Japanese Indian Ocean raid (1944)
Encyclopedia
In March 1944, a force of three Imperial Japanese Navy
(IJN) heavy cruiser
s raided Allied
shipping in the Indian Ocean
. The cruisers departed Japanese territory on 1 March with the support of other IJN vessels and aircraft. On 9 March, they encountered and sank the British steamer
Behar, with the heavy cruiser picking up 104 survivors. Fearing detection, the Japanese force subsequently returned to the Netherlands East Indies (NEI), arriving on 16 March. Two days later, 89 of Behars crew and passengers were murdered on board Tone. Following the war the commander of the raid, Rear Admiral Naomasa Sakonju
, was executed for this war crime
and Tones captain, Haruo Mayazumi, was sentenced to seven years imprisonment.
withdrew from its base at Truk
in the Central Pacific
and was divided between Palau
and Singapore
. The appearance of a powerful Japanese naval force at Singapore concerned the Allies, as it was feared that these ships could potentially conduct raids in the Indian Ocean and against Western Australia
. In response, the Allies strengthened their naval and air forces in the area by transferring two British light cruiser
s from the Atlantic
and Mediterranean
as well as several U.S. Navy
warships from the Pacific
. The number of air units in Ceylon and the Bay of Bengal
region was also increased. Admiral James Somerville
, the commander of the British Eastern Fleet, feared that the Japanese would repeat their devastating Indian Ocean raid
of early 1942, and on 25 February requested permission to withdraw his fleet from its base at Trincomalee
so that it was not at risk from the larger Japanese force. The Admiralty
rejected this request and directed that the fleet should remain at Trincomalee unless it was threatened by a superior Japanese force as its withdrawal would effect morale and harm Britain's prestige in the region. It was agreed, however, that the Eastern Fleet should not engage superior Japanese forces and could withdraw if Somerville judged this necessary.
In late February, Vice-Admiral Shiro Takasu
—the Commander in Chief, South-West Area fleet—ordered the heavy cruisers , and to raid Allied shipping on the main route between Aden
and Fremantle
. This force was commanded by Vice Admiral Naomasa Sakonju on board Aoba. In his instructions to Sakonju, Vice Admiral Takasu directed that if the force captured Allied merchant seamen, all prisoners other than radio operators were to be killed. Sakonju did not question this order. The Japanese cruisers embarked specialised boarding parties for this raid as it was hoped to capture merchant ships to alleviate Japan's shipping shortage.
on 27 February. The light cruisers and and five destroyers escorted the force through the Sunda Strait
on March. The raiders were supported by 10 medium bombers and three or four seaplane
s based in Sumatra
and west Java
which conducted patrols in the direction of Ceylon. Three or four submarines from the 8th Flotilla also monitored Allied shipping movements near Ceylon, the Maldive Islands and Chagos Archipelago
. The Allies did not detect the Japanese force's departure, but reinforced their forces in Western Australia
after an American submarine encountered Kinu and Oi operating near the Lombok Strait
on 6 March. The presence of these ships was taken to indicate that a raiding force had possibly been dispatched into the Indian Ocean. On 8 March, Somerville directed all Allied ships travelling between 80 and 100° east to divert to the south or west.
After leaving the Sunda Strait, the Japanese heavy cruisers sailed south-west for the main route between Aden and Fremantle. The ships were spread 50 km (27 nmi; 50 km) by day and 20 km (10.8 nmi; 12.4 mi) by night and maintained radio silence
. On the morning of 9 March, they encountered the 6100 LT (6,197.9 t) British steamer Behar at 20°32′S 87°10′E, about midway between Fremantle and Colombo
. The ship was travelling from Fremantle to Bombay as part of a voyage between Newcastle, New South Wales
to the United Kingdom carrying a cargo of zinc
. Upon sighting the Japanese ships, Behar turned away and was shelled by Tone. The Japanese cruiser scored hits on Behars prow and stern, killing three of her crew. The ship's radio operators managed to broadcast a distress message, however. Five minutes after the sighting, Behars crew and passengers abandoned ship. The steamer sank shortly afterwards and 104 survivors were rescued by Tone. The Japanese cruiser did not attempt to capture the steamer, as it was judged too risky to sail her back to Japanese territory. Behar was the last Allied merchant ship to be sunk by Axis surface raiders during the war.
Following the attack, Sakonju judged that it was too dangerous to continue the raid as Behars distress message may have alerted the Allies to his force's presence. Accordingly, the Japanese turned back for the NEI that day. The heavy cruisers were again escorted through the Sunda Strait by Kinu, Oi and five destroyers, and arrived at Batavia on 15 March. During this time, the Behar survivors were held in harsh conditions on board Tone.
Despite Sakonju's fears, the Allies were not immediately aware of the attack on Behar. Her distress signal had picked up by only a single Allied merchant ship which did not report it until she arrived at Fremantle on 17 March. In the meantime, Somerville decided on 16 March that surface raiders no longer posed a threat to shipping in the Indian Ocean and allowed Allied vessels to resume their normal routing.
