Part 65
Singapore Sling
January 1945
1. Hurricane Vb fighter bomber strafing ground targets, Northern Malaya, January 1945
As 1945 began, Slim’s priority was the relief of Singapore. He needed to assure the safety of its air and naval bases from potential Japanese land offensives so that operations to retake Java and Malaya could begin in February. And that meant getting troops through the dangerous Malacca passage. The RAF was already beginning to arrive in numbers, and he could now base fighters at Rangoon which increased his control of the air over the Indian Ocean. The 18th Coastal Command Group had also arrived at the end of December, and Slim decided to risk basing them along with fighter support at Singapore itself. He would then push a fast Task Force through with land reinforcements at the end of the month. However, in the meantime, operations aimed at weakening the IJN continued.
During the opening stages of these preliminary operations, Japanese naval bombers operating from Northern Malaya caused significant damage to Tovey’s 3rd Battle Group on the 2nd, but this time, RAF fighters operating from Rangoon arrived to chase them off. It was the first time that Slim had been able to counter this threat, and by the 4th, the Navy felt sufficiently emboldened to enter the Malacca channel, and that evening a major engagement took place in the North passage between Vian’s carriers and a Japanese carrier group under Admiral Nomura. The Japanese were forced to withdraw after losing two cruisers, and the next day the RAF were also able to hit Durnai with aircraft operating from Singapore. Vian now believed he had done enough for the moment and on the morning of the 5th January decided to withdraw.
However, the Japanese then intercepted the retreating British later that afternoon, and a task force under Admiral Fukadome with the Giant Battleship Musashi clashed with Vian’s carriers again in the Sunda Trench. With no air support, the force was badly mauled by the Royal Navy, losing 3 heavy and one light cruiser’s before being forced to flee. The 6th Carrier Group was damaged and had to retire for repairs, but the tide was now slowly beginning to turn.
5th Army was now beginning to assemble at Cochin, from where it was to redeploy to Ceylon as the supply situation allowed. Slim had now decided to give the responsibility of reinforcing Singapore to Lt General Anders veteran V Corps. V Corps had been formed back in 1939 from the former WDF (Western Desert Force). It had fought along the coastline of Eygpt and Libya, taking part in Operations “Chrome” “Hammer” and “Tempest”. It had defended Cyprus from the German Airborne assaults of early 1941, and had fought the entire Italian campaign from beginning to end. It had taken part in the battles on the River Po and endured the defeats that resulted from it. And now it here in South East Asia, at the front, the first formation into action in the new offensive in the East.
2. Soldiers of the 2/9th Rajput Regiment, 29th Indian Infantry Brigade, 4th Indian Division
Meanwhile, the South Atlantic became a war zone for the first time on 20th January. Admiral Martins TF41 fought an inconclusive battle with the Brazilian Battleships Sao Paulo and Minas Gerais off the coast of Brazil. Outgunned as he was, his better trained and far more experienced crews easily managed to outfight the Brazilians, but he could inflict no losses. It served only as a warning that without carriers to dominate the South Atlantic, the Brazilians were going to be a problem for some months to come.
Two days later, “Operation Buster” began. It was to be a “fast in, fast out” operation to get the bulk of V Corps ashore at Singapore, not necessarily one designed to inflict any losses. However, with Vian’s 6th Carrier Group temporarily out of action following his fight with the Musashi, the inexperienced crews of the 10th Carrier Groups HMS Implacable and HMS Indefatigable were to take its place alongside the 5th Carrier Group. This would lead to problems later.
The operation began well enough with the RN fanning out in a protective arc around the 21st Transport Group that would take V Corps in. However, as the force began to enter the Malacca channel, the 10th Carrier Group was intercepted by Nomura with the Carriers Unyo and Chitose. The Japanese managed to beat Admiral Noble to the draw, and their strike went in first, stalling the British response and badly damaging all of the 10th’s escort vessels. Implacable herself was hit by two bombs and caught fire, while almost a third of her aircraft were destroyed or damaged on deck. It was lucky that the aircraft had not yet been armed with ordnance, or the whole ship might have been lost. Fire control teams managed to bring the blaze under control, but the 10th was forced to withdraw at the very moment of greatest risk.
The operation had to continue with the 5th Carrier Group as sole escort, although the 2nd Battle Group arrived later to give support. The objective was completed without further incident, and V Corps was delivered safely into Singapore the following day. The withdraw was also completed in good order, with only minor damage being sustained by HMS Norfolk from a mine.
3. Damage control teams tackle fires aboard HMS Implacable after she was hit by two 500lb bombs
However, the story reverberated up the command chain, serving as yet another lesson that the Japanese were still fully capable of inflicting a serious reverse on the Royal Navy. The loss of a few destroyers or cruisers was sustainable, and even a Battleship could be lived with because Britain had reserves. But the loss of a carrier, or worse still a whole carrier group, at this stage would be a serious blow. There was still much hard fighting ahead before amphibious operations in the South China sea would be possible.
