Of Islands, Ports, and Sea Lanes,/i> explains the operational and strategic importance of the ports and sea lanes of Africa and the Indian Ocean during the Second World War. In addition, it offers a novel account of the war in the Indian Ocean, a busy and vital theater of military operations throughout the conflict, though one that is overlooked in most historical studies. An understanding of the significance of the Indian Ocean region, from imperial and strategic perspectives, helps bring unity to the Allied war effort in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, and demonstrates how the highest levels of strategy depended on places, people, and infrastructure in faraway places of seemingly little consequence. The movement of goods and people by sea was central to the prosecution of the imperial and Allied war effort, and this was dependent upon ports and their facilities, together with troopships and merchantmen and the air and naval assets that protected them. The book offers a ‘how it worked’ guide to the Empire’s logistical system, and explains the interconnectivity of actions and events on land, sea, and air, detailing the indispensable role played by the ports and sea lanes of the African continent and the Indian Ocean, the British Empire’s great connector.

Introduction The British Indian Ocean world
Chapter 1 - Ports, islands, and sea lanes in Africa and the Indian Ocean
Chapter 2 - The role of Africa’s ports and sea lanes
Chapter 3 - The role of Indian Ocean islands
Chapter 4 - German and Italian raiders and sea lane protection
Chapter 5 - The consequences of Japanese aggression
Chapter 6- Admiral Somerville and the reinforcement of the Indian Ocean
Chapter 7 - Holding the ring
Chapter 8 - The turn towards the offensive
Chapter 9 - Victory Japan

“As to Ceylon, there's nothing to which an apples-to-apples comparison can be made; it stands alone as the only book-length work on the subject. - Readers with an interest in these topics and this theater will absolutely want to take a look. Other readers should also consider learning more about these less-familiar pillars of the Allied war effort.”