Seychelles and Mauritius as anti-submarine and air bases

What role did islands such as Seychelles and Mauritius play in the war?

They were important bases for anti-submarine warfare and aircraft operations across the Indian Ocean.

Seychelles and Mauritius were important to anti-submarine warfare and aircraft operations. Their value came from geography rather than from hosting a decisive battle fleet. Distributed island bases extended patrol coverage, provided staging points, and reduced the response distance across a very large ocean. Control of small territories could produce a denser reconnaissance and anti-submarine network even when major warships remained scarce.