Operation Lentil (Sumatra)
Encyclopedia
Operation Lentil was an air raid by British carrier based aircraft on oil installations at Pangkalan Brandan
on Sumatra
on January 4 1945. Two aircraft carriers, HMS Indomitable and Indefatigable were escorted by four cruisers (HMS Suffolk
, Ceylon, Argonaut
and Black Prince
and six destroyers, which included the 25th Flotilla's Grenville (leader), Undaunted, Ursa, Undine, and the 27th Flotilla's Kempenfelt (leader), Whelp, and Wager.
Pangkalan Brandan was, and remains, an important centre for Indonesian oil production.
A high proportion of the pilots were New Zealanders.
Pangkalan Brandan
Pangkalan Brandan is a port town in North Sumatra province, Indonesia, forty miles north west of Medan, close to the boundary with Aceh. The area's population is estimated at around 21,000....
on Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
on January 4 1945. Two aircraft carriers, HMS Indomitable and Indefatigable were escorted by four cruisers (HMS Suffolk
HMS Suffolk (55)
HMS Suffolk was a County class heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy, and part of the Kent subclass. She was built by Portsmouth Dockyard, Portsmouth, UK), with the keel being laid down on 15 November 1924...
, Ceylon, Argonaut
HMS Argonaut (61)
HMS Argonaut was a Dido class cruiser-References:***...
and Black Prince
HMS Black Prince (81)
HMS Black Prince was a Dido-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy, of the Bellona subgroup. The cruiser was commissioned in 1943, and served during World War II on the Arctic convoys, during the Normandy landings, and as part of the British Pacific Fleet. In 1946, the cruiser was loaned to the...
and six destroyers, which included the 25th Flotilla's Grenville (leader), Undaunted, Ursa, Undine, and the 27th Flotilla's Kempenfelt (leader), Whelp, and Wager.
Pangkalan Brandan was, and remains, an important centre for Indonesian oil production.
A high proportion of the pilots were New Zealanders.