For the naval battle of 1811, see Battle of Tamatave.
Battle of Madagascar
Part of World War II

British soldiers landing at Tamatave in May 1942.
DateMay 5 – November 6, 1942
Location
Result Allied victory
Territorial
changes
Allied takeover of Madagascar
Belligerents

 United Kingdom

South Africa South Africa

 Australia (naval only)
France Vichy France
 Japan (naval only)
Commanders and leaders
United Kingdom Robert Sturges France Armand Léon Annet
Strength
10,000-15,000 (land forces) 8,000 (land forces)
Casualties and losses
107 killed in action; 280 wounded; 150 killed in action; 500 wounded

The Battle of Madagascar (or Operation Ironclad) was the Allied campaign to capture Vichy French-controlled Madagascar during World War II. It began on 5 May, 1942. Fighting did not cease until 6 November.

Background

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  • Battle of France
  • Fall of France, creation of Vichy and Free French forces, which colonies sided with which?
  • Anglo-Free French relations. DeGaulle and Churchill, destruction of French Fleet at Mers-El-Kebir, Dakar, attempts to sideline Free French
  • Fears of Japanese advances into Indian Ocean, Madagascar being used as a port to prey on Allied shipping

Prelude

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Allied preparation

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Vichy French & Japanese preparation

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Order of Battle

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here

Battle

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Aftermath

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Free French General Paul Legentilhomme was appointed High Commissioner for Madagascar. French control of the island was not to last much longer though as, like many colonies, Madagascar sought its independence following the war. In 1947, the island experienced the Malagasy Uprising, a costly revolution that was crushed in 1948. It was not until 14 October 1958, about ten years later, that the Malagasy Republic successfully proclaimed its independence from France.

References

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Bibliography

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  • http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/UN/UK/UK-RN-II/UK-RN-II-7.html#page185
  • Aris, George (1959). The Fifth British Division 1939-1945. The Fifth Division Benevolent Fund.
  • Churchill, Winston S. (1986). The Second World War, Volume 4: The Hinge of Fate. Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0395410584.
  • Colville, John (1985). The Fringes of Power. The Lyons Press. ISBN 1585745081.
  • Flint, Keith (2006). Airborne Armour: Tetrarch, Locust, Hamilcar and the 6th Airborne Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment 1938-1950. Helion & Company Ltd. ISBN 1-874622-37-X.
  • Harrison, E.D.R. (April 1999). "British Subversion in French East Africa, 1941–42: SOE's Todd Mission". English Historical Review. 114 (456): 339–369. doi:10.1093/ehr/114.456.339.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  • Messenger, Charles (1985). The Commandos 1940-1946. William Kimber. ISBN 0718305531.
  • Jackson, Julian (2001). France: The Dark Years 1940-1944. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0199254575.
  • Roskill, S.W. (1956). History of the Second World War: The War At Sea 1939-1945 Volume II: The Period Of Balance. Her Majesty's Stationary Office.
  • Smith, Colin (2009). England's Last War Against France: Fighting Vichy 1940-42. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 978-0297852186.
  • Thomas, Martin (December 1996). "Imperial Backwater or Strategic Outpost? The British Takeover of Vichy Madagascar, 1942". The Historical Journal. 39 (4): 1049–1074. doi:10.1017/S0018246X00024754.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  • Thomas, Martin (2007). The French Empire at War, 1940-45. Manchester University Press. ISBN 978-0719065194.
  • Wilmott, H P (2010). The Last Century of Sea Power: Volume II: From Washington To Tokyo, 1922 - 1945. Indiana University Press. ISBN 9780253352149.