.
Singapore Sling
January 1945
1. Hurricane Vb fighter bomber strafing ground targets, Northern Malaya, January 1945
As 1945 began, Slim’s priority was the relief of Singapore. He needed to assure the safety of its air and naval bases from potential Japanese land offensives so that operations to retake Java and Malaya could begin in February. And that meant getting troops through the dangerous Malacca passage. The RAF was already beginning to arrive in numbers, and he could now base fighters at Rangoon which increased his control of the air over the Indian Ocean. The 18th Coastal Command Group had also arrived at the end of December, and Slim decided to risk basing them along with fighter support at Singapore itself. He would then push a fast Task Force through with land reinforcements at the end of the month. However, in the meantime, operations aimed at weakening the IJN continued.
During the opening stages of these preliminary operations, Japanese naval bombers operating from Northern Malaya caused significant damage to Tovey’s 3rd Battle Group on the 2nd, but this time, RAF fighters operating from Rangoon arrived to chase them off. It was the first time that Slim had been able to counter this threat, and by the 4th, the Navy felt sufficiently emboldened to enter the Malacca channel, and that evening a major engagement took place in the North passage between Vian’s carriers and a Japanese carrier group under Admiral Nomura. The Japanese were forced to withdraw after losing two cruisers, and the next day the RAF were also able to hit Durnai with aircraft operating from Singapore. Vian now believed he had done enough for the moment and on the morning of the 5th January decided to withdraw.
However, the Japanese then intercepted the retreating British later that afternoon, and a task force under Admiral Fukadome with the Giant Battleship Musashi clashed with Vian’s carriers again in the Sunda Trench. With no air support, the force was badly mauled by the Royal Navy, losing 3 heavy and one light cruiser’s before being forced to flee. The 6th Carrier Group was damaged and had to retire for repairs, but the tide was now slowly beginning to turn.
5th Army was now beginning to assemble at Cochin, from where it was to redeploy to Ceylon as the supply situation allowed. Slim had now decided to give the responsibility of reinforcing Singapore to Lt General Anders veteran V Corps. V Corps had been formed back in 1939 from the former WDF (Western Desert Force). It had fought along the coastline of Eygpt and Libya, taking part in Operations “Chrome” “Hammer” and “Tempest”. It had defended Cyprus from the German Airborne assaults of early 1941, and had fought the entire Italian campaign from beginning to end. It had taken part in the battles on the River Po and endured the defeats that resulted from it. And now it here in South East Asia, at the front, the first formation into action in the new offensive in the East.
2. Soldiers of the 2/9th Rajput Regiment, 29th Indian Infantry Brigade, 4th Indian Division
Meanwhile, the South Atlantic became a war zone for the first time on 20th January. Admiral Martins TF41 fought an inconclusive battle with the Brazilian Battleships Sao Paulo and Minas Gerais off the coast of Brazil. Outgunned as he was, his better trained and far more experienced crews easily managed to outfight the Brazilians, but he could inflict no losses. It served only as a warning that without carriers to dominate the South Atlantic, the Brazilians were going to be a problem for some months to come.
Two days later, “Operation Buster” began. It was to be a “fast in, fast out” operation to get the bulk of V Corps ashore at Singapore, not necessarily one designed to inflict any losses. However, with Vian’s 6th Carrier Group temporarily out of action following his fight with the Musashi, the inexperienced crews of the 10th Carrier Groups HMS Implacable and HMS Indefatigable were to take its place alongside the 5th Carrier Group. This would lead to problems later.
The operation began well enough with the RN fanning out in a protective arc around the 21st Transport Group that would take V Corps in. However, as the force began to enter the Malacca channel, the 10th Carrier Group was intercepted by Nomura with the Carriers Unyo and Chitose. The Japanese managed to beat Admiral Noble to the draw, and their strike went in first, stalling the British response and badly damaging all of the 10th’s escort vessels. Implacable herself was hit by two bombs and caught fire, while almost a third of her aircraft were destroyed or damaged on deck. It was lucky that the aircraft had not yet been armed with ordnance, or the whole ship might have been lost. Fire control teams managed to bring the blaze under control, but the 10th was forced to withdraw at the very moment of greatest risk.
The operation had to continue with the 5th Carrier Group as sole escort, although the 2nd Battle Group arrived later to give support. The objective was completed without further incident, and V Corps was delivered safely into Singapore the following day. The withdraw was also completed in good order, with only minor damage being sustained by HMS Norfolk from a mine.
3. Damage control teams tackle fires aboard HMS Implacable after she was hit by two 500lb bombs
However, the story reverberated up the command chain, serving as yet another lesson that the Japanese were still fully capable of inflicting a serious reverse on the Royal Navy. The loss of a few destroyers or cruisers was sustainable, and even a Battleship could be lived with because Britain had reserves. But the loss of a carrier, or worse still a whole carrier group, at this stage would be a serious blow. There was still much hard fighting ahead before amphibious operations in the South China sea would be possible.
.
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