Fishing and Trading Craft of the Netherlands East Indies, New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.: For Official Use Only, B.R. 1050C (Restricted).

London: Admiralty Naval Intelligence Division,, 1944. First edition, first printing, of this scarce Second World War guide to waterborne craft in and around the Dutch East Indies, compiled by British intelligence for personnel operating in the Pacific theatre. Information on the availability of local seafaring vessels offered new possibilities for Allied counter-offensives in this strategically vital region. WorldCat notes just eight copies. This extensively illustrated work surveys pre-war craft by location and type, with chapters on: Outriggers; Sumatra and neighbouring islands; Java, Madoera and Bali; Celebes and neighbouring islands; the Moluccas; the Lesser Sunda Islands; Borneo; New Guinea and neighbouring islands; the Solomon Islands; and Fishing and Fisheries of the Netherlands Indies. Appendices add information on Australian craft and Japanese supply ships. After the occupation of much of South East Asia in 1942, Allied forces launched several counterattacks in the region. Local fishing boats were sometimes known to contain pro-Japanese locals and agents tasked with information gathering; knowledge of these vessels was vital for countering the Japanese presence. Large octavo. Original blue card wrappers, front cover lettered in black. Illustrations, diagrams and maps throughout. Ex-library copy with manuscript call number and small "Library" inkstamp on front wrapper. Old tape remains on spine, wrappers moderately sunned and foxed, staples rusted, light marking and occasional browning and spotting internally. A very good copy of this vulnerable publication.