Operation Matador was an amphibious thrust, during the
Burma Campaign in January 1945, to capture the strategic port of
Kyaukpyu
Kyaukpyu ( my, ကျောက်ဖြူမြို့ ; also spelt Kyaukphyu) is a major town in Rakhine State, in western Myanmar. It is located on the north western corner of Yanbye Island on Combermere Bay, and is 250 miles (400 ...
, located at the northern tip of
Ramree Island
Ramree Island ( my, ရမ်းဗြဲကျွန်း; also spelled Yanbye Island) is an island off the coast of Rakhine State, Myanmar (Burma). Ramree island is the largest island in the entire Rakhine Coast and in Myanmar. The area of t ...
, south of
Akyab
Sittwe (; ; formerly Akyab) is the capital of Rakhine State, Myanmar (Burma). Sittwe, pronounced ''sait-tway'' in the Rakhine language, is located on an estuarial island created at the confluence of the Kaladan, Mayu, and Lay Mro rivers emptyi ...
across Hunter's Bay, as well as the key airfield near the port. On 21 January 1945, an hour before the Indian 71st Brigade was to land, the battleship opened fire with her main battery while planes from the
escort carrier
The escort carrier or escort aircraft carrier (U.S. hull classification symbol CVE), also called a "jeep carrier" or "baby flattop" in the United States Navy (USN) or "Woolworth Carrier" by the Royal Navy, was a small and slow type of aircraft ...
spotted for her. The light cruiser also joined the bombardment, along with
Liberators and
Thunderbolts of
No. 224 Group RAF
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
which bombed and strafed to soften up the beaches. The assault troops landed unopposed and secured the beachhead; the following day, the Indian 4th Infantry Brigade landed.
See also
*
Battle of Ramree Island
The Battle of Ramree Island ( Burmese:ရမ်းဗြဲကျွန်း တိုက်ပွဲ, (also called Operation Matador) took place from 14 January to 22 February 1945, in the Second World War as part of the offensive on the Sout ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matador, Operation
World War II operations and battles of the Southeast Asia Theatre
Matador
A bullfighter (or matador) is a performer in the activity of bullfighting. ''Torero'' () or ''toureiro'' (), both from Latin ''taurarius'', are the Spanish and Portuguese words for bullfighter and describe all the performers in the activit ...
Naval battles and operations of World War II involving the United Kingdom
Military history of Burma during World War II
January 1945 events in Asia