Operation Lentil struck Japan's Palembang oil supply

Whelp served in the 27th Destroyer Flotilla as the carriers Indomitable, Indefatigable, and Victorious launched Avengers and other aircraft against Sumatra. Cruisers and two destroyer flotillas protected the striking force, making the carrier aircraft one part of a larger fleet system. The target was oil infrastructure whose loss constrained Japan's ability to sustain later operations. Taranto was more famous, but its disabled Italian battleships still affected the subsequent Mediterranean campaign, so the two raids cannot be ranked on damage figures alone.