It has been suggested that Japanese Raids into Indian Ocean be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

The Indian Ocean raid was a naval sortie by the Fast Carrier Strike Force of the Imperial Japanese Navy from 31 March to 10 April 1942 against Allied shipping and bases in the Indian Ocean. It was an early engagement of the Pacific campaign of World War II. Image File history File links Please see the file description page for further information. ... The Japanese Raids into Indian Ocean was a World War II naval engagement fought between the Japanese Kido Butai Carrier forces and the British Eastern Forces in the Indian Ocean. ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead... Combatants Republic of China U.S.A. (from 1941) U.K. (from 1941) Australia (1941) Netherlands (1941) New Zealand (1941) Canada (1941) U.S.S.R. (from 1945) Empire of Japan Commanders Chiang Kai-shek, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Josef Stalin (from 1945) Hideki Tojo The Pacific War was... March 31 is the 90th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (91st in Leap years), with 275 days remaining. ... 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... April 10 is the 100th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (101st in leap years). ... 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... Admiral of the Fleet Sir James Fownes Somerville, GCB GBE DSO, (17 July 1882 – 19 March 1949) was one of the most famous British Admirals during World War II. The son of a New Zealand sheep farmer, James Fownes Somerville was born in Weybridge, Surrey. ... Chuichi Nagumo (Japanese: 南雲 忠一, Nagumo Chūichi, March 25, 1887–July 6, 1944) was a Vice Admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) reporting to Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto during World War II. He was member of the Fleet Faction group within the navy that wanted unlimited naval growth to build the... Combatants United States Empire of Japan Commanders Husband Kimmel (USN), Walter Short (USA) Chuichi Nagumo (IJN), Mitsuo Fuchida (IJNAS) Strength 8 battleships, 8 cruisers, 29 destroyers, 9 submarines, ~50 other ships, ~390 planes 6 aircraft carriers, 2 battleships, 3 cruisers, 9 destroyers, 8 tankers, 23 fleet submarines, 5 midget submarines... Combatants British Army, Indian Army, Australian Army, Federated Malay States Volunteer Forces Imperial Japanese Army Commanders Arthur Percival Tomoyuki Yamashita Strength 140,000 70,000 Casualties 5,000 killed, 50,000 prisoners of war no more than 34,000 The Battle of Malaya was a conflict between a Commonwealth army... The Pacific Ocean theater was one of four major theaters of the Pacific War, between 1941 and 1945. ... Combatants British Army, Canadian Army, British Indian Army Imperial Japanese Army Commanders Mark Aitchison Young Sakai Takashi Strength 15,000 troops 50,000 troops Casualties 4,500 killed; 8,500 POWs 2,750 killed; 1,500 wounded For the movie, see The Battle of Hong Kong (film). ... The Netherlands East Indies campaign was the shortlived defence of the Netherlands East Indies by Allied forces, against invasion by the Empire of Japan in 1941-42. ... Combatants United States Japan Commanders James H. Doolittle N/A Strength 16 B-25 Mitchells N/A Casualties 3 dead, 8 POWs (4 would die in captivity) about 50 dead, 400 injured Lt. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Combatants United States, Australia Japan Commanders Chester Nimitz Frank Jack Fletcher Shigeyoshi Inoue Takeo Takagi Aritomo Goto Strength 2 large carriers, 3 cruisers 2 large carriers, 1 small carrier, 4 cruisers Casualties 1 large carrier, 1 destroyer, 1 oil tanker, 543 personnel 1 small carrier, 1 destroyer, 1,074 personnel... Combatants United States Empire of Japan Commanders Chester W. Nimitz, Frank J. Fletcher, Raymond A. Spruance Isoroku Yamamoto, Chuichi Nagumo, Tamon Yamaguchi† Strength Three carriers, ~50 support ships, 233 carrier aircraft, 127 land-based aircraft Four carriers, Seven battleships, ~150 support ships, 248 carrier aircraft, 16 floatplanes Casualties 1 carrier... The South-East Asian Theatre of World War II was the name given to the campaigns of the Pacific War in India, Burma, Thailand, Malaya and Singapore. ... Combatants British Army, Indian Army, Australian Army, Federated Malay States Volunteer Forces Imperial Japanese Army Commanders Arthur Percival Tomoyuki Yamashita Strength 140,000 70,000 Casualties 5,000 killed, 50,000 prisoners of war no more than 34,000 The Battle of Malaya was a conflict between a Commonwealth army... The Sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse was a World War II naval engagement which illustrated the effectiveness of aerial attacks against naval forces that were not protected by air cover and the resulting importance of including an aircraft carrier in any major fleet action. ... The Andaman and Nicobar Islands (8,293 sq km on 139 islands), are a group of islands situated in the Bay of Bengal at about 780 miles from Kolkata, 740 miles from Chennai and 120 miles from Cape Nargis in Burma. ... The Chindits (Officially in 1942 77th Indian Infantry Brigade and in 1943 Indian 3rd Infantry Division) were a British Indian Army Special Force that served in Burma and India from 1942 until 1945 during the Burma Campaign in World War II. They were formed into long range penetration groups trained... The Battle of Imphal took place in Manipur district of North East India from April until June 1944. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Battle of Meiktila. ... During World War II, Operation Dracula was the name given to an airborne and amphibious attack on Rangoon by British and Indian forces, part of the Burma Campaign. ... The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) (: 大日本帝國海軍 Shinjitai: 大日本帝国海軍 or 日本海軍 Nippon Kaigun) or sometimes referred to as the Combined Fleet was the Navy of Empire of Japan (Dai Nippon Teikoku) from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japans constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling... March 31 is the 90th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (91st in Leap years), with 275 days remaining. ... April 10 is the 100th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (101st in leap years). ... 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... Combatants Republic of China U.S.A. (from 1941) U.K. (from 1941) Australia (1941) Netherlands (1941) New Zealand (1941) Canada (1941) U.S.S.R. (from 1945) Empire of Japan Commanders Chiang Kai-shek, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Josef Stalin (from 1945) Hideki Tojo The Pacific War was... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead...

