Today we take a look at Operation C, also known as The Indian Ocean Raid, when the Kido Butai came for the Royal Navy’s Eastern Fleet.
Sources:
https://www.helion.co.uk/military-history-books/the-darkest-hour-volume-1-the-japanese-naval-offensive-in-the-indian-ocean-1942-the-opening-moves.php?
https://www.helion.co.uk/military-history-books/the-darkest-hour-volume-2-the-japanese-offensive-in-the-indian-ocean-1942-the-attack-against-ceylon-and-the-eastern-fleet.php?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Royal-Navy-Eastern-Waters-1935-1942/dp/1473892481
Naval History books, use code ‘DRACH’ for 25% off – https://www.usni.org/press/books?f%5B0%5D=subject%3A1966
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Pinned post for Q&A 🙂
Ah yes, HMS Susan, one of the Karen class.
Somewhere I might still have a copy of Combat Pacific Theater. A book I had as a kid. One story from early war action was of the 2 H.Cruisers U.S.S. Houston and H.M.A.S. Perth being attacked and sunk by overwhelmingly outnumbering forces in the Saundra Straight. The author literally let himself get carried out of the sinking Houston by the surge of in rushing water as he explains. My other great preserved paperbacks would be. THE RAIDER KORMERAN. THE BIG E. AND H.MS.
It is a little surprising to me that this action was so nearly very different. All I have read about the "dance" was the losses of the British ships.
There is such a word as SANK!
Great as per usual Drach. Your work is unsurpassed. Thank you for what you do for us.
Quality content, Drac. Rock on.
HMS “Susan” lol
Makes one think it was possibly sloppy espionage
A note on a stained tea napkin
“Wait, the what? What does this say?? The Newsome? The Pusan? Must be The Susan. Definitely.”
Being a Catalina pilot when enemy carriers are around sounds like it was a brutal existence.
Great job drachif!! BTW That intro music grows on you!
Question?, How did those straggler Dutch ships get refueled ?
"Fair Winds and Following Seas" Brothers 🇺🇸⚓
What I want to know is what future plans for the Indian Ocean did the IJN have before the Doolittle Raid? My latest theory about WW2 is that the Doolittle Raid was way more influential than anyone at the time suspected.
The Soviet offensive outside Moscow at the end of 1941 put an end to Hitler's plan to quickly drive the Soviets out of the war. But then the entry of Japan threw Hitler a life line. If Japan could weaken the UK enough, then that could under-cut the Soviets and possibly let the Germans win. On the other side, Japan's only hope of winning was if Germany could knock the UK out of the war and make the US divert most of their forces to the Atlantic. IJN control of the Indian Ocean could accomplish all of these goals.
But after the IJN had been embarrassed by the Doolittle Raid, there was no chance of them diverting forces from the Pacific. This doomed Germany which doomed Japan.
I am often called a buffon by my friends.
I may be ,i may be a buffon, but i would have never left ceylon .
If my goal is to defend ceylon , i would have simply loitering around lanka.
Not going to damn addu atoll.
Thank you. Great job. I have been waiting for your presentation on Operation C.
The seeds of Nagumos dilemma
I agree with your assessment of Somerville. At the time, while he knew that a Japanese carrier unit of some kind was out there and headed to attack Ceylon, he was also getting incomplete and sometimes also conflicting information so all he knew for sure was that they were out there somewhere and the ocean is vast.
In an additional similarity to Jellicoe, he also had a lot of pressure to not make any fatal mistakes. A couple things going different could have gotten his entire fleet destroyed and cede control of the Indian Ocean to the IJN.
Was the Battle of Britain going on at this time? I wonder if that had an overall effect on the RAF's ability to respond and get planes in the air across the globe.
Rank incompetence abounded! Radar not working, enemy aircraft mis-identified, 30 minutes to "scramble" fighters… The mind boggles.
Bhai, do you have a voice only podcast? Will love it..
Wouldn't every naval operation be an operation C?
…I'll see myself out.
Great video, I’ve wanted to see this vid for a while. Somerville was absolutely lucky he didn’t run into the Japanese, though it would’ve been interesting to see how that would’ve turned out.
Also what’s the music in the opening?
14:50 LOL April 1st,
Couldn't be a better wrong date…
Bumbling incompetence by the British.
I'll be honest, I'm kind of amazed I've never heard of this engagement before now.
Honestly, Warspite would probably luck their way out of a 4v1 with the Kongos
Alternate title: "James Somerville sails in circles for a week straight"
Those aircrew never stood a chance, The Japanese really were the best carrier flyers in the world, at that time of the war.
2:23 Or, as any AoE2 player would immediately think: "Heeeeeelp, the Allies are attacking our traaade routes."
Oooooh, wargames of hypothetical battles! Looking forward to that Friday video.
46:26 completely gratuitous dig at Billy Mitchel, love it! One day, if and when Drach passes on to the Great YouTube channel in the Sky he can tell Billy Mitchel to his face what a fraud and charlatan he is. I wonder if there are honor duels in heaven, or wherever it is those two might end up.
Thanks. I'd been aware for some time of the general nature of the battle but this very much added to my understanding of more of the details of what had gone on.
As with the Japanese scouting bad luck at Midway – that kind of thing does happen.
And yes – there is a vast difference between people trying to recreate a battle where they know what is going on and people in the real battle NOT really knowing what is going on. History is replete with examples of people making decisions based on what they thought was going on – rather than what was – much to their misfortune.
What would have happened at Waterloo – if Grouchy had ridden to the sound of the guns?
.
a 4 to 1 against Warspite my money's on Warspite
Nice work Drach, great to see attention from this forgotten theatre of the war.
Add this to your "what if" episode. Had Ceylon and Trincomalee been re-enforced by a couple of crack Spitfire squadrons, as was done with Malta not long after,what a cracking series of air battles might have taken place. With a functioning radar warning net for both bases the experienced RAF lads would have put on a good show in their 1942 model Spitfires.
Great episode, thanks for posting,Drach.
In the circumstances it is pretty safe to say that Sommerwille performed about as well as anyone could have.
Considering the depth of interservice rivalry between the IJN AND IJA, hearing the Army whining about their supply lines been cut, might have been sweet sweet music to the IJN at least until the Army goes running to the Emperpor.
You tease!
Follow up question – why are so many sighting reports so bad so often. They have ONE JOB.
Ah yes. The infamous HMS Susan. 15:00 Lol.
Very informative. I had not realised the Japanese naval air forces were not trained in night fighting.
Somerville was reputed to have said on his first sight of the Eastern Fleet "Well there's many a good tune played in an old fiddle."