| Battle of Madagascar | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theIndian Ocean theatre ofWorld War II | |||||||||
 King's African Rifles'25-pounder battery in action nearAmbositra in Madagascar against Vichy positions during Operation Stream Line Jane, September 1942 | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
 Robert Sturges Edward Syfret |  Armand Annet Noboru Ishizaki | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 10,000–15,000 soldiers 6 infantry tanks 6 light tanks 2 aircraft carriers 1 seaplane carrier 1 battleship 6 light cruisers 22 destroyers 8 corvettes 1 monitor 1 minelayer 4 minesweepers 5 assault transports over 81 aircraft[1] | Vichy France: 8,000 soldiers[2] 6 tanks 35 aircraft[3] 4 warships[4] Japanese Navy 95 soldiers 4 submarines 2 midget submarines 1 reconnaissance aircraft[5] | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 107 killed 280 wounded 108 died from disease[3] 1 battleship heavily damaged 1 oil tanker sunk 8 tanks destroyed | 152 killed 500 wounded (does not include any casualties caused by disease)[3] 1,000 captured[6] 34 aircraft destroyed 1 midget submarine destroyed 1 midget submarine lost at sea | ||||||||
  Location ofDiego-Suarez Bay | |||||||||
TheBattle of Madagascar (5 May – 6 November 1942) was anAllied campaign to capture theVichy French−controlled islandMadagascar duringWorld War II. The seizure of the island by the British was to deny Madagascar's ports to theImperial Japanese Navy and to prevent the loss or impairment of theAllied shipping routes to India, Australia and Southeast Asia. It began withOperation Ironclad, the seizure of the port of Diego-Suarez (nowAntsiranana) near the northern tip of the island, on 5 May 1942.[7][8]
A campaign to secure the rest of the island, Operations Stream, Line and Jane, was opened on 10 September. The Allies broke into the interior, linking up with forces on the coast and secured the island by the end of October. Fighting ceased and an armistice was granted on 6 November.[9] This was the first big operation by the Alliescombining sea, land and air forces. The island was placed underFree French control.[10][11]
Diego-Suarez is a large bay, with a fine harbour, near the northern tip of the island of Madagascar. It has an opening to the east through a narrow channel called Oronjia Pass. The naval base of Diego-Suarez lies on a peninsula between two of the four small bays enclosed within Diego-Suarez Bay. The bay cuts deeply into the northern tip of Madagascar's Cape Amber, almost severing it from the rest of the island.[12]: 133 In the 1880s, the bay was coveted by France, which claimed it as acoaling station for steamships travelling to French possessions farther east. The colonization was formalized after the firstFranco-Hova War when QueenRanavalona III signed a treaty on 17 December 1885 giving France aprotectorate over the bay and surrounding territory; as well as the islands ofNosy Be andSt. Marie de Madagascar. The colony's administration was subsumed into that ofFrench Madagascar in 1897.[13]
In 1941, Diego-Suarez town, the bay and the channel were well protected by navalshore batteries.[12]: 133
Following theJapaneseconquest of Southeast Asia east ofBurma by the end of February 1942,submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy moved freely throughout the north and eastern expanses of theIndian Ocean. In March, Japaneseaircraft carriersraidedmerchant ships in theBay of Bengal, and attacked bases inColombo andTrincomalee inCeylon (nowSri Lanka). This raid drove theBritish Eastern Fleet out of the area and they were forced to relocate to a new base atKilindini Harbour,Mombasa,Kenya.[14]
The move made the British fleet more vulnerable to attack. The possibility of Japanese naval forces using forward bases in Madagascar had to be addressed. The potential use of these facilities particularly threatenedAllied merchant shipping, the supply route to theBritish Eighth Army and also the Eastern Fleet.[citation needed]
JapaneseKaidai-type submarines had the longest range of anyAxis submarines at the time – more than 10,000 mi (16,000 km) in some cases. If the Imperial Japanese Navy's submarines could use bases on Madagascar, Alliedlines of communication would be affected across a region stretching from thePacific andAustralia, to theMiddle East and as far as theSouth Atlantic.[citation needed]
On 17 December 1941,Vice Admiral Fricke, Chief of Staff of Germany'sMaritime Warfare Command (Seekriegsleitung), metVice Admiral Naokuni Nomura, the Japanesenaval attaché, inBerlin to discuss the delimitation of respective operational areas between the GermanKriegsmarine and Imperial Japanese Navy forces. At another meeting on 27 March 1942, Fricke stressed the importance of the Indian Ocean to the Axis powers and expressed the desire that the Japanese begin operations against the northern Indian Ocean sea routes. Fricke further emphasized thatCeylon, theSeychelles, and Madagascar should have a higher priority for the Axis navies than operations againstAustralia.[12]: 116 By 8 April, the Japanese announced to Fricke that they intended to commit four or five submarines and twoauxiliary cruisers for operations in the western Indian Ocean betweenAden and theCape of Good Hope, but they refused to disclose their plans for operations against Madagascar and Ceylon, only reiterating their commitment to operations in the area.[12]: 117
