On this day 19 July 1944
Published: 19 Jul 2014
On this day 19 July 1944 Operation Cockpit airstrikes in Sumatra.
Operation COCKPIT, Task Force 69 and 70, on 19 July 1944 was an air strike and bombardment of harbour and oil installations in northern Sumatra.
The carrier Illustrious was part of the multi-national Task Force 70. The raid was launched at 5.30am on 19 April, with 17 Barracuda bombers and 13 Corsair fighters from HMS Illustrious; and 18 Douglas Dauntless bombers, 11 Grumman Avenger bombers and 24 Hellcat fighters from USS Saratoga. Sabang harbour and the nearby Lho Nga airfield on Sumatra were bombed.