Description
Book SynopsisAn 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 Na
Table of ContentsORIGINS 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
