Operation Banquet (Padang)

Operation Banquet was a British naval operation in the Second World War, commanded by Rear Admiral Clement Moody. The objective was to bomb Japanese positions in and around Padang, on the south-western coast of Sumatra, in Indonesia, on 24 August 1944. The primary targets of the attack, Padang airfield, the Indaroeng cement works, and the harbor facilities and shipping at Emmahaven were hit.

Background

Force 64

Ships involved in the operation included the aircraft carriers and ; the battleship , two cruisers, including , five destroyers and a submarine. ''Indomitable'' was carrying 28 F6F Hellcat fighters under Lieutenant Commander T. G. C. Jameson and 28 Fairey Barracuda bombers under Lieutenant Commander E. M. Britten. Many of the pilots were inexperienced and the British hoped that the mission would provide some additional training for them.

Plan

The plan was to attack Padang airfield, Emmahaven harbour and the Indaroeng cement works. The cement works was the only factory of its kind in South-East Asia. If it was destroyed, the Japanese would be unable to construct fortifications or new buildings in the region. The raid was also supposed to divert the Japanese from the American landings of the Battle of Hollandia and the Landing at Aitape. Reconnaissance photographs were also to be taken.

Prelude

The force set out from Trincomalee on 19 August, delaying for 24 hours so the submarine could replace , which was experiencing technical difficulties. The cruisers and destroyers were refuelled on 23 August from the replenishment oiler .

Operation

The force arrived at its position at 05:00 on 24 August. There was a light wind coming from the south-east, so the carriers had to launch while steaming at . ''Howe'' could not keep up and temporarily fell out of formation. The first wave consisted of twenty Barracudas (ten from each carrier) with bombs and an escort of 19 Vought F4U Corsairs. The second wave launched at 07:10, consisting of twelve Barracudas (nine from ''Indomitable'', 3 from ''Victorious'') with an escort of twelve Corsairs (from ''Victorious''). The port and the airfield were never used by the Japanese, and as such there little was allotted to defend them. There was no air opposition and the bombing was accurate. One Corsair was shot down by light anti-aircraft fire.

Aftermath

In spite of the accurate bombing, the targets proved to be of little strategic value. The new pilots did not gain much experience either, since they encountered only negligible opposition. The Japanese were not induced to divert resources from the Americans at Hollandia (now Jayapura) in New Guinea, according to the post-war testimony of Lieutenant-General Numata Takazo, the former chief of staff of the Southern Expeditionary Army Group. The only notable success was the aerial photography from the Wildcats, which yielded excellent results. The operation "marked the first time the British used a two-wave attack by two fleet carriers". It came as an unpleasant surprise to the British that the brand new ''Howe'', designed to achieve speeds of , could not keep pace with the carriers at . In spite of the relatively small distance covered, ''Victorious'' consumed about a quarter of her fuel.

References

Bibliography

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External links

OPERATION BANQUET (Allocated) Colonial Film: Moving Images of the British Empire

{{DEFAULTSORT:Banquet, Operation
World War II operations and battles of the Southeast Asia Theatre
Naval aviation operations and battles
World War II aerial operations and battles of the Pacific theatre
Aerial operations and battles of World War II involving the United Kingdom
Naval battles and operations of World War II involving the United Kingdom