Ceylon is a large island (25,000 square miles) located off the southeast coast of India. Its two main ports of Colombo and Trincomalee were poorly developed as military bases in 1941, and the islands was somewhat exposed, leading the British to develop a secret fleet anchorage at Addu Atoll.
The Japanese Navy would have liked to have
captured Ceylon in 1942, but the Army demurred on providing the
necessary divisions. However, the
island was worked over during the Indian
Ocean raid of early 1942.
The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia (c) 2007 by Kent G. Budge. Index
