On This Date- February 27,1942, the Battle of the Java Sea

February 27, 1942 – the Battle of Java Sea. The Allied force engaged the Japanese in the Java
Sea, and the battle raged intermittently from mid-afternoon to midnight as the Allies tried to
reach and attack the troop transports of the Java invasion fleet, but they were repulsed by
superior firepower. The Allies had local air superiority during the daylight hours, because
Japanese air power could not reach the fleet in the bad weather. The weather also hindered
communications, making cooperation between the many Allied parties involved—in
reconnaissance, air cover and fleet headquarters—even worse than it already was. Badly
beaten, the Allied forces retreated by the end of the day