Editing Indian Ocean raid (section)

===Strategic situation===
The island of [[Ceylon]] was strategically important, since it commanded the Indian Ocean. Thus it controlled access to India, the vital Allied shipping routes to the [[Middle East]] and the oilfields of the [[Persian Gulf]]. Ceylon held most of the British Empire's resources of [[rubber]]. An important harbour and naval base, [[Trincomalee]], was located on the island's eastern coast. Japanese propaganda had an effect on some of the Sinhalese population, who now awaited their arrival.

The [[fall of Singapore]] on 15 February 1942 broke the United Kingdom's eastern defensive perimeter of the [[Bay of Bengal]]; and the [[Japanese occupation of the Andaman Islands]] on 23 March gave Japan control of the [[Andaman Sea]], enabling ships to resupply Japanese troops in the [[Burma Campaign]] for control of [[India]]. Both German and British authorities anticipated Japanese capture of Ceylon to solidify control of the Bay of Bengal and disrupt British resupply for defence of India, [[Australia]], and perhaps the Middle East. Ceylon was hastily garrisoned by Australian troops returning from North Africa; and {{HMS|Indomitable|R92|6}} was relieved of naval duties to serve as a high-speed aircraft ferry shuttling available planes to Ceylon.<ref>{{cite book |last=Churchill |first=Winston |author-link =Winston Churchill |title =The Hinge of Fate |url=https://archive.org/details/hingeoffate00chur |url-access=registration |publisher =Houghton Mifflin Company |date =1950 |location =Boston |pages =[https://archive.org/details/hingeoffate00chur/page/138 138], 172–178 }}</ref>

Japanese intentions to mount a major offensive into the Indian Ocean were placed on hold in March 1942; strong naval forces were needed in the western Pacific against the United States, and the [[Imperial Japanese Army]] (IJA) refused to allocate troops for an invasion of Ceylon. In response, the IJN developed Operation C, a plan for an aggressive raid into the Indian Ocean in early April. Operation C aimed to destroy the British [[Far East Fleet (United Kingdom)|Eastern Fleet]], and disrupt British lines of communications in the Bay of Bengal in support of the Burma Campaign.<ref name="Boyd_364">Boyd, p. 364</ref>

British intelligence correctly assessed the Japanese strategy. The Americans were notified; the [[Doolittle Raid]] – which was already in progress – took on the additional role of a diversion.<ref name="Boyd_364"/>