Little Known Campaigns - Battle of Madagascar

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TheGreenGoblin
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Little Known Campaigns - Battle of Madagascar

#1 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Thu May 06, 2021 2:25 pm

Battle of Madagascar
The Battle of Madagascar was the British campaign to capture the Vichy French-controlled island Madagascar during World War II. The seizure of the island by the British was to deny Madagascar's ports to the Imperial Japanese Navy and to prevent the loss or impairment of the Allied shipping routes to India, Australia and Southeast Asia. It began with Operation Ironclad, the seizure of the port of Diego-Suarez (now Antsiranana) near the northern tip of the island, on 5 May 1942.

A subsequent campaign to secure the entire island, Operation Stream Line Jane, was opened on 10 September. The Allies broke into the interior, linking up with forces on the coast and secured the island by the end of October. Fighting ceased and an armistice was granted on 6 November. This was the first large-scale operation by the Allies, combining sea, land and air forces. The island was placed under Free French control.


Lysander.JPG
I am happy to say that the SAAF had a reasonably big role in the campaign...

SAAF in Madagascar
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Re: Little Known Campaigns - Battle of Madagascar

#2 Post by Pontius Navigator » Thu May 06, 2021 2:42 pm

I love his pronunciation of names.

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Re: Little Known Campaigns - Battle of Madagascar

#3 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Thu May 06, 2021 2:46 pm

Pontius Navigator wrote:
Thu May 06, 2021 2:42 pm
I love his pronunciation of names.
American, of course... but I might be a little hypocritical in laughing at other people's pronunciation... ;)))
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Re: Little Known Campaigns - Battle of Madagascar

#4 Post by Pontius Navigator » Thu May 06, 2021 2:47 pm

Nah, you might talk funny but you don't change the sylabul emphasis. I will say this though, he is extremely clear, talks quickly but not too much. One US narrator has a rapid but breathless delivery which is most distracting.

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Re: Little Known Campaigns - Battle of Madagascar

#5 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Thu May 06, 2021 3:00 pm

I post this in support of my role as the resident Saffer chauvinist...

http://samilitaryhistory.org/vol092jc.html
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Re: Little Known Campaigns - Battle of Madagascar

#6 Post by ian16th » Thu May 06, 2021 3:29 pm

An even smaller campaign: Battle of Réunion

This was really unusual, the French won!
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Re: Little Known Campaigns - Battle of Madagascar

#7 Post by Pontius Navigator » Thu May 06, 2021 4:30 pm

But Vichy retained Indo-China until March 1945.

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Re: Little Known Campaigns - Battle of Madagascar

#8 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Thu May 06, 2021 4:42 pm

Pontius Navigator wrote:
Thu May 06, 2021 4:30 pm
But Vichy retained Indo-China until March 1945.
Ah but but the difference was that the Japanese actually occupied the nominally controlled Vichy governed areas in Indo-China, and it was in fact, i.e. the Japanese they who really called the shots. The French co-existed with the Japanese, who as we know were a significant military and political force. Tis an interesting subject, segueing as it does into beginning of the Vietnam war.
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Re: Little Known Campaigns - Battle of Madagascar

#9 Post by Pontius Navigator » Thu May 06, 2021 4:51 pm

TGG, indeed, the Gendarmerie nominally policed the country but only with Japanese oversight.

I read a fascinating novel by the author of the Dirty Dozen. Although it was a novel it had a solid framework of facts. One was weapons were flown to the Vietnamese to overthrow the Japs but Giap, playing the long game kept them hidden knowing they would be needed to over throw the French after the war.

Dien Bien Fu was another famous French defeat.

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Re: Little Known Campaigns - Battle of Madagascar

#10 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Thu May 06, 2021 5:04 pm

Pontius Navigator wrote:
Thu May 06, 2021 4:51 pm
TGG, indeed, the Gendarmerie nominally policed the country but only with Japanese oversight.

I read a fascinating novel by the author of the Dirty Dozen. Although it was a novel it had a solid framework of facts. One was weapons were flown to the Vietnamese to overthrow the Japs but Giap, playing the long game kept them hidden knowing they would be needed to over throw the French after the war.

Dien Bien Fu was another famous French defeat.

A number of the troops fighting for the French at Dien Bien Phu were ex Waffen SS, and other SS men, Germans, French and other nationals who had joined the French Foreign Legion. A lot of the Germans, in their dotage, ended up in places like South West Africa where they continued to celebrate Hitler's birthday and the like (a story for another time)...
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Re: Little Known Campaigns - Battle of Madagascar

#11 Post by Pontius Navigator » Thu May 06, 2021 5:35 pm

TGG, we noticed how German SW Africa was prospering unchanged from the colonial days.

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Re: Little Known Campaigns - Battle of Madagascar

#12 Post by Rossian » Thu May 06, 2021 6:49 pm

I almost hesitate to bring up the subject of Majunga (nowadays known as Mahajanga). During the best detachment in the history of the RAF I met one or two ancient French "colons" who were youngsters during this period of the invasion and had memories of it. A tangible reminder of the event is in an ancient landing craft used as a regular ferry from the town of Majunga across the wide river to a small community called Katsepy(sp?). It is called "Avottra" which is the Malagasy version of "A votre (sante)". It was still operating during a BBC nature documentary in the late '90s as it appeared on camera with Gerald Durrel's widow. How about that for a collection of triv? and all true!

