Indian Ocean raid

E29082

The Indian Ocean raid was a major World War II naval operation in April 1942 in which Japan’s fleet struck British and Allied forces in the Indian Ocean, aiming to weaken their naval presence and disrupt supply lines.


Statements (50)
Predicate Object
instanceOf World War II battle
naval operation
alsoKnownAs Easter Sunday Raid
belligerent Allied forces
British Empire
Empire of Japan
United Kingdom
commander Chuichi Nagumo
James Somerville
conflict World War II
countryInvolved Australia
Ceylon
Japan
United Kingdom
endDate 1942-04-10
followedBy Battle of Midway
Battle of the Coral Sea
involvedUnit HMAS Vampire
HMS Cornwall
HMS Dorsetshire
HMS Formidable
HMS Hermes
HMS Indomitable
HMS Warspite
Japanese First Air Fleet
Kido Butai
location Bay of Bengal
Indian Ocean
near Colombo
near Trincomalee
off Ceylon
notableAction Japanese carrier air attacks on Colombo
Japanese carrier air attacks on Trincomalee
air raids on shipping in the Bay of Bengal
sinking of Australian destroyer HMAS Vampire
sinking of British aircraft carrier HMS Hermes
sinking of British cruisers HMS Cornwall and HMS Dorsetshire
objective disrupt Allied supply lines
threaten British positions in the Indian Ocean
weaken British naval presence in the Indian Ocean
opponent Eastern Fleet
Royal Navy
partOf Pacific War
result Allied strategic withdrawal
Japanese tactical victory
survival of Eastern Fleet core units
startDate 1942-03-31
strategicImpact demonstrated reach of Japanese carrier forces into the Indian Ocean
prompted dispersion of British Eastern Fleet
timePeriod April 1942


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