Karel Doorman - "I Attack, Follow Me"

"I Attack, Follow Me"

Karel Doorman is often honoured because he is said to have signalled "Ik val aan, volg mij" ("I attack, follow me") during the Battle of the Java Sea, which was considered very gallant. The real explanation is different.

On February 27, 1942 at approximately four in the afternoon the Japanese and the allied squadrons spotted each other. The guns of the two Japanese cruisers had a longer range than the Allied guns and at about five o'clock the British cruiser HMS Exeter was hit. Twenty minutes later the Dutch destroyer HNLMS Kortenaer was torpedoed. The ship exploded and broke in two pieces. Confusion arose in the Allied squadron over the way forward, compounded by the fact that HMS Exeter could only sail at half power and wanted to return to port at Tanjung Priok on its own steam.

Remembering instructions issued by High Command, Doorman gave the order to attack at the approach of the Japanese fleet. The tactical command "I attack, follow me" as such he did not signal at the beginning of this battle in the Java Sea. It is a very free translation of the signal sent by him, "All ships - follow me", to remedy the confusion. The battle on February 27, 1942 which, with interruptions, lasted for over seven hours, ended with the almost complete destruction of Doorman's squadron. The squadron commander was killed aboard the flagship, which sank after about 1 ½ hours.

The Hague Kloosterkerk has a memorial plaque and commemorations for the Battle of the Java Sea are regularly held.