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Re: Little Known Campaigns - Battle of Madagascar

#13 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Fri May 07, 2021 9:33 am

Rossian wrote:
Thu May 06, 2021 6:49 pm
I almost hesitate to bring up the subject of Majunga (nowadays known as Mahajanga). During the best detachment in the history of the RAF I met one or two ancient French "colons" who were youngsters during this period of the invasion and had memories of it. A tangible reminder of the event is in an ancient landing craft used as a regular ferry from the town of Majunga across the wide river to a small community called Katsepy(sp?). It is called "Avottra" which is the Malagasy version of "A votre (sante)". It was still operating during a BBC nature documentary in the late '90s as it appeared on camera with Gerald Durrel's widow. How about that for a collection of triv? and all true!

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Rossian, were you based in Majunga during the period of the support of the Beira Patrol and UN embargo on Rhodesia? :)

I knew an older Rhodesian, in the Tower in Salisbury, who used to have many an enjoyable chat on HF with the RAF crews, passing on the weather and even taking messages to be telegrammed to family back home in the UK. We Saffers, of course, were only too pleased to be able to provide the Rhodesians with fuel, spares, food, ammo, men and air support in the bush war that was ramping up then! ;)))

Dick Lord was one of South Africa's best known SAAF senior officers and pilots during the latter stages of the war in Angola and brought great credit to the SAAF with the helicopter rescue of the passengers of the Oceanos liner! He flew with the Fleet Air Arm, enforcing the blockade during the 60's and had a very impressive career in the Royal Navy. Politicians, of whatever nation, are often such idiots and service men and women, of whatever nationality, do their duty...
In 1966 Dick Lord found himself in the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm flying from Ark Royal off Beira, Mozambique, to enforce the oil blockade of Rhodesia following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence. After one mission to intercept a suspected blockade-runner, he returned to find that the carrier had been overtaken by a tropical storm and that her flight deck was pitching through 65ft: his aircraft caught the third arrester wire and damaged its undercarriage – reckoned a near perfect landing in the conditions.

https://samilhistory.com/2017/04/01/dic ... -the-saaf/
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Re: Little Known Campaigns - Battle of Madagascar

#14 Post by Rossian » Fri May 07, 2021 6:03 pm

Yes,GG, I was there at that time.
We had a Rhodesian lad whose mother lived in close proximity to Ian Smith's mother. We asked (indirectly) if an informal invitation could be given to one crew to spend a short Christmas visit to Salisbury. We had a nice letter from his military ADC (army I think) who said he felt sure that we realised that an official invitation would not be possible, however comma that if we received UN- official invitations from CIVILIAN hosts that no objections would be raised from gummint sources to bringing a Shackleton to Salibury. Our DETCOM made some gentle enquiries and it was all very firmly stamped on from UK. The ADC enclosed an official framed photo of IS which we hung on our dining room wall at the far end from HMQ. When we had an official visit from HQ UK she demanded that we took it down and got rid of it. Protestations that Monty had a photo of Rommel in his caravan on the basis of "know your enemy" were to no avail. It was taken down until she returned to UK. We had lots of spare time for dreaming up all sorts of jolly little japes like that.
I'm sure that some of our RN colleagues can tell the tale of Harold Wilson's photo presented to the Wardroom of HMS Tiger and its fate, also what happened to the chap who put HW's bonedome back to front as he sat in the rhs of a Wessex delivering him to RAF St Mawgan, grinning and mugging for the press photogs with the pigtail dangling in front of his face. Someone must have it.

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Re: Little Known Campaigns - Battle of Madagascar

#15 Post by Pontius Navigator » Fri May 07, 2021 7:42 pm

And 44 (Rhodesia) Sqn refused to change their badge.

I wonder if that was one reason why they disbanded after the Vulcan retired. 35 (Madras Presidency) Sqn also disappeared.

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Re: Little Known Campaigns - Battle of Madagascar

#16 Post by ian16th » Fri May 07, 2021 7:56 pm

Somewhere on the Interweb is the story of a guy on the Madagascar detachment that fell for one of the locals and married her.

Lots of hassle involved.
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Re: Little Known Campaigns - Battle of Madagascar

#17 Post by Rossian » Fri May 07, 2021 8:34 pm

Yes,Ian, and they reman very happily married to this day. It was convoluted but with deviousness on the part of the staff a visit was arranged and they were wed in Majunga Cathedral with the DETCOM giving the bride away. As he was a SAAFER he forbade any photos.

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Re: Little Known Campaigns - Battle of Madagascar

#18 Post by Alisoncc » Sat May 15, 2021 5:56 pm

TheGreenGoblin wrote:
Fri May 07, 2021 9:33 am
We Saffers, of course, were only too pleased to be able to provide the Rhodesians with fuel, spares, food, ammo,
Back in the day, the town at Beit Bridge was in SA whilst the airport was across the river in Rhodesia. Thus an airway bill might quote goods for delivery to the town, but the goods would disappear before they made it back across the river. ;)))
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