oldcrowcv63
Tech Sergeant
In early 1942, IJN's Kido Butai attacked and scored substantial aerial victories over two defended island bases: Ceylon and Midway Island. The former much larger land mass, involved two different mass raids on two geographically separated targets with associated air battles between escorting zeroes and defending Hurricanes and Fulmars, while the latter involved one raid on a single target defended by an arguably obsolescent fighter, the F2A-3.
The Ceylon raid was not accompanied by a great or decisive naval carrier clash as occurred at Midway and so may seem a historically minor event in a warzone backwater.
The Action over Ceylon is described by Shores, Cull and Izawa in Bloody Shambles, vol. 2
They describe the bases on Ceylon as being reinforced in the days leading up to the IJN raids somewhat similar to Midway's strengthening.
On April 5, a strike force launched from 5 Kido Butai carriers (Akagi, Hiryu, Shokaku, Soryu, and Zuikaku) comprised of 53 B5N, 38 D3A and 36 A6M, attacked Columbo on the SW side of the island. The port although without Radar, was on alert due to prior IJN activity in the area and a radio-sighting report by an intrepid RCAF PBY pilot the day before. PBY searches early on the 5th revealed no carriers but major surface combatants. For its defense, launched 30 Hurricane Mark IIBs, 5 Mark Is and 6 Fulmar (II?)were able to launch from Ratmalana and Race Course Airfields which were primary targets with Ratmalana coming under attack as the last 3 Hurricane IIBs took off. The defenders apparently lost 19 of 35 Hurricanes and 4 of the 6 Fulmar IIs launched according to Shores et al. The IJN apparently lost 1 A6M, 6 D3A or 7 lost with 15 suffering damage. Seems like, despite some level of forewarning of the enemy presence, the RAF and FAA assets were caught somewhat flat-footed so that the Hurricane IIB strengths could not be exploited. Apparently 6 Fulmar II were on an extended patrol in the area during the attack but failed to make contact.
At 0600, April 9, Nagumo's Kido Butai launched a second raid, consisting of 91 B5Ns and 41 A6Ms, on Trincomalee's port and China Bay airfield. Radar detected the raid before 0700. 3 Hurricane's were launched at 0635 and vectored to intercept at 0655. Upon sighting the raiders, the 3 Hurricanes climbed to 22,000 feet to take position above the escorting A6Ms. The defenders splashed 2 A6Ms for the loss of 1 Hurricane and 1 damaged. In the meantime, At 0710 13 more Hurricanes were ultimately scrambled to meet the incoming raid which arrived over head at about 0730. Half the 16 Hurricanes launched were evidently lost for 3 A6Ms and 2 B5Ms lost as well as a three damaged. Based at Trincomalee but not used for its defense were apparently 2 Martlets and 6 Fulmars. These aircraft apparently were held in reserve or due to a lack of proper ammo. In total, there appears to have been 24 fighters potentially available for defense of the port. The RAF Hurricane pilots were apparently relatively inexperienced with a few more seasoned pilots in the mix, similar to the Marines at Midway.
The performance of the Midway based Marine F2A-3s has been well documented on this site and it (seems to me) that the results are surprisingly similar to those of the RAF. a few more lost with about the same or a few more IJN casualties: The 22 F2A-3s launched in Midway's defense apparently rendered half the Hiryu's VT out of action for the day and outright accounted for about the same number of aircraft as lost by the IJN raiders over Ceylon.
Just thought the comparison might be interesting.
Postscript, Later in the day, 8 Fulmars launched from Ratmalana to defend carrier Hermes accounted for 4 D3As with 5 damaged for the loss of 2.
The Ceylon raid was not accompanied by a great or decisive naval carrier clash as occurred at Midway and so may seem a historically minor event in a warzone backwater.
The Action over Ceylon is described by Shores, Cull and Izawa in Bloody Shambles, vol. 2
They describe the bases on Ceylon as being reinforced in the days leading up to the IJN raids somewhat similar to Midway's strengthening.
On April 5, a strike force launched from 5 Kido Butai carriers (Akagi, Hiryu, Shokaku, Soryu, and Zuikaku) comprised of 53 B5N, 38 D3A and 36 A6M, attacked Columbo on the SW side of the island. The port although without Radar, was on alert due to prior IJN activity in the area and a radio-sighting report by an intrepid RCAF PBY pilot the day before. PBY searches early on the 5th revealed no carriers but major surface combatants. For its defense, launched 30 Hurricane Mark IIBs, 5 Mark Is and 6 Fulmar (II?)were able to launch from Ratmalana and Race Course Airfields which were primary targets with Ratmalana coming under attack as the last 3 Hurricane IIBs took off. The defenders apparently lost 19 of 35 Hurricanes and 4 of the 6 Fulmar IIs launched according to Shores et al. The IJN apparently lost 1 A6M, 6 D3A or 7 lost with 15 suffering damage. Seems like, despite some level of forewarning of the enemy presence, the RAF and FAA assets were caught somewhat flat-footed so that the Hurricane IIB strengths could not be exploited. Apparently 6 Fulmar II were on an extended patrol in the area during the attack but failed to make contact.
At 0600, April 9, Nagumo's Kido Butai launched a second raid, consisting of 91 B5Ns and 41 A6Ms, on Trincomalee's port and China Bay airfield. Radar detected the raid before 0700. 3 Hurricane's were launched at 0635 and vectored to intercept at 0655. Upon sighting the raiders, the 3 Hurricanes climbed to 22,000 feet to take position above the escorting A6Ms. The defenders splashed 2 A6Ms for the loss of 1 Hurricane and 1 damaged. In the meantime, At 0710 13 more Hurricanes were ultimately scrambled to meet the incoming raid which arrived over head at about 0730. Half the 16 Hurricanes launched were evidently lost for 3 A6Ms and 2 B5Ms lost as well as a three damaged. Based at Trincomalee but not used for its defense were apparently 2 Martlets and 6 Fulmars. These aircraft apparently were held in reserve or due to a lack of proper ammo. In total, there appears to have been 24 fighters potentially available for defense of the port. The RAF Hurricane pilots were apparently relatively inexperienced with a few more seasoned pilots in the mix, similar to the Marines at Midway.
The performance of the Midway based Marine F2A-3s has been well documented on this site and it (seems to me) that the results are surprisingly similar to those of the RAF. a few more lost with about the same or a few more IJN casualties: The 22 F2A-3s launched in Midway's defense apparently rendered half the Hiryu's VT out of action for the day and outright accounted for about the same number of aircraft as lost by the IJN raiders over Ceylon.
Just thought the comparison might be interesting.
Postscript, Later in the day, 8 Fulmars launched from Ratmalana to defend carrier Hermes accounted for 4 D3As with 5 damaged for the loss of 2.
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