Mrs Ferguson’s Tea-set, Japan and the Second World War: The Global Consequences Following Germany’s Sinking of the SS Automedon in 1940

By Eiji Seki

Published by Global Oriental

Offering a Japanese perspective for the first time, the book tracks the role of the Japanese navy as a silent partner and active participant in the war at sea against Britain and her allies prior to Japan’s entry into the Second World War at Pearl Harbor. The author argues that the cooperation between the German and Japanese navies led to Japan’s final defeat when Admiral Yamamoto was misled by the intelligence obtained from the confidential Cabinet papers recovered from the Automedon.

The saga of the sinking of the Blue Funnel Line’s ill-fated SS Automedon in November 1940 by the German commerce raider Atlantis is well documented, but in this work the author contends that there are important inaccuracies in existing accounts of the incident. He offers a fresh viewpoint based on new primary sources and direct contact with surviving members of the Automedon’s crew and their families. One of the most significant conclusions to be drawn from this account is how chance impacts on the outcome of conflict.

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