Operation Matador
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- This article is about all the operations with the name Matador. For the 2005 Iraq operation, see Battle of Al Qaim.
History records a number of operations named Matador:
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[edit] The British in Malaya
Operation Matador was a plan of the British Malaya Command to move forces into position to counter a Japanese amphibious attack on Malaya.
In 1937 Major-General William Dobbie Officer Commanding Malaya (1935 - 1939), looked at Malaya's defences, he reported that during the monsoon season from October to March landings could be made by an enemy on the east coast and bases could be established in Siam (Thailand). He predicted that landings could be made at Songkhla and Pattani in Siam, and Kota Bharu in Malaya. He recommended large reinforcements to be sent immediately. His predictions turned out to be correct but his recommendations were ignored.
In August 1941 the Commander-in-Chief (CinC) of British Far East Command Air Chief Marshal Robert Brooke-Popham submitted a plan code named Matador to London for approval. (PRO record FO 371/28163). The plan relied on assumption that the Japanese would land on the east coast of Siam at Songkhla and Pattani, then advancing south to Jitra and lower down to Kroh. It was envisaged that two forces could intercept them just over the border in Thailand, long enough for the main force to assemble and attack. But there were several problems with the plan. In January a request for additional resources remained unfulfilled which the plan intended to use and the previous year in 1940 Sir Josiah Cosby the British Ambassador in Siam, had signed a non-aggression pact with Prime Minister Pibul of Siam.
On the December 5, 1941 when the threat of Japanese invasion became more likely, the plan was modified to use the forces available, it was to be put into action as soon as an attack was imminent. The plan was that if an enemy attacked, or were invited into, Siam, troops under British command would rush to Songkhla and defend it against a sea borne attack. This job was allocated to Major-General Murray-Lyon's Indian 11th Infantry Division who also had to defend Jitra, this over stretched his resources and made it a difficult task to do.
On the December 5 London given permission for CinC Far East Command to decide if Operation Matador should be activated. The chief strategic decision to be decided was whether Siam should be invaded in a pre-emptive move before a Japanese landings took place. The Malaya Command was responsible for the detailed planning of Operation Matador and on December 6, 1941 it had reworked the plan and allocated forces for immediate deployment. Which is what General Officer Commanding Malaya Arthur Percival recommended that evening in meeting with the Governor Sir Shenton Thomas and CinC Brooke-Popham decided it is premature to launch the operation which included the pre-emptive move into Siam. With hind sight this was the wrong decision.
However, if Matador had been implemented the Japanese had a counter worked out. They would use the Bangkok airport and the airfields of Southern Siam to enable air cover to be established, and then invade from the Kra Isthmus.
[edit] Naval Matador
There was a second Matador plan developed by the Royal Navy to defend Singapore.
[edit] Matador 1945
- Main Article Battle of Ramree Island
During the Burma Campaign, in January 1945, Operation Matador was an amphibious thrust to capture the strategic port of Kyaukpyu--located at the northern tip of Ramree Island, south of Akyab across Hunter's Bay-and the key airfield near the port. On 21 January 1945, an hour before the Indian 71st Brigade was to land, the battleship HMS Queen Elizabeth opened fire with her main battery while planes from the escort carrier HMS Ameer spotted for her. The light cruiser HMS Phoebe also joined the bombardment, along with Liberators and Thunderbolts of No. 224 Group RAF which bombed and strafed to soften up the beaches. The assault troops landed unopposed and secured the beachhead; the following day, the British 4th Infantry Brigade landed. [1]
[edit] CIA Matador
A 1975 CIA plan to return the recovery barge Glomar Explorer to sea to recover the remainder of the Soviet submarine left on the sea floor by the earlier Project Jennifer. Never conducted.
[edit] Iraq War
In mid-May 2005, elements of the United States Marine Corps conducted a sweep of an Insurgent-held area near the Syrian border. It lasted 11 days, during which the U.S. troops killed more than 125 suspected Insurgents and captured 39 others. However, in the process soldiers only captured a few weapons caches and lost several men from one squad, [2] (A squad is one of the the smallest Marine Corps units; it commonly contains 13 Marines, including one sergeant and three corporals. This is militarily insignificant in comparison to insurgent losses.) As soon as US Marines left Al-Qaim and other insurgent held towns, the insurgents reestablished control over them. To address this problem Operation Steel Curtain was launched in November 2005 and a permanent Iraqi troop presence was established to successfully prevent insurgents from retaking the territory after US forces left.
Matador could loosely be described as a running battle with the heaviest fighting taking place in Ubaydi, Arabi, and Al-Qaim, all are cities in the insurgent dominated Al Anbar Governorate. [3] [4] It was followed by Operation Squeeze Play and finally Operation Steel Curtain.
