§ The Prime Minister (Mr. Churchill)With your permission, Mr. Speaker, I should like to make a brief statement.
532 The House will already have learned that His Majesty's Government recently decided to resume operations in Madagascar and to seize key points on the West coast of the island from which enemy submarines might operate against our shipping in the Mozambique Channel. Majunga, Morondava and Nosi Be were assaulted in the early hours of yesterday (Thursday) morning and captured with little opposition and light casualties. The town of Majunga surrendered during the course of the day, and the operations against Morondava and Nosi Be were also completely successful. The operations, in which all three Services co-operated, were carried out precisely according to plan. British, Union of South' Africa and East African troops and South African Air Forces took part in the operations.