Operation Stab facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Operation Stab
Part of the Pacific Theatre of the Second World War
Date 21 July 1942 – 4 August 1942 Location Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean Result Allied success
Belligerents
United Kingdom  Australia  Netherlands	Japan
Commanders and leaders
James Somerville	Unknown
Units involved
1 battleship 2 carriers 4 light cruisers 6 destroyers 1 minelayer 2 corvettes 2 sloops 1 aux vessel 2 tankers 10 transport ships	Unknown
Casualties and losses
4 aircraft destroyed 4 dead	1 aircraft destroyed 9 dead
British losses were due to accidents.

Operation Stab was a British naval deception during the Second World War to distract Japanese units for the upcoming Guadalcanal campaign by US forces.

The operation

Having received a request from Admiral Ernest King to provide a distraction for Guadalcanal Campaign (Operation Watchtower), Vice Admiral Sir James Somerville decided on a fake invasion force, which were to sortie towards the Andaman Islands to draw Japanese forces to the area. Somerville would be shadowing with Force A, consisting of the battleship HMS Warspite, the aircraft carriers HMS Illustrious and Formidable, the light cruisers HMS Birmingham, Effingham, Mauritius and the Netherlander HNLMS Jacob van Heemskerck, with the destroyers HMS Inconstant, HMAS Napier, Nizam, Norman and HNLMS Van Galen.

Units started to assemble along the Indian coast and at Ceylon from 21 to 25 July, with a start date of 1 August. Force A sortied early on 30 July after sighting reports of Japanese cruisers. The three dummy fleets set sail on 1 August from Vizagapatam (Force V), Madras (Force M) and Trincomalee (Force T), this last force contained the RFA tankers RFA Appleleaf and RFA Broomdale.

On the evening of 1 August Operation Spark was carried out, this was a faked plain language SOS message from one of the ships reporting a collision and unable to move. The diversion forces then turned to return to port. Somerville stayed nearby for some hours but as no Japanese attacks or movements developed and his heavy ships were required for the Battle of Madagascar (Operation Stream Line Jane) he decided to end the operation and return to port.

Aftermath

While the operation was carried out without loss, the Japanese failed to take the bait and no significant naval or air units were redeployed – although the seaplane tender Sagara Maru was sent to the islands on 4 August and a bomber unit was sent to reinforce Sabang, it could be said to have been a minor success.

Several Japanese aircraft were spotted and a Kawanishi H6K (Mavis) was shot down by a Martlet from Formidable, for the loss of two Martlets and two Fulmars due to accidents and engine failure.