Battle of Christmas Island

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Pacific campaigns 1941-42
Pearl Harbor – Thailand – Malaya – Wake – Hong Kong – Philippines – Dutch East Indies – New Guinea – Singapore – Australia – Indian Ocean – Doolittle Raid – Solomons – Coral Sea – Midway

South West Pacific campaign
Philippines 1941-42 – Dutch East Indies 1941-42 – Portuguese Timor – Australia – New Guinea – Philippines 1944-45 – Borneo 1945

The Pacific War conquest plan set out by the Empire of Japan for the South Sea lands concluded on March 31, 1942 with the attack on and occupation of Christmas Island.

Situated 300 km south of Java, Christmas Island was important for two reasons: it was a perfect control post for the east Indian Ocean area; and it was an important source of phosphates, which were important in Japanese industry.

At dawn on March 31, one dozen Japanese bombers, supported by two light cruisers and two destroyers, smashed local defenses. The only defences on the island were an old 6-inch gun brought down from Singapore after the First World War, and possibly up to three anti-aircraft guns. The British garrison, which numbered about 100 men, surrendered seven hours later. The Japanese expeditionary corps then disembarked at Flying Fish Cove.

The following day, the American submarine Seawolf torpedoed the Japanese light cruiser Naka, flagship of the Admiral-in-Chief of the expeditionary force, forcing the Naka to return to Japan for repairs (Hara, 1961).

From its base at Christmas Island, and other bases in the East Timor and New Guinea area, the Japanese Mitsubishi Ki-46 army plane "Dinah" performed a number of reconnaissance missions over the northern coast of Australia in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. It is thought that the operation may have been a prelude to an Invasion of Australia, because of the island's strategic position and proximity to Western Australia.

One of the major buildings destroyed was the radio station, which stood roughly where the post office is today. Fragments of the bombs dropped were still being found into the 1980s in the Post Office Padang.

At the end of the occupation, during which the Japanese had reportedly forced many local Muslims to worship at their Shinto shrine, the liberating troops destroyed the shrine at the request of locals.

[edit] Reference

Hara, Tameichi (1961). Japanese Destroyer Captain. New York & Toronto: Ballantine Books. ISBN 0-345-27894-1.- Brief, first-hand account of the battle by the captain of the Japanese destroyer Amatsukaze. He personally witnessed the torpedo hit the Naka.