Japan’s Indian Ocean Raid 1942 - The Allies' Lowest Ebb

A detailed illustrated exploration of the Japanese raid into the Indian Ocean in April 1942 – one of the largest operations conducted by the Imperial Navy during the war.

In the wake of Japan's conquest of Burma in early 1942, plans were formed by the Imperial high command to capture Ceylon (modern Sri Lanka) to consolidate Japan's defensive perimeter and disrupt British shipping lanes to India, Australia, and the Middle East. The Imperial Japanese Army, however, could not release sufficient troops for an invasion, and so in response the Japanese Navy developed Operation C, an aggressive raid by the Combined Fleet into the Indian Ocean. The key objective was to destroy the British Eastern Fleet in port.

Expert naval historian Mark Stille documents the high point of Japanese naval air power as its carriers struck Ceylon – the heart of British naval power in the East – sinking several Allied ships. He describes the Allied air attempts to destroy Admiral Chuichi Nagumo's force, and the Japanese attacks against British shipping and the cities along the Indian coast.

Specially commissioned battlescenes bring to life the sinking of British carrier Hermes, the Bristol Blenheim attacks on the Japanese carrier force, and a Zero vs Hurricane dogfight over Colombo on 5 April. Easy to follow maps and diagrams reveal the strategic situation at the start and end of the campaign, and track the movements of the Japanese carrier task force and the British Eastern Fleet throughout. Details of weaponry, equipment, personnel and the events of the fascinating battles that took place are revealed in over 60 photographs, many of which are from Japanese sources.

Table of Contents:

ORIGINS OF THE CAMPAIGN

CHRONOLOGY

OPPOSING COMMANDERS

Japanese

British

OPPOSING FORCES

Japanese

British

Orders of Battle

OPPOSING PLANS

Japanese

British

THE CAMPAIGN

Opening Japanese Moves

The Invasion of the Andaman Island

The Striking Force Enters the Indian Ocean

Somerville's Manoeuvring

The Striking Force is Detected

The Attack on Colombo

The Death of Cornwall and Dorsetshire

Shadow Boxing Between 5 and 9 April

The Attack on Trincomalee

Operations of the Malaya Unit Striking Force

Japanese Submarine Operations

Operation C – the Final Accounting

AFTERMATH

FURTHER READING

INDEX