Japanese Forces

Striking Force

1st Carrier Airfleet
  • Vice-Admiral Chuichi Nagumo

Carrier Division 1

  • Akagi (force flagship)(force flagship)
    Commanding officer: Capt. Kiichi Hasegawa
    • 27 A6M2
    • 18 D3A1
    • 27 B5N2

Carrier Division 2

  • Rear-Adm. Tamon Yamaguchi
  • Hiryu (flagship)(flagship)
    Commanding officer: Capt. Kaku
    • 21 A6M
    • 21 D3A
    • 21 B5N
  • Soryu
    Commanding officer: Capt. Ryusaku Yanagimoto
    • 21 A6M
    • 21 D3A
    • 21 B5N

Carrier Division 5

  • Rear-Adm. Hara
  • Zuikaku
    Commanding officer: Capt. Ichibei Yokokawa
    • 18 A6M
    • 27 D3A
    • 27 B5N
  • Shokaku
    Commanding officer: Capt. Takatsugu Jojima
    • 18 A6M
    • 27 D3A
    • 27 B5N

3rd Battleship Squadron

  • Rear-Adm. Gunichi Mikawa
  • Kongo (flagship)(flagship)
  • Haruna
  • Hiei
  • Kirishima

8th Cruiser Squadron

  • Rear-Adm. Hiroki Abe
  • Tone (flagship)(flagship)
  • Chikuma

Destroyer Squadron 1

Part of 1st Fleet
  • Rear-Adm. Sentaro Omori
  • Abukuma
Destroyer Division 17
  • Urakaze
    Commanding officer: Cmdr. Nagayoshi Shiraishi
  • Tanikaze
    Commanding officer: Cmdr. Motoi Katsumi
  • Isokaze
    Commanding officer: Cmdr. Shunichi Toshima
  • Hamakaze
    Commanding officer: Cmdr. Tsuneo Orita
Destroyer Division 18
  • Kasumi
    Commanding officer: Cmdr. Kiyoshi Tomura
  • Arare
    Commanding officer: Cmdr. Tomoe Ogata
  • Kagero
    Commanding officer: Cmdr. Terumichi Arimoto
  • Shiranuhi
    Commanding officer: Cmdr. Jisuo Akasawa
  • Akigumo
    Commanding officer: Cmdr. Shoohei Sooma
    Notes: Attached directly from Cardiv 5, 1st Airfleet.

Malay Force

Raids into Bay of Bengal
  • Vice-Adm. Jisaburo Ozawa
  • Chokai (force flagship)(force flagship)

7th Cruiser Squadron

  • Rear-Adm. Takeo Kurita
  • Kumano (flagship)(flagship)
  • Mikuma
  • Mogami
  • Suzuya

Carrier Division 4

  • Rear-Adm. Kakujo Kakuta
  • Ryujo (flagship)(flagship)
    • 16 B5N

Destroyer Squadron 3

Part of 1st Fleet
  • Yura
Destroyer Division 11
  • Fubuki
    Commanding officer: Cmdr. Masao Yamashita
  • Shirayuki
    Commanding officer: Lt. Cmdr. Rokorou Sugawara
  • Hatsuyki
    Commanding officer: Lt. Cmdr. Junnari Kamiura
  • Murakumo
    Commanding officer: Cmdr. Hideo Azuma
Destroyer Division 20
Replaced Destroyer Division 11 on 3-4 April 1942
  • Amagiri
    Commanding officer: Cmdr. Buichi Ashida
  • Asagiri
    Commanding officer: Cmdr. Nisaburo Maekawa
  • Shirakumo
    Commanding officer: Cmdr. Toyoji Hitomi
  • Yugiri
    Commanding officer: Cmdr. Masayushi Motokura

Submarine Force

Positioned west of India
  • I-2
  • I-3
  • I-4
  • I-6
  • I-7

British Forces

Eastern Fleet
  • Vice-Adm. Sir James Sommerville

Force A

Fast Force

Aircraft Carriers

  • Rear-Adm. D. W. Boyd
  • Indomitable
    • 9 Sea Hurricanes
    • 12 Fulmars
    • 24 Albacores
  • Formidable
    • 16 Martlets
    • 21 Albacores
    • 1 Swordfish

Battleship

  • Warspite (fleet flagship)(fleet flagship)

Heavy Cruisers

  • Cornwall (sunk)(sunk)
    Commanding officer: Capt. Manwaring
  • Dorsetshire (sunk)(sunk)
    Commanding officer: Capt. Agar

Light Cruisers

  • Emerald
  • Enterprise

Destroyers

  • Napier
    Notes: Royal Australian Navy
  • Nestor
    Notes: Royal Australian Navy
  • Paladin
  • Panther
  • Hotspur
  • Foxhound

Force B

Slow Force
  • Vice Adm. Willis

Battleship

  • Resolution (force flagship)(force flagship)
  • Ramilles
  • Royal Sovereign
  • Revenge

Aircraft Carriers

  • Hermes (sunk)(sunk)
    Commanding officer: Capt. Onslow
    • 12 Swordfish

Light Cruisers

  • Caledon
  • Dragon
  • Jacob Van Heemskerck
    Notes: Royal Netherlands Navy

Destroyers

  • Griffin
  • Norman
    Notes: Royal Australian Navy
  • Arrow
  • Vampire (sunk)(sunk)
    Notes: Royal Australian Navy
  • Decoy
  • Fortune
  • Scout
  • Isaac Sweers
    Notes: Royal Netherlands Navy

Other Ships Sunk

Lost 5 April 1942 from 1st Carrier Airfleet attack
  • Aux. Cruiser Hector (sunk)(sunk)
  • DD Tenedos (sunk)(sunk)

Sources

  • Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War by E. LaCroix & H. Wells II
  • Chronology of the War at Sea 1939-1945 by J. Rohwer & G. Hummelchen
  • A Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy (1941-1945) by P. Dull
  • Nihon Kaigun website