The Last Battle

On 7th December 1941, Japan entered World War II by simultaneously attacking the American Naval Base at Pearl Harbour in the Hawaiian Islands, the Philippines and Malaya. Appalled by the decision, Commander Hirada Tanawa of the Imperial Japanese Navy nevertheless carries out his orders with skill and daring, and leads the final assault on the British capital ships Prince of Wales and Repulse off the coast of Malaya which results in their being sunk on 10th December, even though he knows that his cousin-in-law Jack Dawson is serving on the Prince of Wales.

From then on, for four bitter years, the two friends are enemies as the grim drama of their lives is played to a finish, against a background of domestic turmoil. Honouring naval codes and duty whilst knowing that each day could be their last, both men endure grave uncertainty but equally they are forced to make decisions they never imagined they would be faced with... The finale begins with Japan’s December 1941 attacks and the sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse, making two former friends responsible for opposing naval duties while their extended families endure occupation, bombing and political division.