The Allies had heard the rumours of Japanese plans for the Indian Ocean and on 27 November 1941, the British Chiefs of Staff discussed the possibility that theVichy government might cede the whole of Madagascar to Japan, or alternatively permit the Japanese Navy to establish bases on the island. British naval advisors urged the occupation of the island as a precautionary measure.[12]: 131 On 16 December, GeneralCharles de Gaulle, leader of theFree French in London, sent a letter to the British Prime Minister,Winston Churchill, in which he also urged a Free French operation against Madagascar.[15]: 223 Churchill recognised the risk of a Japanese-controlled Madagascar to Indian Ocean shipping, particularly to the important sea route toIndia andCeylon, and considered the port ofDiego-Suarez as the strategic key to Japanese influence in the Indian Ocean. However, he also made it clear to planners that he did not feel Britain had the resources to mount such an operation and, following experience in theBattle of Dakar in September 1940, did not want a joint operation launched by British and Free French forces to secure the island.[15]: 223
By 12 March 1942, Churchill had been convinced of the importance of such an operation and the decision was reached that the planning of the invasion of Madagascar would begin in earnest. It was agreed that the Free French would be explicitly excluded from the operation. As a preliminary battle outline, Churchill gave the following guidelines to the planners forOperation Bonus:[15]: 225
On 14 March, Force 121 was constituted under the command of Major-GeneralRobert Sturges of theRoyal Marines with Rear-AdmiralEdward Syfret being placed in command of naval Force H and the supporting sea force.[12]: 132
Force 121 left theClyde in Scotland on 23 March and joined with South African-born Syfret's ships atFreetown in Sierra Leone, proceeding from there in two convoys to their assembly point atDurban on the South African east coast. Here they were joined by the 13th Brigade Group of the 5th Division – General Sturges' force consisting of three infantry brigades, while Syfret's squadron consisted of the flagbattleshipHMS Ramillies, aircraft carriersHMS Illustrious andHMS Indomitable,cruisersHMS Hermione andHMS Devonshire, elevendestroyers, sixminesweepers, sixcorvettes and auxiliaries. It was a formidable force to bring against the 8,000 troops (mostlyconscriptedMalagasy) at Diego-Suarez, but the chiefs of staff were adamant that the operation was to succeed, preferably without any fighting.[12]: 132
This was to be the first Britishamphibious assault since the disastrous landings in theDardanelles twenty-seven years before.[15]: 230
During the assembly in Durban, Field-MarshalJan Smuts pointed out that the mere seizure of Diego-Suarez would be no guarantee against continuing Japanese aggression and urged that the ports ofMajunga andTamatave be occupied as well. This was evaluated by the chiefs of staff, but it was decided to retain Diego-Suarez as the only objective due to the lack of manpower.[12]: 132 Churchill remarked that the only way to permanently secure Madagascar was by means of a strong fleet and adequate air support operating from Ceylon and sent GeneralArchibald Wavell (India Command) a note stating that as soon as the initial objectives had been met, all responsibility for safeguarding Madagascar would be passed on to Wavell. He added that when the commandos were withdrawn, garrison duties would be performed by two African brigades and one brigade from the Belgian Congo or west coast of Africa.[15]: 231
In March and April, theSouth African Air Force (SAAF) had conducted reconnaissance flights over Diego-Suarez and No. 32, 36 and 37 Coastal Flights were withdrawn from maritime patrol operations and sent toLindi on the Indian Ocean coast ofTanganyika, with an additional elevenBristol Beauforts and sixMartin Marylands to provide close air support during the planned operations.[12]: 133
Allied commanders decided to launch anamphibious assault on Madagascar, Operation Ironclad, executed by Force 121. It included Allied naval, land and air forces and was commanded by Major-GeneralRobert Sturges of theRoyal Marines. TheBritish Army landing force included the29th Independent Infantry Brigade Group,No 5 (Army) Commando, and two brigades of the5th Infantry Division, the latter en route to India with the remainder of the division. The Allied naval contingent consisted of over 50 vessels, drawn from Force H, theHome Fleet and the BritishEastern Fleet, commanded by Syfret. The fleet included the aircraft carrierHMS Illustrious, hersister shipIndomitable and the ageing battleshipHMS Ramillies to cover the landings.
