Operation Millet
| date | 17th to 19th October 1944 |
|---|---|
| place | Nicobar Islands |
| output |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| losses | |
|
3 fighters |
7 torpedo bombers |
The operation Millet was a carrier based Allied assault under British command at targets in from Japan occupied group of the Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal in the Pacific theater during World War II . It was a diversionary maneuver for the planned invasion of the Philippine island of Leyte (→ Operation King II ).
planning
After Admiral Somerville had been replaced as Commander of the Eastern Fleet by Admiral Bruce Fraser on August 23, 1944 , operations planning began.
Admiral Mountbatten , commanding officer of the South East Asia Command (SEAC, " South East Asia Command ") has been asked to undertake a diversionary command with the Eastern Fleet in the Indian Ocean . Mountbatten decided to attack the Nicobar Islands, which had been occupied by the Japanese in 1942. To execute, Admiral Fraser placed a fleet under the command of Vice Admiral Arthur Power . The Task Force 63 was divided into three groups:
- TG.63.1, consisting of the battle cruiser Renown ( flagship of Vice Admiral Power) and the destroyers of the 4th destroyer flotilla Quilliam , Queenborough and the Australian Quiberon .
- TG.63.2, composed of the cruisers London , Cumberland and Suffolk and the destroyers Relentless , Raider , the Australian Norman and the Dutch Van Galen .
- TG.63.3, with the aircraft carriers Victorious and Indomitable from France , the cruiser ( fighter leader ship ) Phoebe and the destroyers Whelp , Wakeful , Wessex and Wager .
The attack
The fleet ran from Trincomalee on October 15, 1944 and undertook air raids on the Nicobar Islands from October 17 to 19. There was hardly any Japanese defensive fire to speak of. It was only on the last day that there was an aerial battle with Japanese torpedo bombers . Seven were shot down by Allied carrier aircraft , with only three casualties.
consequences
The attack had no impact on the Japanese defense plan for the Philippines (Operation Shō-Gō), which was already underway at that time.
Individual evidence
The article is essentially based on the following website by Christopher (Chris) Chant. About the author see here .
- ↑ a b c d Christopher Chant: The Encyclopedia of Codenames of World War II . Routledge Kegan & Paul Publishing House, 1987, ISBN 978-0-7102-0718-0 (English, codenames.info [accessed July 3, 2020]).
- ^ Sea War 1944, October. Retrieved July 2, 2020 .