First Moves

Following the destruction of the ABDA forces in the battles around Java in February and March, the Japanese sortied into the Indian Ocean to destroy British seapower there and support the invasion of Burma. The Japanese force, commanded by Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, had six carriers: Akagi, Ryūjō, Hiryū, Sōryū, Shōkaku, and Zuikaku. This powerful force left Staring Bay, Celebes on 26 March 1942. ABDACOM Area The American-British-Dutch-Australian (ABDA) Command, code name ABDACOM, was a short-lived, supreme command for all Allied forces in South East Asia, in early 1942, during the Pacific War. ... Java (Indonesian, Javanese, and Sundanese: Jawa) is an island of Indonesia, and the site of its capital city, Jakarta. ... Chuichi Nagumo (Japanese: 南雲 忠一, Nagumo ChÅ«ichi, March 25, 1887–July 6, 1944) was a Vice Admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) reporting to Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto during World War II. He was member of the Fleet Faction group within the navy that wanted unlimited naval growth to build the... The Akagi (Japanese: 赤城, meaning red castle, a volcano in the Kanto region of Japan) was an aircraft carrier serving with the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. // Description Akagi was laid down as an Amagi class battlecruiser at Kure, Japan. ... RyÅ«jō (Japanese: 龍驤, prancing dragon) was a light aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. ... HiryÅ« (Japanese: 飛龍, meaning flying dragon) was a SōryÅ«-class aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. ... SōryÅ« (Japanese KyÅ«jitai: 蒼龍, Shinjitai: 蒼竜, sōryÅ«, meaning blue {or green} dragon) was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. ... Shōkaku (Japanese: 翔鶴 shōkaku meaning flying crane) was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy, the lead ship of her class. ... Zuikaku (Japanese: ずいかく Kanji: 瑞鶴 fortunate crane) was a Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. ... Staring-baai (Dutch for Staring Bay) is a bay off the southeast peninsula of Sulawesi in Indonesia. ... Map of Sulawesi pictures by Julianto Halim Sulawesi (or Celebes) is a large Indonesian island. ... March 26 is the 85th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (86th in leap years). ... 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ...

Signal decrypts provided the British commander of the Eastern Fleet, Vice Admiral Sir James Somerville with warning of the Japanese sortie, and he retreated to Addu Atoll in the Maldive Islands, expecting an attack on 1 April or 2 April. Admiral of the Fleet Sir James Fownes Somerville, GCB GBE DSO, (17 July 1882 – 19 March 1949) was one of the most famous British Admirals during World War II. The son of a New Zealand sheep farmer, James Fownes Somerville was born in Weybridge, Surrey. ... Addu or Seenu Atoll is the southernmost atoll of the Republic of Maldives. ... The Republic of Maldives is a country consisting territorially of a group of atolls in the Indian Ocean, south-southwest of India. ... April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining. ... April 2 is the 92nd day of the year (93rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 273 days remaining. ...

The first raids were against shipping in the Bay of Bengal by the carrier Ryūjō and six cruisers under the command of Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa. They sank 23 ships, and five more were sunk by submarines off India's west coast. A map showing the location of the Bay of Bengal. ... RyÅ«jō (Japanese: 龍驤, prancing dragon) was a light aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. ... Jisaburo Ozawa (小沢治三郎 Ozawa Jisaburō, October 2, 1886 – November 9, 1966) was a Japanese admiral during World War II. He was the last Commander-in-Chief of Combined Fleet. ...