On 16 March, Tone disembarked fifteen Behar survivors, including the ship's chief officer and two women, at Tanjung Priok
. The three cruisers departed bound for Singapore on 18 March. On that night, the remaining 89 prisoners were murdered on board Tone. The ships arrived at Singapore on 25 March. The Indian Ocean raid was the last operation conducted by Axis surface raiders during World War II.
After the war, the Allies prosecuted the officers responsible for the murders on board Tone. Vice Admiral Takasu had died from disease in September 1944, but Sakonju was tried by the British in 1947 at Hong Kong
and sentenced to death. Tones commanding officer, Captain Haruo Mayazumi, was also convicted for his role in the killings and sentenced to seven years imprisonment.
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
(IJN) heavy cruiser
Heavy cruiser
The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range, high speed and an armament of naval guns roughly 203mm calibre . The heavy cruiser can be seen as a lineage of ship design from 1915 until 1945, although the term 'heavy cruiser' only came into formal use in 1930...
s raided Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
shipping in the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
. The cruisers departed Japanese territory on 1 March with the support of other IJN vessels and aircraft. On 9 March, they encountered and sank the British steamer
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
Behar, with the heavy cruiser picking up 104 survivors. Fearing detection, the Japanese force subsequently returned to the Netherlands East Indies (NEI), arriving on 16 March. Two days later, 89 of Behars crew and passengers were murdered on board Tone. Following the war the commander of the raid, Rear Admiral Naomasa Sakonju
Naomasa Sakonju
-Notes:...
, was executed for this war crime
War crime
War crimes are serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility...
and Tones captain, Haruo Mayazumi, was sentenced to seven years imprisonment.
Background
In February 1944, the Japanese Combined FleetCombined Fleet
The was the main ocean-going component of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The Combined Fleet was not a standing force, but a temporary force formed for the duration of a conflict or major naval maneuvers from various units normally under separate commands in peacetime....
withdrew from its base at Truk
Chuuk
Chuuk — formerly Truk, Ruk, Hogoleu, Torres, Ugulat, and Lugulus — is an island group in the south western part of the Pacific Ocean. It comprises one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia , along with Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Yap. Chuuk is the most populous of the FSM's...
in the Central Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
and was divided between Palau
Palau
Palau , officially the Republic of Palau , is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippines and south of Tokyo. In 1978, after three decades as being part of the United Nations trusteeship, Palau chose independence instead of becoming part of the Federated States of Micronesia, a...
and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. The appearance of a powerful Japanese naval force at Singapore concerned the Allies, as it was feared that these ships could potentially conduct raids in the Indian Ocean and against Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. In response, the Allies strengthened their naval and air forces in the area by transferring two British light cruiser
Light cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small- or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck...
s from the Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
and Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
as well as several U.S. Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
warships from the Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. The number of air units in Ceylon and the Bay of Bengal
Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal , the largest bay in the world, forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. It resembles a triangle in shape, and is bordered mostly by the Eastern Coast of India, southern coast of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to the west and Burma and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the...
region was also increased. Admiral James Somerville
James Somerville
Admiral of the Fleet Sir James Fownes Somerville GCB, GBE, DSO was one of the most famous British Admirals of World War II.-Early career:...
, the commander of the British Eastern Fleet, feared that the Japanese would repeat their devastating Indian Ocean raid
Indian Ocean raid
The Indian Ocean raid was a naval sortie by the Fast Carrier Strike Force of the Imperial Japanese Navy from 31 March-10 April 1942 against Allied shipping and bases in the Indian Ocean. It was an early engagement of the Pacific campaign of World War II...
of early 1942, and on 25 February requested permission to withdraw his fleet from its base at Trincomalee
Trincomalee
Trincomalee is a port city in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka and lies on the east coast of the island, about 113 miles south of Jaffna. It has a population of approximately 100,000 . The city is built on a peninsula, which divides the inner and outer harbours. Overlooking the Kottiyar Bay,...
so that it was not at risk from the larger Japanese force. The Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
rejected this request and directed that the fleet should remain at Trincomalee unless it was threatened by a superior Japanese force as its withdrawal would effect morale and harm Britain's prestige in the region. It was agreed, however, that the Eastern Fleet should not engage superior Japanese forces and could withdraw if Somerville judged this necessary.
In late February, Vice-Admiral Shiro Takasu
Shirō Takasu
Admiral was a career naval officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II.-Biography:Takasu was a native of Sakuragawa Village, , and graduated from the 35th class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy, where his classmates included future admirals Nobutake Kondō and Naokuni Nomura...
—the Commander in Chief, South-West Area fleet—ordered the heavy cruisers , and to raid Allied shipping on the main route between Aden
Aden
Aden is a seaport city in Yemen, located by the eastern approach to the Red Sea , some 170 kilometres east of Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000. Aden's ancient, natural harbour lies in the crater of an extinct volcano which now forms a peninsula, joined to the mainland by a...
and Fremantle
Fremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...
. This force was commanded by Vice Admiral Naomasa Sakonju on board Aoba. In his instructions to Sakonju, Vice Admiral Takasu directed that if the force captured Allied merchant seamen, all prisoners other than radio operators were to be killed. Sakonju did not question this order. The Japanese cruisers embarked specialised boarding parties for this raid as it was hoped to capture merchant ships to alleviate Japan's shipping shortage.
