Full Description
An 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.
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
