Operation Cockpit

Operation Cockpit
Part of the South-East Asian theatre of World War II
Sabang under attack on 19 April 1944
Date 19 April 1944 Location Sabang, Dutch East Indies 5°53′39″N 95°19′9″E / 5.89417°N 95.31917°E / 5.89417; 95.31917 Result Allied strategic failure
Belligerents
United Kingdom  United States  Australia  New Zealand  Netherlands  Free France	Japan
Commanders and leaders
James Somerville	Hirose Sueto
Strength
2 aircraft carriers 3 battleships 1 battlecruiser 6 cruisers 15 destroyers 1 submarine	Anti-aircraft batteries 3 torpedo bombers
Casualties and losses
1 aircraft destroyed	1 merchant vessel sunk 1 merchant vessel beached Up to 24 aircraft destroyed on the ground 3 aircraft shot down

Operation Cockpit was an Allied attack against the Japanese-held island of Sabang on 19 April 1944. It was conducted by aircraft flying from British and American aircraft carriers and targeted Japanese shipping and airfields. A small number of Japanese ships and aircraft were destroyed, and one American aircraft was lost. While the attack was successful tactically, it failed to divert Japanese forces from other areas as had been hoped.

The attack on Sabang was the first of several carrier raids conducted by the British-led Eastern Fleet during 1944 and 1945. It sought to prevent the Japanese from transferring forces in the area to contest a planned American landing in New Guinea. Sabang's defenders were taken by surprise, and the attackers encountered little opposition. The Japanese did not react to the operation as the Eastern Fleet was not seen as a serious threat and their forces in the area were being preserved for use against an expected major American offensive in the Central Pacific. Nevertheless, the Allies were pleased with the results of the attack.