New Perspectives on the Madagascar Campaign of the Second World War

The Madagascar Campaign of the Second World War remains a distinct sideshow within the broader conflict. Its marginalisation is largely attributable to the simultaneous and interconnected military operations in North Africa, the Soviet Union, East Asia, and the Pacific. Consequently, it has often been overlooked by both academic and popular historians and labelled as one of the war’s “forgotten” campaigns. This neglect has been further compounded by a fragmented historiography increasingly shaped by popular rather than academic historians. This special issue seeks to address key gaps in the existing scholarship and to encourage renewed academic debate on this overlooked theatre of war. It brings together contributions from scholars based in the United Kingdom, Australia, and South Africa, whose articles explore a range of previously unexamined aspects of the campaign. Collectively, these perspectives offer a more nuanced understanding of Madagascar’s strategic and historiographical significance during the Second World War.