Raid
The three Japanese heavy cruisers departed from the Combined Fleet's anchorage in the Lingga IslandsLingga Islands
Not to be confused with "Linga", a common Scottish island name, see Linga The Lingga Islands or Lingga Archipelago are a group of islands in Indonesia, located south of Singapore, along both sides of the equator, off the eastern coast of Riau Islands province on Sumatra island...
on 27 February. The light cruisers and and five destroyers escorted the force through the Sunda Strait
Sunda Strait
The Sunda Strait is the strait between the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra. It connects the Java Sea to the Indian Ocean...
on March. The raiders were supported by 10 medium bombers and three or four seaplane
Seaplane
A seaplane is a fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water. Seaplanes that can also take off and land on airfields are a subclass called amphibian aircraft...
s based in Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
and west Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
which conducted patrols in the direction of Ceylon. Three or four submarines from the 8th Flotilla also monitored Allied shipping movements near Ceylon, the Maldive Islands and Chagos Archipelago
Chagos Archipelago
The Chagos Archipelago , is a group of seven atolls comprising more than 60 individual tropical islands in the Indian Ocean; situated some due south of the Maldives archipelago. This chain of islands are the southernmost archipelago of the Chagos-Laccadive Ridge a long submarine mountain range...
. The Allies did not detect the Japanese force's departure, but reinforced their forces in Western Australia
Western Australian emergency of March 1944
On 6 March 1944 the Australian Government and military received an incorrect report that two Imperial Japanese Navy battleships had entered the Indian Ocean, possibly to attack Fremantle and Perth. In response, the Allied forces in the state of Western Australia were rapidly reinforced...
after an American submarine encountered Kinu and Oi operating near the Lombok Strait
Lombok Strait
The Lombok Strait is a strait connecting the Java Sea to the Indian Ocean, located between the islands of Bali and Lombok in Indonesia. The Gili Islands are on the Lombok side....
on 6 March. The presence of these ships was taken to indicate that a raiding force had possibly been dispatched into the Indian Ocean. On 8 March, Somerville directed all Allied ships travelling between 80 and 100° east to divert to the south or west.
After leaving the Sunda Strait, the Japanese heavy cruisers sailed south-west for the main route between Aden and Fremantle. The ships were spread 50 km (27 nmi; 50 km) by day and 20 km (10.8 nmi; 12.4 mi) by night and maintained radio silence
Radio silence
In telecommunications, radio silence is a status in which all fixed or mobile radio stations in an area are asked to stop transmitting for safety or security reasons.The term "radio station" may include anything capable of transmitting a radio signal....
. On the morning of 9 March, they encountered the 6100 LT (6,197.9 t) British steamer Behar at 20°32′S 87°10′E, about midway between Fremantle and Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
. The ship was travelling from Fremantle to Bombay as part of a voyage between Newcastle, New South Wales
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
to the United Kingdom carrying a cargo of zinc
Zinc
Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
. Upon sighting the Japanese ships, Behar turned away and was shelled by Tone. The Japanese cruiser scored hits on Behars prow and stern, killing three of her crew. The ship's radio operators managed to broadcast a distress message, however. Five minutes after the sighting, Behars crew and passengers abandoned ship. The steamer sank shortly afterwards and 104 survivors were rescued by Tone. The Japanese cruiser did not attempt to capture the steamer, as it was judged too risky to sail her back to Japanese territory. Behar was the last Allied merchant ship to be sunk by Axis surface raiders during the war.
Following the attack, Sakonju judged that it was too dangerous to continue the raid as Behars distress message may have alerted the Allies to his force's presence. Accordingly, the Japanese turned back for the NEI that day. The heavy cruisers were again escorted through the Sunda Strait by Kinu, Oi and five destroyers, and arrived at Batavia on 15 March. During this time, the Behar survivors were held in harsh conditions on board Tone.
Despite Sakonju's fears, the Allies were not immediately aware of the attack on Behar. Her distress signal had picked up by only a single Allied merchant ship which did not report it until she arrived at Fremantle on 17 March. In the meantime, Somerville decided on 16 March that surface raiders no longer posed a threat to shipping in the Indian Ocean and allowed Allied vessels to resume their normal routing.
Aftermath
Tanjung Priok
Tanjung Priok is a subdistrict of North Jakarta, Jakarta, Indonesia. It hosts the western part of the city's main harbour, the Port of Tanjung Priok...
. The three cruisers departed bound for Singapore on 18 March. On that night, the remaining 89 prisoners were murdered on board Tone. The ships arrived at Singapore on 25 March. The Indian Ocean raid was the last operation conducted by Axis surface raiders during World War II.
After the war, the Allies prosecuted the officers responsible for the murders on board Tone. Vice Admiral Takasu had died from disease in September 1944, but Sakonju was tried by the British in 1947 at Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and sentenced to death. Tones commanding officer, Captain Haruo Mayazumi, was also convicted for his role in the killings and sentenced to seven years imprisonment.