Battle of Madagascar

The Battle of Madagascar (or Operation Ironclad) was the Allied campaign to capture Vichy French-controlled Madagascar during World War II. It began on 5 May 1942. Fighting did not cease until 6 November. In early 1942, Allied leaders believed that ports on Madagascar might be used by Japan, an idea shared by the German Navy. Following their conquest of South East Asia (east of Burma by the end of February 1942), the Japanese high command was abl... more

The Battle of Madagascar (or Operation Ironclad) was the Allied campaign to capture Vichy French-controlled Madagascar during World War II. It began on 5 May 1942. Fighting did not cease until 6 November. In early 1942, Allied leaders believed that ports on Madagascar might be used by Japan, an idea shared by the German Navy. Following their conquest of South East Asia (east of Burma by the end of February 1942), the Japanese high command was able to contemplate moves westward. Submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy were moving freely throughout the Indian Ocean. In March 1942, Japanese aircraft carriers conducted the Indian Ocean raid. This raid drove the British Eastern Fleet out of the north-east Indian Ocean and the British were forced to relocate to a new base at Kilindini (at Mombasa), in Kenya. The move laid the British fleet open to a new angle of attack: the possibility of Japanese naval forces using forward bases in Madagascar had to be addressed. The potential use of... less