When the expected attack on Ceylon failed to take place, Somerville sent the slow carrier Hermes back to Trincomalee for repairs, escorted by the heavy cruisers Cornwall and Dorsetshire, and the Australian destroyer HMAS Vampire. HMS Hermes (95) was the first purpose built aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy, and the second in the world after the Imperial Japanese Navys Hosho. ... Bay of Trincomalee (View from Temple) Trincomalee North East city of Sri Lanka. ... HMS Cornwall (56) was a 9,750-ton County-class heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy. ... HMS Dorsetshire (pennant number 40) was a heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy, named after the English county (now called Dorset). ... HMAS Vampire (D68/I68) was a V-class destroyer of the British and Royal Australian navies. ...

On the evening of 4 April, the Japanese fleet was detected 400 miles south of Ceylon by a PBY Catalina flown by Squadron Leader Leonard Birchall of 413 Squadron. The location of the fleet was transmitted before the Catalina was shot down by a Zero fighter from the Hiryū. April 4 is the 94th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (95th in leap years). ... PBY Catalina was the United States Navy designation for an American and Canadian-built flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s. ... Air Commodore Leonard Birchall, CM, OBE, DFC, OOnt, CD, ( July 6, 1915 - September 10, 2004 ), The Saviour of Ceylon Leonard Joseph Birchall was born on July 6, 1915, in St. ... Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero Model 21 on the flight deck of carrier Shokaku , 26 October 1942, Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands The Mitsubishi A6M Zero was a light-weight carrier-based fighter aircraft employed by the Imperial Japanese Navy from 1940 to 1945. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Colombo

On 5 April 1942 the Japanese struck with a force of 125 aircraft, made up of 36 'Val' dive bombers and 53 'Kate' attack bombers with 36 Zero fighters as escort. The aircraft, under the command of Commander Mitsuo Fuchida of the Akagi, who had led the attack on Pearl Harbour, made landfall near Galle. They flew up the coast for half an hour in full view of everybody, but nobody informed the RAF at Ratmalana, whose aircraft were still on the ground as the Japanese flew overhead. April 5 is the 95th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (96th in leap years). ... 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... The Aichi D3A (99式艦上爆撃機, Allied code name Val) was a World War II dive bomber produced by the Aichi company in Japan. ... A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy. ... Nakajima B5N1 Kate torpedo bomber with a dummy torpedo (exercise unit) taking off from the Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi during a training mission. ... Insignia of a United States Navy Commander Commander is a military rank used in many navies but not generally in armies or air forces. ... Lieutenant-Commander 少佐 Mitsuo Fuchida (December 3, 1902 - May 30, 1976) was an Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service pilot before and during World War Two. ... Satellite image of Pearl Harbor. ... The Fort: View of the lighthouse Galle (ගාල්ල in Sinhala; காலி in Tamil) (pronounced as one syllable, rhyming with Gaul in English, in Sinhalese, IPA /gaːlːə/) is a town situated on the southwestern tip of Sri Lanka, 119 km from Colombo. ... The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... Ratmalana Airport (IATA: RML, ICAO: VCCC) was originally the international airport for Colombo. ...

The Japanese attacked the naval base at Colombo, Ceylon, sinking the auxiliary cruiser Hector and the old destroyer Tenedos in the harbour, but losing a claimed eighteen planes to heavy flak (the Japanese only admitted to 5, three of them over land - as only three destroyed planes were discovered on land). The RAF lost at least 27 planes. Then Japanese search planes discovered the Cornwall and Dorsetshire, commanded by Captain Augustus Agar, 200 miles southwest of Ceylon and sank them, killing 424 men. A fuller account of the loss of these two ships is found in the article about Captain Agar. This era of colonialism ended peacefully in 1948 when Ceylon gained independence from Britain. ... Auxiliary cruisers were merchant ships taken over for conversion into a vessel armed with cruiser-size guns, and employed either for convoy protection against true cruisers, or for commerce-raiding missions, where its appearance was used to trick merchant ships into approaching. ... HMS Tenedos was an Admiralty S class destroyer. ... Photo submitted by Simon Manchee Augustus Willington Shelton Agar VC DSO was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. ...

On 6 April 1942 the Indian sloop Indus was sunk by air attack off the coast of Burma, off Akyab. April 6 is the 96th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (97th in leap years). ... 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... USS Constellation, a United States Navy sloop-of-war. ... Akyab is a city and district in the Arakan division of Burma. ...

