In March 1944 a force of three Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) heavy cruisers 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 cruiser Tone rescuing 104 survivors. Fearing detection, the Japanese force subsequently returned to the Netherlands East Indies (NEI), arriving on 16 Marc...
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In March 1944 a force of three Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) heavy cruisers 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 cruiser Tone rescuing 104 survivors. Fearing detection, the Japanese force subsequently returned to the Netherlands East Indies (NEI), arriving on 16 March. Two days later 89 of Behar's 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 Tone's captain Haruo Mayazumi was sentenced to seven years imprisonment.
In February 1944, the Japanese Combined Fleet withdrew from its base at Truk 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...
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