page_title: Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II
section_title: Indian Ocean raid
hierarchical_section_title: Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II / Naval operations (1941-1942) / Indian Ocean raid
caption_attribution_description: English: The Japanese strike force advancing to the Indian Ocean. Ships shown from left to right are: Akagi, Sōryū, Hiryū, Hiei, Kirishima, Haruna, and Kongō. Taken from Zuikaku, 30 March 1942. 日本語: 1942年3月30日、インド洋を進む機動部隊。空母「瑞鶴」より撮影。小さく写っている空母は先頭から「赤城」「蒼龍」「飛龍」、その後ろを続行しているのが戦艦「比叡」「霧島」「榛名」「金剛」。
context_page_description: The Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II, at the beginning of the Pacific War in December 1941, was the third most powerful navy in the world, and the naval air service was one of the most potent air forces in the world. During the first six months of the war, the Imperial Japanese Navy enjoyed spectacular success inflicting heavy defeats on Allied forces, being undefeated in every battle. The attack on Pearl Harbor crippled the battleships of the US Pacific Fleet, while Allied navies were devastated during Japan's conquest of Southeast Asia. Japanese naval aircraft were also responsible for the sinkings of HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse which was the first time that capital ships were sunk by aerial attack while underway. In April 1942, the Indian Ocean raid drove the Royal Navy from South East Asia. After these successes, the Japanese now concentrated on the elimination and neutralization of strategic points from where the Allies could launch counteroffensives against Japan's conquests. However, at Coral Sea the Japanese were forced to abandon their attempts to isolate Australia while the defeat at Midway saw them forced on the defensive.
context_section_description: The last major operation of the First Operational Phase was the Combined Fleet's raid into the Indian Ocean, code-named Operation C, it was essential for the completion of the defensive perimeter.
  This significant operation included five carriers to neutralize the Royal Navy's Eastern Fleet with an attack on Ceylon, the heart of British naval power in the East, and a task force built around heavy cruisers to attack shipping in the Bay of Bengal. The operation began in April with the Japanese delivering heavy attacks against British bases at Colombo and Trincomalee. Japanese carrier aircraft also caught and sank a light carrier HMS Hermes and the two heavy cruisers HMS Dorsetshire and HMS Cornwall, but were unable to locate and destroy the main British fleet. The Japanese cruiser raiding force wreaked havoc with British shipping in the Bay of Bengal, from April 4 to 9, the Japanese sank 23 merchant ships totaling 32,404 tons. However, the entire operation was a strategic dead end since it was only a temporary projection of power that could not be sustained and served only to put more strain on the Japanese carrier force.
caption: The IJN in the Indian Ocean. Ships shown from left to right are: Akagi, Sōryū, Hiryū, Hiei, Kirishima, Haruna, and Kongō. Taken from the Zuikaku, March 30.
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