Toaw Scenario: Operation Stream Line Jane

Madagascar,
September 10, 1942,

UK army of 22 units opposed to Vichy army of 13 units
for a battle of complexity 0.33 at Battalion(II) level
on a 15 Km/Hex map
for 8 turns of Full Week each.

by Chris Jackson submited on 23-11-2002

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Briefing
OPERATION STREAM LINE JANE British vs. Vichy French Date: September 10 - November 5, 1942 Location: Madagascar Map Scale: 15 km/hex Time Scale: 1 week turns Unit Scale: Battalion Length: 8 turns EVENTS: - monsoon season can bring heavy rains beginning on turn 4. - there is a chance that Malagasy conscripts will refuse to fight after the capture of Tananarive. - The British have a chance to automatically win upon each occupation of Fianarantsoa, Ihosy and Fort Dauphin, capturing Armand Annet. SCENARIO BRIEFING: Three weeks into the British occupation of the northern tip of Madagascar, a Japanese midget submarine entered the anchorage on May 30, sinking a tanker and damaging the battleship Ramilies before getting captured after running aground trying to escape. Suspicious that the Vichy French were allowing Japanese submarines to refuel in Madagascar's southern ports (this was in fact not the case), British High Command, at the urging of South African PM Jan C. Smuts, prepared a plan to invade the entire colony before monsoon season in October. Codenamed "Stream Line Jane", the plan was to land elements of the 29th Independent Brigade a few miles north of Majunga ("Operation "Stream") and drop dummy paratropers to deceive the enemy of their aims, while the other detatchments landed in Majunga itself ("Line"). Once the area was secure East African and South African soldiers (who had replaced the departed 17 Brigade Group's forces) would be landed and would race to Tananarive before the French could blow the bridges. Alao, the 7th South African Brigade would march south from Diego-Suarez, meeting up with the road that junctions Majunga. Meanwhile, the 29th's forces would be picked up and landed with the rest of the brigade at Tamatave ("Jane"), and then both forces would close in on the capitol of Tananarive. Opposing the British would be just 6,000 indifferent Malagasy conscripts and 2,000 tough Senagalese warriors. The first two phases of the operation ended easily on September 10, with the Vichy offering only token resistance. However, the Senegalese entrenched themselves in camoflauged foxholes at Mahitsy and would put up a fierce fight. The British and African troops finally reached the capitol of Tananarive on September 23, and found it deserted of Vichy troops. Operation "Jane" began on September 18, once again with only halfhearted resistance - the Vichy were more interested in saving face than to seriously resist the invasion. However, the British found the rail transport removed, and this led to one of the more bizarre modes of tranport in the War - British troops were pushed along on flatcars "relayed" down the track by helpful Malagasy. They reached Tananarive on September 25, linking up with the other force and cutting Madagascar in half. A South African battalion landed at Tulear on September 29th, and the hunt was on to find governor-general Armand Annet. The greatest hindrance to the marathon British advance (the King's African Rifles covered 500 miles in 56 days) was not enemy soldiers, but massive roadblocks of thick stones and trees. They were erected by Malagasy upon Vichy orders, although these natives were just as happy to help remove them once the British arrived. They just missed Annet at Fianarantsoa, but caught up to him at Ihosy on November 5, where he surrendered. The conquest of Madagascar was completed with almost no actual fighting. The British lost 33 dead and 96 wounded over eight weeks, compared to 109 dead and 284 wounded in the three-day Ironclad battle. In December, administration of Madagascar was turned over to the Free French, and many of the British troops were freed up to go to India. Many Vichy officials kept their posts throughout the transition to Free French command, content to take orders from de Gaulle just as much as Petain. - Chris Jackson jackson@nornet.on.ca

Briefing

OPERATION STREAM LINE JANE

British vs. Vichy French
Date: September 10 - November 5, 1942
Location: Madagascar
Map Scale: 15 km/hex
Time Scale: 1 week turns
Unit Scale: Battalion
Length: 8 turns

EVENTS:

- monsoon season can bring heavy rains beginning on turn 4.

- there is a chance that Malagasy conscripts will refuse to fight after the capture of Tananarive.

- The British have a chance to automatically win upon each occupation of Fianarantsoa, Ihosy and Fort Dauphin, capturing Armand Annet.

SCENARIO BRIEFING:

Three weeks into the British occupation of the northern tip of Madagascar, a Japanese midget submarine entered the anchorage on May 30, sinking a tanker and damaging the battleship Ramilies before getting captured after running aground trying to escape. Suspicious that the Vichy French were allowing Japanese submarines to refuel in Madagascar's southern ports (this was in fact not the case), British High Command, at the urging of South African PM Jan C. Smuts, prepared a plan to invade the entire colony before monsoon season in October. Codenamed "Stream Line Jane", the plan was to land elements of the 29th Independent Brigade a few miles north of Majunga ("Operation "Stream") and drop dummy paratropers to deceive the enemy of their aims, while the other detatchments landed in Majunga itself ("Line"). Once the area was secure East African and South African soldiers (who had replaced the departed 17 Brigade Group's forces) would be landed and would race to Tananarive before the French could blow the bridges. Alao, the 7th South African Brigade would march south from Diego-Suarez, meeting up with the road that junctions Majunga.
Meanwhile, the 29th's forces would be picked up and landed with the rest of the brigade at Tamatave ("Jane"), and then both forces would close in on the capitol of Tananarive. Opposing the British would be just 6,000 indifferent Malagasy conscripts and 2,000 tough Senagalese warriors.
The first two phases of the operation ended easily on September 10, with the Vichy offering only token resistance. However, the Senegalese entrenched themselves in camoflauged foxholes at Mahitsy and would put up a fierce fight. The British and African troops finally reached the capitol of Tananarive on September 23, and found it deserted of Vichy troops.
Operation "Jane" began on September 18, once again with only halfhearted resistance - the Vichy were more interested in saving face than to seriously resist the invasion. However, the British found the rail transport removed, and this led to one of the more bizarre modes of tranport in the War - British troops were pushed along on flatcars "relayed" down the track by helpful Malagasy. They reached Tananarive on September 25, linking up with the other force and cutting Madagascar in half.
A South African battalion landed at Tulear on September 29th, and the hunt was on to find governor-general Armand Annet. The greatest hindrance to the marathon British advance (the King's African Rifles covered 500 miles in 56 days) was not enemy soldiers, but massive roadblocks of thick stones and trees. They were erected by Malagasy upon Vichy orders, although these natives were just as happy to help remove them once the British arrived. They just missed Annet at Fianarantsoa, but caught up to him at Ihosy on November 5, where he surrendered. The conquest of Madagascar was completed with almost no actual fighting. The British lost 33 dead and 96 wounded over eight weeks, compared to 109 dead and 284 wounded in the three-day Ironclad battle.
In December, administration of Madagascar was turned over to the Free French, and many of the British troops were freed up to go to India. Many Vichy officials kept their posts throughout the transition to Free French command, content to take orders from de Gaulle just as much as Petain.

- Chris Jackson
jackson@nornet.on.ca