Editing Cruiser (section)

===Dutch East Indies campaign===
Although their battleships were held out of surface action, Japanese cruiser-destroyer forces rapidly isolated and mopped up the Allied naval forces in the Dutch East Indies campaign of February–March 1942. In three separate actions, they sank five Allied cruisers ([[Battle of the Java Sea|two Dutch]] and one each [[Second Battle of the Java Sea|British]], [[Battle of Sunda Strait|Australian, and American]]) with torpedoes and gunfire, against one Japanese cruiser damaged.<ref>The British cruiser was {{HMS|Exeter|68|2}}, which previously engaged ''Graf Spee''.</ref> With one other Allied cruiser withdrawn for repairs, the only remaining Allied cruiser in the area was the damaged {{USS|Marblehead|CL-12|6}}. Despite their rapid success, the Japanese proceeded methodically, never leaving their air cover and rapidly establishing new air bases as they advanced.<ref>Morison vol. III, pp. 292–293</ref>