On the 14th March, "Force 121" was constituted under the command of Major-General Robert Sturges of the Royal Marines with Rear-Admiral Edward Syfret being placed in command of Naval Force H and the supporting sea force. The expeditionary force for Operation Ironclad consisted of three infantry brigade groups and No.5 Army Commando. The Allies' main landings were around Baie du Courrier and Baie du Ambararata across a narrow peninsula from Diego Suarez, the main naval base on the northern tip of Madagascar. The landings started at 4:30 am on the 5^th of May 1942. A quarter of an hour later the Fleet Air Arm attacked the harbour of Diego Suarez and Arrachart airfield just south of Antsirane. They also dropped dummy paratroopers as part of a deception plan, similar to those dropped at the beginning of Operation Overlord in Normandy.

      The landings were initially successful No.5 Army Commando plus a company of the East Lancashire Regiment landed in Baie du Courrier, captured their initial objectives, a coastal battery and the enemy position ‘Windsor Castle’. They then advanced onto capture the harbour of Diego Suarez. Further South at the 29^th Independent Infantry Brigade landed in the Baie du Ambararata, here all the forces land artillery and tanks were landed, initial resistance was light but later they came up against the Joffre Line the enemies main defensive positions, which caused the expeditionary force to falter.

     As a result Royal Marines from the ship’s company of HMS Ramillies were despatched on the destroyer Anthony through the Oronjia Pass into the Bay of Diego Suarez to make a diversionary attack on Antsirane. This they did seizing the headquarters of the Artillery Commandant.

     With the aid of the diversion the British Expeditionary force now reinforced forced their way through the Joffre Line. This led to the surrender of the town of Antsirane and naval base. This is all the British had aimed to achieve from the operation. However after an attack on HMS Ramillies inside the port of Diego Suarez by a two man Japanese midget submarine and further attacks in the Indian Ocean on ships taking supplies to the Eighth Army it was decided to complete their conquest of Madagascar.

     This second phase started on the 10^th of September with an amphibious assault, Operation Line, on the harbour of Majunga by the 29^th Independent Infantry Brigade, No.5 Commando and the men of the Naval Beach Party Able. The Madagascar campaign eventually ended with the surrender of the Vichy French on the 5^th of November 1942.

     Colin Smith covers the Madagascar campaign in great detail in his book ‘England’s Last War Against France’.

     However the State Reports also show Lt Redshaw and Lt Turton remained in theatre. During which time Lt Redshaw reported they served with numbers 1 and 6 Army Commandos for a short period spending Christmas day in the Hotel Transatlantique in Bone and returning to England, going alongside in Liverpool on the 13^th of January 1943.

     H RN Beach Commando was tasked with the initial defence of advanced base "Millie". Prior to that acting Commander Cobham GC RN, the commanding officer of RNBC H was provided with an amphibious jeep and visited the Naaf River and associated Army locations with two army colonels from Mountbatten’s staff, enabling him to see something of the area in which they were to operate.

     Advanced base “Millie” was to be a tented camp for the crews of minor landing craft and other small vessels and their maintenance units. It was located on the west bank of the Naaf River in a quarter mile wide stretch of flat ground between the river and a two thousand foot mountain range and was covered in medium thick jungle. To the south of the base were some army and anti-aircraft positions. Further south was the village of Teknaaf.