La Operación Crimson fue una operación naval dirigida por los británicos en la Segunda Guerra Mundial , cuyo objetivo era el bombardeo naval y los ataques aéreos simultáneos en aeródromos japoneses en las ciudades indonesias de Sabang , Lhoknga y Kutaraja , [1] que se lanzaría desde portaaviones en el Océano Índico. el 25 de julio de 1944.
Operación Crimson | |||||||
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Parte del teatro del Pacífico de la Segunda Guerra Mundial | |||||||
HMS Victorious , un buque líder del ataque. | |||||||
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Beligerantes | |||||||
Reino Unido Australia Países Bajos Francia | Japón | ||||||
Comandantes y líderes | |||||||
James Somerville | Moritake Tanabe | ||||||
Fuerza | |||||||
2 portaaviones 4 acorazados 6 cruceros 10 destructores 2 submarinos 34–39 cazas | Defensas en tierra 2 aviones de reconocimiento 9-10 cazas | ||||||
Víctimas y pérdidas | |||||||
Pérdidas humanas desconocidas 1 crucero dañado 2 destructores dañados 2 aviones de combate destruidos | Pérdidas humanas desconocidas 2 aviones de reconocimiento destruidos 2 cazas destruidos 2 cazas dañados | ||||||
Víctimas civiles: murió 1 corresponsal de guerra en un barco aliado |
Plan
A diferencia de algunas operaciones anteriores que habían utilizado pequeñas fuerzas para hostigar y desviar a los japoneses, la Operación Crimson fue "una operación en toda regla" diseñada para "hacer un desastre en la base aérea y las instalaciones portuarias y destrozar cualquier barco que se encuentre refugiado allí". [2]
Navegando desde Trincomalee , bajo el mando del almirante James Somerville , [3] había dos portaaviones ( HMS Victorious e Illustrious ) con cuatro acorazados HMS Queen Elizabeth , HMS Valiant , HMS Renown y el acorazado francés Richelieu , así como seis cruceros ( Ceilán , Cumberland , Gambia , Nigeria , Phoebe , Tromp ), [1] con diez destructores ( Quality , Quickmatch , Quilliam , [4] Racehorse , Raider , Rapid , Relentless , Rocket , Roebuck , Rotherham ) [5] apoyados por dos submarinos ( Templario , Tántalo ). [6]
Ataque
The aircraft carriers launched 34[2]–39 Vought F4U Corsair fighters,[6] under Lieutenant Commander Frederick Richard Arnold Turnbull. In spite of a five minute delay, it was too dark for the planes to accurately strafe the air fields, so instead they attacked large buildings within the vicinity.[citation needed] Japanese anti-air defences shot down a single Corsair, but the pilot was rescued.[6]
The battleships, aided by aircraft from Illustrious, bombarded Sabang harbour installations and the local barracks from afar. The cruisers and destroyers spotted their own targets; the former attacked a wireless station and responding shore batteries, while the latter focused on a radar station. Following the main bombardment, Tromp, Quality, Quickmatch, and Quilliam under Captain Richard Onslow entered the Sabang harbour, shelling Japanese positions and launching torpedoes. Return fire from coastal artillery lightly damaged all of the ships but the Quickmatch, causing some casualties and killing a war correspondent.[7]
As the task force withdrew, two Japanese reconnaissance aircraft tried to shadow it, but both were intercepted and shot down. Later in the afternoon, 9–10 Japanese A6M "Zero" fighters approached the force. They were engaged by 13 British Corsairs, which destroyed two Zeros and damaged two more.[7]
Secuelas
The Allies lost a total of two Corsairs during the operation.[2] A report of the raid states:
The force arrived at flying off position in the early hours of Tuesday 25 July and at 4am the capital ships were detached to bombard Sambang along with Cumberland, Kenya and Nigeria. At 5.25am the two carriers launched their aircraft. The raid was a success with a great deal of damage done to the Japanese forces.[1]
British pilots reported that the Japanese airmen were not as skilled as they had been in 1942.[7] Operation Crimson was the final event of Admiral Somerville's military command before concerns about his health forced his transfer to diplomatic duty.[3] The British task force did not launch another strike until Operation Banquet commenced in August.[7]
Referencias
- ^ a b c Patrick Boniface, HMS Cumberland, page 86, 2006.
- ^ a b c Malcolm H. Murfett, Naval Warfare 1919–45: An Operational History of the Volatile War at Sea, page 357, 2008.
- ^ a b Stanley Sandler, World War II in the Pacific: An Encyclopedia, page 729, 2001.
- ^ Mason, Geoffrey (2003). "HMS QUILLIAM". Naval History. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
- ^ a b c Hobbs 2012, p. 50.
- ^ a b c d Hobbs 2012, p. 52.
Trabajos citados
- Hobbs, David (2012). The British Pacific Fleet: The Royal Navy's Most Powerful Strike Force (2nd ed.). Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 9781783469222.
enlaces externos
- Table of actions by Royal Navy