Following numerous reconnaissance missions by theSouth African Air Force, the first wave of the British 29th Infantry Brigade and No. 5 Commando landed inLanding Craft Assault on 5 May, with follow-up waves by two brigades of the 5th Infantry Division and Royal Marines. All were carried ashore bylanding craft to Courrier Bay and Ambararata Bay, just west of the major port of Diego-Suarez, at the northern tip of Madagascar. A diversionary attack was staged to the east. Air cover was provided mainly byFairey Albacore andFairey Swordfishtorpedo bombers which attacked Vichy shipping and the airfield atArrachart. They were supported by GrummanMartlets fighters from theFleet Air Arm. A small number of SAAF planes assisted. The Swordfish sank the armed merchant cruiserBougainville and then the submarineBévéziers; one Swordfish was shot down by anti-aircraft fire and its crew taken prisoner.[16] The aircraft shot down had been dropping leaflets inFrench that encouraged the Vichy troops to surrender.[16]
The defending Vichy forces, led byGovernor GeneralArmand Léon Annet, included about 8,000 troops, of whom about 6,000 were Malagasytirailleurs (colonial infantry). A large proportion of the rest wereSenegalese. Between 1,500 and 3,000 Vichy troops were concentrated around Diego-Suarez.[7] Naval and air defences were relatively light or obsolete with eight coastal batteries, twoarmed merchant cruisers, twosloops, five submarines, 17M.S. 406 fighters and tenPotez 63 bombers.[citation needed]
The beach landings met with virtually no resistance and these troops seized Vichy coastal batteries and barracks. The Courier Bay force, the British17th Infantry Brigade, after toiling throughmangrove swamp and thick bush, took the town of Diego-Suarez and captured a hundredprisoners. The Ambararata Bay force, the 29th Independent Brigade, headed towards the French naval base of Antisarane.[7] With assistance from sixValentines of 'B' Special Service Squadron and sixTetrarch light tanks of 'C' Special Service Squadron, they advanced 21 mi (34 km), overcoming light resistance with bayonet charges.[17] Antisarane was elaborately defended with trenches, two redoubts, pillboxes, and flanked on both sides by impenetrable swamps.[18] Arrachart airfield was attacked, and five of the Morane fighters were destroyed and another two damaged, while two Potez-63s were also damaged. This attack eliminated a quarter of Vichy air strength on the island. Two Morane fighters did briefly appear andstrafe beaches at Courier Bay, but two more Vichy aircraft were lost on the first day.[19]
On the morning of 6 May, a frontal assault on the defences failed with the loss of three Valentines and two Tetrarchs.[17] Three Vichy Potez 63s attempted to attack the beach landing points but were intercepted by British Martlets and two were shot down.[19] Albacores were used to bomb French defences and a Swordfish managed to sink the submarineLe Héros.[20] By the end of the day, fierce resistance had resulted in the destruction of 10 out of the 12 tanks the British had brought to Madagascar.[21] The British had been unaware of the strength of the French defences, known as the 'Joffre line', and were greatly surprised at the level of resistance they came across.[22] Another assault by theSouth Lancashires worked its way around the Vichy defences but the swamps and bad terrain meant the unit was broken into groups. It swung behind the Vichy line and caused chaos. Fire was poured on the Vichy defences from behind ,and the radio station and a barracks were captured.[23] In all, 200 prisoners were taken but the South Lancashires had to withdraw as communication with the main force was lost after the radio set failed. At this time, the Vichy government in France began to learn of the landings, andAdmiral Darlan sent a message to Governor Annet telling him to "Firmly defend the honour of our flag", and "Fight to the limit of your possibilities ... and make the British pay dearly." The Vichy forces then asked for assistance from the Japanese, who were in no position to provide substantial support.[24]
