Forgotten War by Brian E. Walter

Author:Brian E. Walter
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781636243580
Publisher: Casemate
Published: 2023-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

The British destroyer Petard had the distinction of sinking a submarine from each of the three Axis navies during the war including the Japanese I-27, which was sunk on 12 February 1944. (Royal Navy official photographer, public domain)

This steady attrition of submarines and support vessels, coupled with improved British defences and deteriorating operational conditions, soon had a profound impact upon regional Allied shipping losses. During the first three months of 1944 German and Japanese submarines sank 29 Allied merchant ships worth a total of 188,040 tons in the Indian Ocean.12 Fortunately, this toll quickly subsided as the Allies increasingly gained ascendancy in the area. Whereas regional Allied losses from all causes in March amounted to 12 ships worth 75,498 tons, there were no losses in April and May and only three ships worth 19,319 tons were lost in June. The Allies suffered a temporary reversal in July and August when 14 vessels worth 87,908 tons were sunk, but this trend was short-lived, and losses fell precipitously thereafter. For the remainder of the war, the Allies only lost another four merchant ships worth 26,871 tons in the Indian Ocean, and this vital maritime region became a virtual safe zone for Allied shipping.13

A key factor in this defensive victory, as well as the offensive operations that were about to begin, was the steady stream of new ships and other reinforcements that arrived to bolster the Eastern Fleet. On 28 January 1944, Vice-Admiral Arthur Power arrived in Ceylon with the battlecruiser Renown, the battleships Valiant and Queen Elizabeth, the aircraft carrier Illustrious, the aircraft maintenance carrier Unicorn and six destroyers. In March the depot ship Maidstone arrived at Trincomalee, and the British activated a second Ceylon-based submarine flotilla, the 8th. This activation enabled the British to increase their number of offensive submarine patrols within the theatre, and sinkings rose accordingly. Later that same month the American aircraft carrier Saratoga and three destroyers rendezvoused with British warships southwest of Cocos Island to begin a short period of service with the Eastern Fleet. Finally, in April the British welcomed the arrival of the Free-French battleship Richelieu and the escort carriers Shah and Begum thus further enhancing their growing strength in the region.

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