Indian Ocean raid (1944)

Second Indian Ocean raid
Part of Pacific War
U.S. Navy recognition drawing for Japanese Aoba-class heavy cruisers
Date 1–16 March 1944 Location Indian Ocean Result Inconclusive, but little achieved militarily
Belligerents
Japan	United Kingdom
Commanders and leaders
Rear Admiral Naomasa Sakonju
Strength
3 heavy cruisers
Casualties and losses
none	1 steamer sunk, 3 killed, unknown wounded
Either 72 or 89 British survivors were executed by Japanese forces after being taken prisoner.

In March 1944, a force of three Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) heavy cruisers raided Allied shipping in the Indian Ocean, the codename of this operation was Operation SA No.1. The cruisers departed Japanese-held territory on 1 March with the support of other IJN vessels and aircraft. On 9 March, they encountered and sank the British steamer Behar, with the heavy cruiser Tone picking up over 100 survivors. Fearing detection, the Japanese force subsequently returned to the Netherlands East Indies (NEI), arriving on 16 March.

Two days later, either 72 or 89 British crew and passengers of Behar were murdered on board Tone. Following the war the commander of the raid, Rear Admiral Naomasa Sakonju, was executed for this war crime and Tone's captain Haruo Mayuzumi (ja:黛治夫) was sentenced to seven years imprisonment.