Faced with the extent of Vichy French resistance, the old destroyerHMS Anthony broke the deadlock when it dashed straight past the Antisarane harbour defences and landed fifty Royal Marines fromRamillies amidst the Vichy rear area.[23] The marines created a "disturbance in the town out of all proportion to their numbers", taking the French artillery command post along with its barracks and the naval depot. At the same time, the 17th Infantry Brigade had broken through the defences and was soon in the town. With the Vichy defence broken, Antisarane surrendered that evening, though substantial Vichy forces withdrew to the south.[25] On 7 May, Martlets encountered three French M.S. 406 fighters, which shot down one Martlet. All three French fighters were then shot down; by the third day of the attack on Madagascar, twelve Moranes and five Potez 63s had been destroyed out of a total of 35 Vichy aircraft on the island.[19] Three Potez bombers were destroyed on the ground during a raid onMajunga on 15 May.[19] Fighting continued into 7 May but by the end of the day, Operation Ironclad had concluded. In three days of fighting, the British had seen 109 men killed and 283 wounded, with the French suffering 700 casualties.[26]
TheJapanese submarinesI-10,I-16, andI-20 arrived three weeks later on 29 May.I-10's reconnaissance plane spottedRamillies at anchor in Diego-Suarez harbour, but the plane was spotted andRamillies changed her berth.I-20 andI-16 launched twomidget submarines, one of which managed to enter the harbour and fire twotorpedoes while underdepth charge attack from two corvettes. One torpedo seriously damagedRamillies, while the second sank the 6,993 GRToil tankerBritish Loyalty (later refloated).Ramillies was later repaired inDurban andPlymouth. The crew of one of the midget submarines, Lieutenant Saburo Akieda and Petty Officer Masami Takemoto, beached their craft (M-20b) at Nosy Antalikely and moved inland towards their pick-up point near Cape Amber. They were betrayed when they bought food at the village of Anijabe and both were killed in a firefight with Royal Marines three days later. One marine was killed in the action as well. The second midget submarine was lost at sea and the body of a crewman was found washed ashore a day later.[27]
Hostilities continued at a low level for several months. After 19 May, two brigades of the 5th Infantry Division were transferred to India. On 8 June, the22nd (East Africa) Brigade Group arrived on Madagascar.[28] The7th South African Motorized Brigade arrived on 24 June.[29] On 2 July, an invasion force was sent to the Vichy-held island ofMayotte to take control of its valuable radio station and use it as a base for British operations in the area. The island's defenders were caught by surprise and the radio station and most of the sleeping defenders were captured. The Chief of Police and a few others attempted to escape by car but were stopped by roadblocks that had been set up. The island's capture was carried out with no loss of life or major damage.[30]
The27th (North Rhodesia) Infantry Brigade (including forces fromEast Africa) landed in Madagascar on 8 August.[31] The Vichy governor of Madagascar, Annet, attempted to obtain reinforcements from the central Vichy government, particularly aircraft, but was unable to do so. By August, Vichy air strength on the island consisted of four Morane fighters and three Potez-63s.[32] The operation code-named Stream Line Jane (sometimes given as Streamline Jane) consisted of three sub-operations code-named Stream, Line and Jane. Stream and Jane were, respectively, the amphibious landings at Majunga on 10 September and Tamatave on 18 September, while Line was the advance from Majunga to the French capital,Tananarive, which fell on 23 September.[33][34]
On 10 September, the 29th Brigade and 22nd Brigade Group made an amphibious landing at Majunga, another port on the west coast of the island. No. 5 Commando spearheaded the landing and faced machine gun fire but despite this they stormed the quayside, took control of the local post office, stormed the governor's residence and raised theUnion Jack.[35] Having severed communications with Tananarive, the Allies intended to re-launch the offensive ahead of therainy season. Progress was slow for the Allied forces. In addition to occasional small-scale clashes with Vichy forces, they also encountered scores of obstacles erected on the main roads by Vichy soldiers. Vichy forces attempted to destroy the second bridge on the Majunga–Tananarive road, but only succeeded in causing the central span of the bridge to sag merely 3 ft (0.91 m) into the river below, meaning that Allied vehicles could still pass over. Once the Vichy forces realised their mistake, a Potez-63 aircraft was sent to drop bombs to finish off the bridge, but the attack failed.[36] The Allies eventually captured the capital,Tananarive, without much opposition, and then the town ofAmbalavao but Annet escaped.[37]
