Citizendia
Your Ad Here

The Easter Sunday Raid was an air raid carried out by the Empire of Japan on Easter Sunday, April 5, 1942 on Colombo, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), as a part of the Indian Ocean Raid. Strategic bombing is a Military strategy used in a Total war with the goal of defeating an enemy nation-state by destroying its economic ability to wage war rather The Empire of Japan ( {{unicode|Kyūjitai}}: ja 大日本帝國 Shinjitai: ja 大日本帝国 pronounced Dai Nippon Teikoku Easter ( Greek: Πάσχα Pascha or Pasxa) is the most important religious feast in the Christian Liturgical year. Events 456 - St Patrick returns to Ireland as a missionary bishop Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Colombo ( Sinhala:, ˈkoləmbə Tamil: கொழும்பு is the largest city and commercial capital of Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka ( Sinhalese:, இலங்கை known as Ceylon before 1972 is an Island The Indian Ocean raid was a naval sortie by the Fast Carrier Strike Force of the Imperial Japanese Navy from 31 March to 10 April 1942 A few days later Trincomalee was also attacked. Trincomalee (திருகோணமலை Tirukōṇamalai තිරිකුණාමළය Tirikūṇamaḷaya is a district a bay and a port city on the northeast coast of The raids were intended to disrupt the war effort of British Commonwealth nations and force the British Eastern Fleet to leave Asian waters. The British Eastern Fleet (also known as the East Indies Fleet and the Far East Fleet) was a fleet of the Royal Navy during World War II

Contents

Background

The British had been in occupation of the coastal areas of the island since 1796, but the colony had not had a regular garrison of British troops since 1917. Year 1796 ( MDCCXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year The Ceylon Defence Force and Ceylon Navy Volunteer Reserve were mobilized and expanded. Ceylon Defence Force (CDF was established in 1910 by reforming the Ceylon Volunteer Force (CVF that existed that the time as the ( military reserve) in the British The Sri Lanka Volunteer Naval Force ( SLVNF) is the volunteer reserve force of the Sri Lanka Navy in Sri Lanka. The Royal Navy maintained naval installations in Trincomalee and the RAF had established an aerodrome in China Bay, Trincomalee long before the war. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service) Trincomalee (திருகோணமலை Tirukōṇamalai තිරිකුණාමළය Tirikūṇamaḷaya is a district a bay and a port city on the northeast coast of SLAF China Bay is a Sri Lanka Air Force base located near the city of Trincomalee in Sri Lanka.

After the fall of Singapore the Royal Navy's East Indies Station was moved to Colombo and then to Trincomalee. The Battle of Singapore was fought in the South-East Asian theatre of World War II when the Empire of Japan invaded the Allied stronghold The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service) The East Indies Station was one of the geographical Area of operations into which the British Royal Navy divided its world-wide responsibilities Colombo ( Sinhala:, ˈkoləmbə Tamil: கொழும்பு is the largest city and commercial capital of Sri Lanka. Trincomalee (திருகோணமலை Tirukōṇamalai තිරිකුණාමළය Tirikūṇamaḷaya is a district a bay and a port city on the northeast coast of Admiral Sir Geoffrey Layton was appointed Commander-in-Chief, Ceylon with Air Vice Marshal John D'Albaic as Air Officer Commanding and Admiral Sir James Somerville appointed commander of the British Eastern Fleet. Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks of the highest Naval officers Sir is an Honorific used as a title (see Knight) and in several other modern contexts Admiral Sir Geoffrey Layton GBE, KCB, KCMG, DSO ( 20 April 1884 &ndash 4 September 1964 Air Vice-Marshal ( AVM) is an Air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks of the highest Naval officers Sir is an Honorific used as a title (see Knight) and in several other modern contexts Admiral of the Fleet Sir James Fownes Somerville GCB, GBE, DSO ( 17 July 1882 &ndash 19 March 1949 The British Eastern Fleet (also known as the East Indies Fleet and the Far East Fleet) was a fleet of the Royal Navy during World War II

