Battle of Madagascar
The Battle of Madagascar (5 May – 6 November 1942) was an Allied campaign to capture the Vichy French-controlled island Madagascar during World War II. The seizure of the island by the British was to deny Madagascar's ports to the Imperial Japanese Navy and to prevent the loss or impairment of the Allied shipping routes to India, Australia and Southeast Asia. It began with Operation Ironclad, the seizure of the port of Diego-Suarez (now Antsiranana) near the northern tip of the island, on 5 May 1942.
| Battle of Madagascar | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Indian Ocean theatre of World War II | |||||||||
King's African Rifles' 25 pdr battery in action near Ambositra in Madagascar against Vichy positions during Operation Stream Line Jane, September 1942. | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
|
United Kingdom
South Africa Naval only:Australia Netherlands |
Vichy France Naval only: Japan | ||||||||
| 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 2 battleships 6 light cruisers 22 destroyers 8 corvettes 1 monitor 1 minelayer 4 minesweepers 5 assault transports over 81 aircraft |
Vichy France: 8,000 soldiers 6 tanks 35 aircraft 4 warships Japanese Navy 2 soldiers 4 submarines 2 midget submarines 1 reconnaissance aircraft | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
|
107 killed 620 |
152 killed 500 wounded (does not include any casualties caused by disease) 1,000 captured 34 aircraft destroyed 1 midget submarine destroyed 1 midget submarine lost at sea | ||||||||
Location of Diego-Suarez Bay | |||||||||
A subsequent campaign to secure the entire island, Operation Stream Line 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. This was the first large-scale operation by the Allies combining sea, land and air forces. The island was placed under Free French control.