Eight days later, a British force set out to capture Tamatave. Heavy surf interfered with the operation. AsHMS Birmingham's launch was heading to shore, it was fired at by French shore batteries and promptly turned around.Birmingham then opened her guns up on the shores batteries, and within three minutes the French raised thewhite flag and surrendered. From there the South Lancashires and the Royal Welch Fusiliers set out to the south to link up with forces there. After they reached Tananarive, they pressed on towardsMoramanga and on 25 September linked up with the King's African Rifles, having secured the British lines of communication around the island. At the same time, the East African infantry and South African armoured cars set out to find Annet.[38] The same day, a bombing raid was launched by South African Marylands on a Vichy-held fort inFianarantsoa, the only big town that was still in French hands and where the remainder of the Vichy aircraft were now based. Also on September 25, British forces landed in theComoros.[39]Tetrarch andValentine tanks of 'B' and 'C' Special Service Squadrons had been embarked for use in these operations, but they were not used as they could not ford the Ivondro River and the railway bridges were unsuitable.[40]
On 29 September, two companies of the South AfricanPretoria Highlanders performed the only amphibious landing by South African forces of the entire war at the west coast harbor town ofTulear, some 900 mi (1,400 km) south of Diego Suarez.[41]Birmingham, 2 destroyers and 200 Royal Marines supported the unopposed landing. On 6 October, a Morane fighter strafed British positions nearAntinchi, and on 8 October a British bombing raid onIhosy airfield destroyed four Vichy aircraft.[42]
The last major action took place on 18 October atAndramanalina, a U-shaped valley with the meandering Mangarahara River where an ambush was planned for British forces by Vichy troops. The King's African Rifles split into two columns and marched around the 'U' of the valley and met Vichy troops in the rear and then ambushed them. The Vichy troops suffered many losses, which resulted in 800 of them surrendering.[38] A Morane fighter was operational until 21 October, and even strafed South African troops, but by 21 October the only serviceable aircraft the Vichy forces had was aSalmson Phrygane transport aircraft.[43] On 25 October, the King's African Rifles enteredFianarantsoa but found Annet gone, this time nearIhosy 100 mi (160 km) south. The Africans swiftly moved after him, but they received an envoy from Annet asking for terms of surrender. He had had enough and could not flee further. An armistice was signed inAmbalavao on 6 November, and Annet surrendered two days later.[44]
The Allies suffered about 500 casualties in the landing at Diego-Suarez, and 30 more killed and 90 wounded in the operations which followed on 10 September 1942. Julian Jackson, in his biography of de Gaulle, observed that the French had held out longer against the Allies in Madagascar in 1942 than they had against the Germans in France in 1940.[45]
With Madagascar in their hands, the Allies established military and naval installations across the island. The island was crucial for the rest of the war. Its deep water ports were vital for control of the passageway to India and the Persian corridor, and were now beyond the grasp of the Axis.[38] This was the first large-scale operation of World War II by the Allies combining sea, land, and air forces. In the makeshift Allied planning of the war's early years, the invasion of Madagascar held a prominent strategic place.[10]
Historian John Grehan has claimed that the British capture of Madagascar, before it could fall into Japanese hands, was so crucial to the war effort that it led to Japan's eventual downfall and defeat.[46]
Free French GeneralPaul Legentilhomme was appointed High Commissioner for Madagascar in December 1942[47] only to replace British administration.Like many colonies, Madagascar sought its independence from theFrench Empire following the war. In 1947, the island experienced theMalagasy Uprising, a costly revolution that was crushed in 1948. It was not until 26 June 1960, about twelve years later, that theMalagasy Republic successfully proclaimed its independence fromFrance.
Campaign service in Madagascar did not qualify for the British and CommonwealthAfrica Star. It was instead covered by the1939–1945 Star.[48]
The following order of battle represents the Malagasy and Vichy French forces on the island directly after the initialIronclad landings.[53]
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