Indian Ocean raid 1286893 225618866 2008-07-14T16:12:31Z Philip Baird Shearer 26801 /* Results */ {{fact|date=July 2008}} As this is newly added please add the citations to support it. {{nofootnotes|date=June 2008}} {{FixBunching|beg}} {{Infobox Military Conflict |conflict=Indian Ocean raid |image=[[Image:Dorsetshire&Cornwall.jpg|300px|center]] |caption=British heavy cruisers ''[[HMS Dorsetshire (40)|Dorsetshire]]'' and ''[[HMS Cornwall (56)|Cornwall]]'' under Japanese air attack and heavily damaged on [[April 5]], [[1942]]. |partof=[[World War II]], [[Pacific War]] |date=[[31 March]] &ndash; [[10 April]] [[1942]] |place=[[Indian Ocean]] and [[Ceylon]] |result=Decisive Japanese Victory |combatant1={{flagicon|UK}} [[United Kingdom]]<br>{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Australia]]<br>{{flagicon|Netherlands}} [[Netherlands]] |combatant2={{flagicon|Japan|naval}} [[Empire of Japan]] |commander1={{flagicon|United Kingdom|naval}} [[James Somerville (admiral)|James Somerville]] |commander2={{flagicon|Japan|naval}} [[Chuichi Nagumo]] |strength1=3 carriers<br> 5 battleships<br> 7 cruisers<br> 15 destroyers<br> 100+ aircraft<br> 30 smaller warships<br> 50+ merchant ships |strength2=6 carriers<br> 4 battleships<br> 7 cruisers<br> 19 destroyers<br> 5 submarines<br> 350 aircraft |casualties1=1 carrier<br>2 cruisers<br>2 destroyers<br> 1 Armed Merchant Cruiser (AMC)<br> 1 corvette<br> 1 sloop<br> 23 merchant ships sunk<br> 40+ aircraft destroyed |casualties2=20+ aircraft destroyed |}} {{FixBunching|mid}} {{Campaignbox Pacific 1941}} {{FixBunching|mid}} {{Campaignbox South-East Asia}} {{FixBunching|end}} 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 War|Pacific campaign]] of [[World War II]]. == First Moves == Following the destruction of the [[American-British-Dutch-Australian Command|ABDA]] forces in the battles around [[Java (island)|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: [[Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi|''Akagi'']], [[Japanese aircraft carrier Ryūjō|''Ryūjō'']], [[Japanese aircraft carrier Hiryū|''Hiryū'']], [[Japanese aircraft carrier Sōryū|''Sōryū'']], [[Japanese aircraft carrier Shōkaku|''Shōkaku'']], and [[Japanese aircraft carrier Zuikaku|''Zuikaku'']]. This powerful force left [[Staring Bay]], [[Celebes]] on [[26 March]] [[1942]]. Signal decrypts provided the British commander of the [[Eastern Fleet]], Vice Admiral Sir [[James Somerville (admiral)|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]]. The first raids were against shipping in the [[Bay of Bengal]] by the carrier [[Japanese aircraft carrier Ryūjō|''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. When the expected attack on Ceylon failed to take place, Somerville sent the slow carrier [[HMS Hermes (D95)|''Hermes'']] back to [[Trincomalee]] for repairs, escorted by the heavy cruisers [[HMS Cornwall (56)|''Cornwall'']] and [[HMS Dorsetshire (40)|''Dorsetshire'']], and the [[Australia]]n destroyer [[HMAS Vampire (D68)|HMAS ''Vampire'']]. 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 [[No. 413 Squadron RCAF|413 Squadron]], [[Royal Canadian Air Force]]. The location of the fleet was transmitted before the Catalina was shot down by a [[A6M Zero|Zero]] [[Fighter aircraft|fighter]] from the ''Hiryū''. ==Attack on Colombo, Ceylon == {{main|Easter Sunday Raid}} [[Image:HMScornwall2.jpg|thumb|left|''[[HMS Cornwall (56)|Cornwall]]'' burning and sinking on 5 April 1942]] On [[5 April]] [[1942]] the Japanese struck with a force of 125 aircraft, made up of 36 '[[Aichi D3A|Val]]' [[dive bombers]] and 53 '[[Nakajima B5N|Kate]]' [[torpedo bomber]]s with 36 Zero fighters as escort. The aircraft, under the command of [[Commander]] [[Mitsuo Fuchida]] of the [[Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi|Akagi]], who had led the attack on [[Pearl Harbor]], made landfall near [[Galle]]. They flew up the coast for half an hour in full view of everybody, but nobody informed the [[Royal Air Force|RAF]] at [[Ratmalana Airport|Ratmalana]], whose aircraft were still on the ground as the Japanese flew overhead. The Japanese attacked the naval base at [[Colombo]], [[Ceylon]], sinking the [[auxiliary cruiser]] [[HMS Hector (F45)|''Hector'']] and the old destroyer [[HMS Tenedos (H04)|''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 [[Augustine William Shelton Agar|Augustus Agar]], 200 miles southwest of Ceylon and sank them, killing 424 men. {{details|Augustus Agar}} On [[6 April]] [[1942]] the Indian [[sloop-of-war|sloop]] [[HMIS Indus (L67)|''Indus'']] was sunk by air attack off the coast of [[Burma]], off [[Akyab]]. == Trincomalee and Batticaloa, Ceylon == [[Image:HermesSinking.jpg|thumb|right|''[[HMS Hermes (95)|Hermes]]'' sinking after Japanese air attack on April 9, 1942.]] 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. [[HMAS Vampire (D68)|''Vampire'']] and the [[corvette]] [[HMS Hollyhock (K64)|''Hollyhock'']] were also sunk. The hospital ship ''Vita'' later picked up 590 survivors. The [[Royal Australian Air Force]] lost at least 8 [[Hawker Hurricane]]s 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. == 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 [[HMS Indomitable (R92)|''Indomitable'']] and [[HMS Formidable (R67)|''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. 