The fixed land defences consisted of four coastal batteries at Colombo and five at Trincomalee; these were established just before the war. Coastal artillery is the branch of Armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship Artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal Fortifications. Air defences were expanded in 1941 with the RAF occupying the civil airfield at Ratmalana near Colombo with its station headquarters set up at Kandawala. Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Ratmalana Airport was originally the international airport for Colombo, Sri Lanka. Kandawala was the home of General Sir John Lionel Kotelawala CH KBE LLD ( 4 April 1897 - 2 October 1980 Another airbase was rapidly built at Koggala near Galle and several temporary airstrips were built across the country with the largest at Colombo Racecourse grounds. Koggala Airport in Sri Lanka was originally a Royal Air Force (RAF base RAF Koggala Galle (ගාල්ල in Sinhala; காலி in Tamil) (pronounced as one syllable in English gɔːl the same as "Gaul" and in Sinhalese Colombo Racecourse Airstrip was a temporary Airfield constructed at the Colombo Racecourse in Colombo during World War II for the Royal Several RAF squadrons were sent to Ceylon. A squadron is a small unit or formation of Cavalry, armour, Aircraft (including Balloons) or Warships Army

The attack

With Japan's entry into the war, and especially after the fall of Singapore, Ceylon became a front-line British base against the Japanese. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. Singapore Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka ( Sinhalese:, இலங்கை known as Ceylon before 1972 is an Island Admiral Sir Geoffrey Layton was appointed Commander-in-Chief, Ceylon. Admiral Sir Geoffrey Layton GBE, KCB, KCMG, DSO ( 20 April 1884 &ndash 4 September 1964 Air Vice Marshal John D'Albaic became Air Officer Commanding. Admiral Sir James Somerville was appointed commander of the British Eastern Fleet. Admiral of the Fleet Sir James Fownes Somerville GCB, GBE, DSO ( 17 July 1882 &ndash 19 March 1949 The British Eastern Fleet (also known as the East Indies Fleet and the Far East Fleet) was a fleet of the Royal Navy during World War II Somerville retreated with his main fleet to Addu Atoll in the Maldives, leaving the aircraft carrier Hermes, escorted by the heavy cruisers Cornwall and Dorsetshire, and the Royal Australian Navy destroyer HMAS Vampire in Ceylon. Addu Atoll (local administrative code Seenu) is the southernmost Atoll of the Maldives. The Maldives ( or, or Maldive Islands) officially the Republic of Maldives, is an Island nation consisting of a group of atolls stretching An aircraft carrier is a Warship designed with History Upon completion in 1928 Cornwall joined the China Station. Career Interwar Upon commissioning she became the Flagship of the 2nd Cruiser Squadron The Royal Australian Navy ( RAN) is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force.

After the sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse and the fall of Singapore, British morale on the island dropped. The Sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse was a World War II naval engagement which illustrated the effectiveness of aerial attacks The Battle of Singapore was fought in the South-East Asian theatre of World War II when the Empire of Japan invaded the Allied stronghold The sinking of these two capital ships shocked much of the world; the awareness of the superiority of aircraft carriers over battleships increased dramatically. On Ceylon there was understandably much anxiety that a Japanese attack appeared to be inevitable. A large sea turtle which came ashore was reported by an Australian unit as a number of Japanese amphibious vehicles. Sea turtles ( Superfamily Chelonioidea) are Turtles found in all the world's oceans except the Arctic Ocean. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. An amphibious vehicle (or simply amphibian) is a Vehicle or craft, that is a means of transport viable on land as well as on water - just like an However, actual preparations for defence were lackadaisical, apart from the deployment of a Royal Air Force squadron at the Colombo race course. Anti-British sentiment increased accordingly within some portions of the indigenous population and their hopes ran high for liberation by the Japanese.

On 4 April 1942 the Japanese Navy fleet of Admiral Chuichi Nagumo was located by a Catalina aircraft flown by Squadron Leader Leonard Birchall out of Koggala. Events 1581 - Francis Drake completes a circumnavigation of the world and is knighted by Elizabeth I. Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. For Combined Fleet, please see that article For Carrier Striking Task Force, please see that article WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Air Commodore Leonard Joseph Birchall CM, OBE, DFC, OOnt, CD DMSc LLD However, Nagumo achieved near-complete surprise when he launched an airstrike on Colombo the next day (Easter Sunday, 5 April). Easter ( Greek: Πάσχα Pascha or Pasxa) is the most important religious feast in the Christian Liturgical year. Events 456 - St Patrick returns to Ireland as a missionary bishop Despite the fact that the war in Europe had been raging for almost 18 months, and in the Pacific for almost four, the British radars were not operating because it was Sunday.

But the greatest shock of the day was probably felt by the Japanese high command, who had expected to catch the remnants of the British fleet at anchor in Ceylon. The Japanese had planned the bombing of the Eastern Fleet's home base with meticulous care and precision in a manner almost exactly like the Pearl Harbor operation (in fact many of the same bombers with the same pilots participated in both strikes). Most of the British Eastern Fleet was maintaining radio silence in Addu Atoll, so that when the Japanese arrived at Colombo there were only three ships at anchor instead of the much larger number they had anticipated.

