Review)
