Editing Indian Ocean raid (section)

===Japanese preparations===
Admiral [[Isoroku Yamamoto]] issued the initial order to proceed with Operation C to the IJN's southern force, commanded by Admiral [[Nobutake Kondō]], on 9 March 1942. By 16 March, the plan was to depart from [[Staring Bay]], [[Sulawesi|Celebes]], on 26 March for an attack on Colombo ("C day") on 5 April.<ref name="Boyd_366">Boyd, p. 366</ref> The Japanese expected to destroy the British Eastern Fleet in port.<ref name="Boyd_381">Boyd, p. 381</ref>

The Japanese force, commanded by Admiral [[Chūichi Nagumo]], had a core of five aircraft carriers; {{Ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Akagi||2}}, {{Ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Shōkaku||2}} and {{Ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Zuikaku||2}} in Carrier Division 5, and {{Ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Sōryū||2}} and {{Ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Hiryū||2}} in Carrier Division 2.<ref name="Boyd_373">Boyd, p. 373</ref> The carriers were accompanied by all four {{sclass|Kongo|battleship|2}}s, and both {{sclass|Tone|cruiser|2}}s.<ref name="Boyd_367">Boyd, p. 367</ref>

Japanese intelligence on the composition of the British Eastern Fleet in the Indian Ocean<ref name="Tully_Yu_5">Tully and Yu, p. 5</ref> was reasonably accurate, while overestimating the air strength on Ceylon.<ref name="Boyd_381">Boyd, p. 381</ref> The 19 March operational order vaguely advised that a "considerable" portion of British naval and air forces in the Indian Ocean were "deployed in Ceylon area".<ref name="Tully_Yu_5"/>

The Japanese stationed reconnaissance submarines outside of the known British anchorages at Colombo and Trincomalee; their effectiveness was limited.<ref name="Boyd_369">Boyd, p. 369</ref> At least one submarine was sent to scout the [[Maldive Islands]] but failed to detect [[Gan (Addu Atoll)|Port T]] at [[Addu Atoll]].<ref name="Boyd_370">Boyd, p. 370</ref>

At the same time as Operation C, the IJN also dispatched Malay Force under the command of Vice Admiral [[Jisaburō Ozawa]]. His force consisted of the aircraft carrier {{Ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Ryūjō||2}}, six [[cruiser]]s, and four destroyers to destroy shipping in the Bay of Bengal on 1 April. Malay Force was not part of Operation C.<ref>Shores, Cull & Izawa, Vol. II, pp. 393, 408–411</ref>

In 3 days, Ozawa's force managed to sink 23 merchant ships (20 in a single day),<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Black |first=Jeremy |date=2009 |title=Midway and the Indian Ocean |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26397057 |journal=Naval War College Review |volume=62 |issue=4 |pages=135 |jstor=26397057 |issn=0028-1484 |archive-date=4 January 2024 |access-date=4 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240104040347/https://www.jstor.org/stable/26397057 |url-status=live }}</ref> totaling over 130,000 gross registered tons.{{sfn|Warner|Bennett|Macyntire|Uehling|1976|p=154}} In addition, April saw 32,000 tons of shipping sunk by Japanese submarines off India's west coast.<ref name=":0" /> ''Ryūjō''{{'}}s aircraft also bombed the ports of [[Cocanada]] and [[Vizagapatam]], causing relatively minor damage.<ref name=":0" /> The tonnage and number of ships sunk by Malay Force, are comparable to that of the 3-month long [[Operation Berlin (Atlantic)|Operation Berlin]] raid conducted by [[Scharnhorst-class battleship|two battleships]] of the ''[[Kriegsmarine]]'' from January to March 1941.{{sfn|Macintyre|1975|pp=104–106}} In both raids against merchant shipping, Allied merchant ships were not sailing in convoys escorted by large vessels.{{sfn|Ireland|2004|p=48}}