Trincomalee and Batticaloa

On 9 April 1942 the Japanese attacked the harbor at Trincomalee at 07:00. The British again had warning of the attack, and Hermes and her escorts had left the night before. They were returning to port when they were discovered at 08:55. Hermes had no aircraft on board, and so was defenceless when 70 bombers attacked her at 10:35 off Batticaloa. Hit 40 times, Hermes sank with the loss of 307 men. Vampire and the corvette Hollyhock were also sunk. The hospital ship Vita later picked up 590 survivors. The Royal Australian Air Force lost at least 8 Hurricanes and the Fleet Air Arm one Fairey Fulmar. The Japanese lost 5 bombers and 6 fighters, one in a suicide attack on the Trincomalee fuel tanks. April 9 is the 99th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (100th in leap years). ... 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... Bay of Trincomalee (View from Temple) Trincomalee North East city of Sri Lanka. ... Batticaloa (මඩකළපුව in Sinhala, மட்டக்களப்பு in Tamil) was the provincial capital of the eastern province of Sri Lanka. ... French steam corvette Dupleix (1856-1887) Canadian corvettes on antisubmarine convoy escort duty during World War II. A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, smaller than a frigate but larger than a coastal patrol craft. ... HMS Hollyhock was a corvette of the Flower class. ... The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. ... The Fleet Air Arm is the operational group of the Royal Navy responsible for the operation of the aircraft on board their ships. ... The Fulmar was a carrier-borne fighter aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm built by Fairey Aviation during 1940. ...

Results

The sortie demonstrated Japanese superiority in carrier operations, and exposed the unprofessional manner in which the RAF was run in the East, but it did not destroy British naval power in the Indian Ocean. It is arguable that, by making full use of signal intercepts, decryption, reconnaissance and superior radar, Somerville was able to save his fast carriers Indomitable and Formidable to fight another day. However, it might equally be said that the blunders made by the Royal Navy meant that the main fleet from Addu was not able to make contact with Nagumo's force as it intended. HMS Indomitable (1940-1955) was a modified Illustrious class aircraft carrier. ... HMS Formidable was an Illustrious class aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy during World War II. She was constructed by Harland & Wolff, Belfast and commissioned on 24 November 1940. ...

Ceylon held most of the British Empire's resources of rubber after the fall of Malaya, and its occupation would have made the British position in India untenable. The failure of the Japanese to appreciate the strategic importance of the island led to their making no attempt to capture it. An invasion was feared by the British, who interpreted the Japanese failure to do so as due to heavy losses over Ceylon - and hence led to claims of a British victory. However in reality the Japanese did not have the men, shipping or land based air power to spare for an invasion and occupation and where not even in a position to make a temporary occupation as a raid. The island did not face a real threat of invasion at any point during the war. The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ... Latex being collected from a tapped rubber tree Rubber is an elastic hydrocarbon polymer which occurs as a milky colloidal suspension (known as latex) in the sap of several varieties of plants. ... Map of Peninsular Malaysia Peninsular Malaysia (Malay: Semenanjung Malaysia) is the part of Malaysia which lies on the Malay Peninsula, and shares a land border with Thailand in the north. ...

See also

• South-East Asian Theatre of World War II
• Military history of Britain during World War II#Indian Ocean Disaster
• Battle of Madagascar
• Japanese raiders in Indian Ocean Campaign
• Participation of Ceylon in World War II

The South-East Asian Theatre of World War II was the name given to the campaigns of the Pacific War in India, Burma, Thailand, Malaya and Singapore. ... The United Kingdom, along with France, declared war on Nazi Germany in 1939 as part of the United Kingdoms pledge to defend Poland to the invasion of Poland. ... The Battle of Madagascar is another name for Operation Ironclad, the Allied invasion of Madagascar launched on May 5, 1942, when it was feared that bases on the Vichy French-controlled island might be used by Japan. ... Japanese raiders in Indian Ocean Campaing In late 1942, enemy activities in the Indian Ocean had virtually come to an end. ... After the outbreak of the Second World War, in the British Crown Colony of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), the collaborationist government of Sir Baron Jayatilleke assured the British King and his government of its continued support. ...

References

Books

• Brown, David (1990). Warship Losses of World War Two. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 155750914X.
• D'Albas, Andrieu (1965). Death of a Navy: Japanese Naval Action in World War II. Devin-Adair Pub. ISBN 081595302X.
• Dull, Paul S. (1978). A Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1941-1945. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-097-1.
• Noel Crusz, The Cocos Islands Mutiny, Fremantle: Fremantle Arts Centre Press, 2001.
• Michael Tominson, The Most Dangerous Moment: The Japanese Assault on Ceylon 1942, London: Granada, 1979.

External links

• Order of battle
• WW2DB.com: Raids into Indian Ocean
• Royal Air Force History: Battle for Ceylon

Notes