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 were 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 island of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), was strategically important, since it commanded the Indian Ocean. Thus it controlled access to India, also the vital Allied shipping routes to the Middle East and the oilfields of the Persian Gulf. Ceylon held most of the British Empire's resources of rubber. An important harbor and naval base, Trincomalee, was located on the island’s eastern coast. Japanese propaganda had suborned many of the native Sinhalese population, who now awaited their arrival. The raid had allowed the Imperial Japanese Navy to demonstrate their mastery of the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal; also their ability to seize territory by capturing the Andaman Islands. Despite losses, the British fleet escaped conflict by retiring; in view of the overwhelming superiority of the Japanese, particularly in carrier operations, this seems to have been a wise decision by Admiral Somerville. Japanese plans were already made for a [[submarine base]] in the island of Madagascar to attack Allied shipping routes; now a weakened Ceylon invited invasion, possibly with limited objectives, the taking of Trincomalee, a more convenient base. That the British expected invasion, from their mastery of Japanese codes and other sources, is borne out by a speech, the C. in C. of Ceylon, Admiral Sir [[Geoffrey Layton]], made in mid-April, to personnel of the damaged airfield, at China Bay in Trincomalee Harbor. He warned them, ‘The Japanese Fleet has retired to Singapore, to refuel and rearm, and to organise an invasion force, which we think is coming back to attack us.’ He ended by saying, ‘He was going for re-enforcements, while you men here, must be prepared to fight to the last man to stop the Japanese.' The Admiral’s speech had a negative effect on personnel, particularly his reference to leaving the island for re-enforcements; afterwards he became known as ‘Runaway Layton.’ However, the expected Japanese invasion, never took place; the First Carrier Striking Force was recalled to Japan. For the cause we look to events far away in the Pacific. The [[Doolittle Raid]] of April 18th 1942, was the first air raid by the United States on the Japanese home islands, during World War II. The totally unexpected raid on Tokyo, the capital and home of the Emperor, caused little damage, but had strong effects in the Japanese High Command. U.S. bombers had flown near the Imperial Palace, so insulting their revered Emperor; more important was their realization that the home islands were now vulnerable to U.S. air attack. The Imperial Japanese Navy had responsibility for securing the ‘Pacific Frontier’, thus would have to fix the problem. Their Commander in Chief, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, now took charge of a complex operation, which would involve the taking of [[Midway Island]], with the luring of U.S. Navy aircraft carriers into a fatal battle. Instead, in June 1942, the U.S. Navy would turn the tables and all four aircraft carriers of the First Striking Force would be sunk at the [[Battle of Midway]], thus depriving the IJN of the ability to conduct long range strategic attacks. Three British army divisions came to strengthen Ceylon’s defences; also measures to improve morale ensued, such as ensuring Sinhalese food rations were increased. Several minor mutinies against the British by native soldiers, were quickly put down. Admiral Sir G. Layton remained in Ceylon for most of the war. Later, Ceylon would become an important base for the planned re-taking of Malaya and Singapore.{{fact|date=July 2008}} ==See also== * [[South-East Asian Theatre of World War II]] * [[The Easter Sunday Raid on Colombo]] * [[Military history of Britain during World War II#Indian Ocean Disaster|Indian Ocean Disaster]] * [[Battle of Madagascar]] * [[Cocos Islands Mutiny]] {{Commons|Indian Ocean raid}} ==References== ===Books=== *{{cite book | last = Brown | first = David | authorlink = | year = 1990 | title = Warship Losses of World War Two | publisher = Naval Institute Press | location = | id = ISBN 1-55750-914-X }} *{{cite book | last = D'Albas | first = Andrieu | authorlink = | year = 1965 | title = Death of a Navy: Japanese Naval Action in World War II | publisher = Devin-Adair Pub | location = | id = ISBN 0-8159-5302-X }} *{{cite book | last = Dull | first = Paul S. | authorlink = | year = 1978 | chapter = | title = A Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1941-1945 | publisher = Naval Institute Press | location = | id = ISBN 0-87021-097-1 }} *{{cite book | last = Gill | first = G. Hermon | year = 1968 | url = http://www.awm.gov.au/histories/chapter.asp?volume=25 | title = Volume II – Royal Australian Navy, 1942–1945 | series = [[Australia in the War of 1939–1945]] | location = Canberra | publisher = [[Australian War Memorial]] | accessdate = 2006-11-20 }} * 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=== *[http://www.navweaps.com/index_oob/OOB_WWII_Pacific/OOB_WWII_Indian_Ocean.htm Order of battle] *[http://www.ww2db.com/battle_spec.php?battle_id=7 WW2DB.com: Raids into Indian Ocean] *[http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/ceylon.html Royal Air Force History: Battle for Ceylon] <!--Categories--> [[Category:World War II Southeast Asia Theatre]] [[Category:Military history of Sri Lanka]] [[Category:Naval battles and operations of World War II]] [[Category:Imperial Japanese Navy|*]] [[Category:Military history of Japan during World War II|Navy]] [[Category:1942 in Japan]] [[Category:World War II national military histories|Commonwealth]] <!--Other languages--> [[cs:Nálety v Indickém oceánu]] [[de:Attacke im Indischen Ozean]] [[es:Incursión del Océano Índico]] [[hr:Pomorska bitka u Bengalskom zaljevu]] [[ja:セイロン沖海戦]] [[pl:Rajd japoński na Ocean Indyjski]] [[sr:Напади на Савезнике у Индијском океану (1942)]]