Operation Banquet (Padang) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Operation Banquet
Part of the Pacific Theatre of the Second World War
Operation Banquet
Date 24 August 1944 Location Padang, Netherlands East Indies 00°57′00″S 100°21′11″E / 0.95000°S 100.35306°E / -0.95000; 100.35306 Result Allied victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom	Japan
Commanders and leaders
Clement Moody	Unknown
Strength
20–32 bombers 19–31 fighters 2 aircraft carriers 1 battleship 2 cruisers 5 destroyers 1 submarine	Anti-aircraft defences
Casualties and losses
1 fighter destroyed	Ground targets damaged

Operation Banquet was a British naval mission during the Second World War. It was led by Rear Admiral Clement Moody. The goal was to bomb Japanese locations near Padang, a city on the coast of Sumatra in Indonesia. This attack happened on August 24, 1944. The main targets were the Padang airfield, the Indaroeng cement works, and the port facilities at Emmahaven. All these targets were successfully hit.

What Was Operation Banquet?

The British Fleet

The ships involved in Operation Banquet were part of a group called Force 64. This group included two large aircraft carriers, HMS Victorious and HMS Indomitable. An aircraft carrier is a huge ship that carries airplanes. There was also a powerful battleship, HMS Howe. Two cruisers, like HMS Cumberland, and five destroyers also joined the fleet. A submarine was also part of the group.

The Indomitable carrier carried 28 F6F Hellcat fighter planes. These planes were flown by pilots under Lieutenant Commander T. G. C. Jameson. It also had 28 Fairey Barracuda bomber planes. These bombers were led by Lieutenant Commander E. M. Britten. Many of the pilots were new and still learning. The British hoped this mission would give them more training.

The Mission's Goals

The main plan was to attack three key Japanese sites. These were the Padang airfield, the Emmahaven harbor, and the Indaroeng cement works. The cement works was very important because it was the only factory of its kind in Southeast Asia. If it was destroyed, the Japanese would struggle to build new forts or buildings in the area.

This raid also had another purpose. It was meant to distract the Japanese forces. The Allies wanted to draw Japanese attention away from American landings. These landings were happening at the Battle of Hollandia and the Landing at Aitape. The mission also aimed to take important reconnaissance photographs. These photos would show what the area looked like.

Getting Ready for the Attack

The British fleet started its journey from Trincomalee on August 19. They had to wait for 24 hours. This was because the submarine Severn had technical problems. Another submarine, HMS Sea Rover, had to take its place. On August 23, the cruisers and destroyers refueled. They got more fuel from a special ship called Easedale.

The Attack Begins

The strike force reached its position at 5:00 AM on August 24. There was a light wind blowing from the southeast. This meant the aircraft carriers had to move quickly to launch their planes. They steamed at about 27 knots (about 31 miles per hour). The battleship Howe could not keep up with this speed. It temporarily fell out of formation.

The first group of planes launched included 20 Barracuda bombers. Ten bombers came from each carrier. They carried 500-pound bombs. They were protected by 19 Vought F4U Corsair fighter planes. The second group of planes launched at 7:10 AM. This group had 12 Barracuda bombers and 12 Corsair fighters. The bombers came from both carriers, and the fighters from Victorious.

The Japanese did not use the port or the airfield very much. Because of this, they had very few defenses there. There were no Japanese planes to fight the British. The bombing was very accurate. However, one Corsair fighter plane was shot down. It was hit by light anti-aircraft fire from the ground.

What Happened After

Even though the bombing was accurate, the targets were not very important strategically. This means they didn't have a big impact on the overall war. The new pilots also didn't get much experience. This was because they faced almost no resistance from the Japanese.

The Japanese did not move their forces away from the Americans. This was confirmed by Lieutenant-General Numata Takazo after the war. He was a chief of staff for the Japanese army. The only real success of the operation was the aerial photography. The pictures taken by the Wildcats were excellent.

Operation Banquet was the first time the British used a "two-wave attack." This means they sent two groups of planes from two aircraft carriers. The British were surprised that their new battleship, Howe, could not keep up. It was designed to go 28 knots, but struggled at 27 knots. Also, the Victorious carrier used a lot of fuel. It used about a quarter of its fuel, even though the distance covered was not huge.

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  Operation Banquet