The continued existence of the remnants of the British Eastern Fleet (which included some Dutch warships as well) prevented the Japanese from attempting a major troop landing in Ceylon. Speaking at a dinner party at the British Embassy in Washington after the war, Winston Churchill called the attempted invasion of Ceylon, “the most dangerous moment of World War II. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC, PC (Can ( 30 November 1874 ” Churchill concluded that if the Japanese fleet had succeeded, they would have controlled the Indian Ocean.

Burning, sinking HMS Cornwall following Japanese dive bomber attacks, "dangerous moment" in the Indian Ocean, 5 April 1942.
Burning, sinking HMS Cornwall following Japanese dive bomber attacks, "dangerous moment" in the Indian Ocean, 5 April 1942. History Upon completion in 1928 Cornwall joined the China Station. Events 456 - St Patrick returns to Ireland as a missionary bishop Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

The Hawker Hurricanes of No 30 Squadron were on the ground at Ratmalana when the Japanese aircraft passed overhead. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout No 30 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the second generation C-130J Hercules from RAF Lyneham The auxiliary cruiser Hector and the old destroyer Tenedos were sunk in the harbour. Armed Merchantmen has come to mean merchant ships equipped with guns usually for defensive purposes either by design or after the fact Construction and civilian service Hector was built in the interwar period by Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, of Greenock, Scotland HMS Tenedos was an Admiralty 'S' class destroyer Commissioned in 1919 she served throughout the period between the two World Wars. The Japanese discovered the Cornwall and Dorsetshire 320 km (200 miles) southwest of Ceylon and sank the two ships. The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States British losses were 424 men killed; 1,120 survivors spent hours in the water. The RAF and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) lost at least 27 aircraft, the Japanese only five. The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the Royal Navy responsible for the operation of the aircraft on board their ships The Japanese also bombed the lunatic asylum at Angoda, mistaking it for the fuel tanks at nearby Kolonnawa.

On 9 April 1942 the Japanese attacked the harbour at Trincomalee and the British ships off Batticaloa. Events 193 - Septimius Severus is proclaimed Roman Emperor by the army in Illyricum (in the Balkans) Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Batticaloa (மட்டக்களப்பு in Tamil මඩකළපුව in Sinhala) is the provincial capital of the eastern province of Sri Lanka Hermes, Vampire and the Flower-class corvette Hollyhock were sunk. Class designation The term "corvette" was originally a French name for a small sailing warship intermediate between the Frigate and the Sloop-of-war A corvette is a small maneuverable lightly armed Warship, originally smaller than a Frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft, although many HMS Hollyhock (K64 was a Flower-class corvette that served in the Royal Navy. The Royal Air Force lost at least eight Hurricanes and the FAA one Fairey Fulmar. The Fairey Fulmar was a British carrier-borne Fighter aircraft that served with the Fleet Air Arm (FAA during World War II. The Japanese lost five bombers and six fighters, one in a suicide attack on the Trincomalee fuel tanks.

The sortie demonstrated Japanese superiority in carrier operations. Good luck favored Somerville when the Japanese did not find his fast carriers Indomitable and Formidable; these ships were saved to fight another day. Construction and early history She was laid down by Vickers-Armstrong at Barrow-in-Furness, on 10 November 1937 as war loomed ever closer Battle Honours Matapan 1941 Crete 1941 Mediterranean 1941 Indian Ocean early 1942 North But British prestige was brought even lower than it had been after the fall of Singapore.

British Commonwealth units in Ceylon at the time of the attack

Ground

Ceylonese units
Commonwealth units

Air

See also

External links & References

WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout History Created as the third RCAF squadron attached to the RAF Coastal Command. The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the Royal Navy responsible for the operation of the aircraft on board their ships WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout 803 Naval Air Squadron was a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm squadron The Fairey Fulmar was a British carrier-borne Fighter aircraft that served with the Fleet Air Arm (FAA during World War II. 806 Naval Air Squadron was a fighter squadron in the Fleet Air Arm. The Fairey Fulmar was a British carrier-borne Fighter aircraft that served with the Fleet Air Arm (FAA during World War II. The Sri Lanka Army is the oldest and largest of the three armed services of Sri Lanka and is responsible for overseeing land-based military and The Sri Lankan Navy is the key maritime division of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces and is classed as the most vital defence force of Sri Lanka.
© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
 Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic