Operation Robson (20 December 1944) was the first of a series of aerial operations,
Operation Outflank
Operation Outflank was the first combat operation of the British Pacific Fleet (BPF). It was a series of raids by the Fleet Air Arm on the oil refineries and storage facilities of the Empire of Japan on the island of Sumatra:
* Operation Robson ...
, undertaken by the
British Pacific Fleet
The British Pacific Fleet (BPF) was a Royal Navy formation that saw action against Japan during the Second World War. The fleet was composed of empire naval vessels. The BPF formally came into being on 22 November 1944 from the remaining ships ...
(BPF) against the oil refineries of
Japanese-occupied Sumatra during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. Admiral
Chester Nimitz
Chester William Nimitz (; February 24, 1885 – February 20, 1966) was a fleet admiral in the United States Navy. He played a major role in the naval history of World War II as Commander in Chief, US Pacific Fleet, and Commander in C ...
,
Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas, proposed a strike on the refineries to Admiral
Bruce Fraser, commander of the BPF, during a meeting in early December.
The primary target of Operation Robson was the refinery at
Pangkalan Brandan
Pangkalan Brandan (or Pangkalanbrandan) (''Pangkalanberandan'') is a port town in Langkat Regency, North Sumatra province, Indonesia, forty miles north west of Medan, close to the boundary with Aceh. The area's population is estimated at aroun ...
. It had been fired by fleeing American and Dutch personnel during the
invasion of the Dutch East Indies in 1942, but the Japanese had repaired it by the year's end. Refined product was piped from there to the port of
Pangkalan Susu eight miles away and to the more distant deep-water port of
Belawan Deli, the secondary target. Pangkalan Soesoe had tanks capable of holding thirty million gallons.
Order of battle
The naval
order of battle
In modern use, the order of battle of an armed force participating in a military operation or campaign shows the hierarchical organization, command structure, strength, disposition of personnel, and equipment of units and formations of the armed ...
for the operation consisted of two forces: Force 67, the strike force, and Force 69, the oiler group. The commander, Admiral
Philip Vian
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Philip Louis Vian, & Two Bars (15 July 1894 – 27 May 1968) was a Royal Navy officer who served in both World Wars.
Vian specialised in naval gunnery from the end of World War I, and subsequently received sever ...
, had his flag aboard the
aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...
(carrying
857
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Year 857 ( DCCCLVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Byzantine Empire
* Emperor Michael III, under the influence of his uncle Bardas, banis ...
,
1839
Events
January–March
* January 2 – The first photograph of the Moon is taken, by French photographer Louis Daguerre.
* January 6 – Night of the Big Wind: Ireland is struck by the most damaging cyclone in 300 years.
* January 9 – T ...
and
1844 Naval Air Squadrons). Also in Force 67 were the carrier
''Illustrious'' (carrying
854
__NOTOC__
Year 854 ( DCCCLIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place Europe
* Emperor Lothair I meets his (half) brothers (Louis the German and Charles the Bal ...
,
1830
It is known in European history as a rather tumultuous year with the Revolutions of 1830 in France, Belgium, Poland, Switzerland and Italy.
Events January–March
* January 11 – LaGrange College (later the University of North Alabama) b ...
and
1833 Naval Air Squadrons), the cruisers , and , and the destroyers , , , and . The oiler group comprised
RFA ''Wave King'' and the destroyers and .
The strike force departed from
Trincomalee
Trincomalee (; ta, திருகோணமலை, translit=Tirukōṇamalai; si, ත්රිකුණාමළය, translit= Trikuṇāmaḷaya), also known as Gokanna and Gokarna, is the administrative headquarters of the Trincomalee Dis ...
on 17 December, and met Force 69 the next day (18 December). ''Argonaut'', ''Black Prince'' and the destroyers of Force 67 refuelled. Undetected, the fleet reached the flying-off position, north of
Diamond Point, in the early morning of 20 December. The aerial order of battle consisted of a strike force and an escort force. For the former, ''Indomitable'' supplied twelve and ''Illustrious'' sixteen
Grumman TBF Avenger
The Grumman TBF Avenger (designated TBM for aircraft manufactured by General Motors) is an American World War II-era torpedo bomber developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and eventually used by several air and naval av ...
s, each with four 500-lb bombs, and ''Illustrious'' supplied a further four
Vought F4U Corsair
The Vought F4U Corsair is an American fighter aircraft which saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Designed and initially manufactured by Chance Vought, the Corsair was soon in great demand; additional production contracts ...
s, each with two 500-lb bombs. The strike leader was Lieutenant Commander W. Stuart. Among the escorts, top cover was provided by eight
Grumman F6F Hellcat
The Grumman F6F Hellcat is an American Carrier-based aircraft, carrier-based fighter aircraft of World War II. Designed to replace the earlier Grumman F4F Wildcat, F4F Wildcat and to counter the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero, it was the United St ...
s from ''Indomitable'', middle cover by twelve Corsairs from ''Illustrious'', and close cover by a further eight Hellcats from ''Indomitable''.
Operation
At the flying-off position, low clouds and heavy squalls reduced visibility, prompting Vian to postpone the launch twenty minutes. The operation finally began at 0636. One of ''Indomitable''′s Avengers crashed into the sea after takeoff, but its crew escaped unscathed. The other Avengers and the escort force departed from the fleet at 0715, and the strike Corsairs took off shortly after. The strike force ran into a barrier of clouds as they approached the Sumatran coast. Strike Leader Stuart advanced through a gap in the clouds to inspect the target but was unable to locate it. The strike was diverted to the secondary target, Belawan Deli, where the weather was little better.
The Avengers bombed the wharves from 1500 feet, while the Corsairs strafed the fuel storage tanks and warehouses in the town. A train was also hit at nearby
Kuala Simpang
Kuala Simpang is a small town located in Pahang, Malaysia. The percentage of the racial population is 78% are Chinese, 12% are Malay, 7% are Indian and 3% are other races. The population of the town is around 1,439. The mayor of the town is Gan ...
. Two of the Corsairs became lost and strafed a large storage tank at either Pangkalan Brandan or Pangkalan Susu. The defences of Belawan Deli were unprepared: the
anti-aircraft artillery
Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...
was ineffective and no fighters were put in the air, although one
Mitsubishi Ki-21
The (Allied reporting name: "Sally" /"Gwen") was a Japanese heavy bomber during World War II. It began operations during the Second Sino-Japanese War participating in the Nomonhan Incident, and in the first stages of the Pacific War, including ...
was surprised and downed by a Hellcat. The raid ended in chaos, with complete loss of radio discipline. The strike force and escorts rendezvoused just beneath the clouds. Lieutenant Commander W. J. Mainprice had to form up his squadron (No. 854) and lead them back on his own initiative because of the "radio bedlam". All 55 aircraft returned safely and the four Corsairs landed by 1050, and the force retired.
Aftermath
On the afternoon of the attack, a Japanese radio message was intercepted: "Am closing down now, will call you later." At the suggestion of Captain C. E. Lambe of ''Illustrious'', eight of his Corsairs and eight Hellcats from ''Indomitable'' were dispatched for a low-level sweep over the airfields at
Sabang and Oleelhoe, the port of
Kota Raja. No Japanese aircraft were spotted, either on the ground or in the air. Force 67 had returned to Trincomalee by 22 December.
Despite the lack of opposition met, Operation Robson was considered a failure on account of the bad weather and the lack of radio discipline. The subsequent operations of Outflank—
Lentil
The lentil (''Lens culinaris'' or ''Lens esculenta'') is an edible legume. It is an annual plant known for its lens-shaped seeds. It is about tall, and the seeds grow in pods, usually with two seeds in each. As a food crop, the largest pro ...
and
Meridian
Meridian or a meridian line (from Latin ''meridies'' via Old French ''meridiane'', meaning “midday”) may refer to
Science
* Meridian (astronomy), imaginary circle in a plane perpendicular to the planes of the celestial equator and horizon
* ...
—engendered a much greater response from the Japanese and concomitant British losses.
Notes
Sources
*
*
External links
Operation Robson Codenames : Operation of WW2
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robson, Operation
Fleet Air Arm
World War II operations and battles of the Southeast Asia Theatre
World War II aerial operations and battles of the Pacific theatre
Aerial operations and battles of World War II involving the United Kingdom
Naval battles and operations of World War II involving the United Kingdom