Ironclad But Not Mosquito-Proof: Malaria in the Battle of Madagascar, 1942

Operation Ironclad came much closer to disaster than is normally supposed, and it did so for an entirely foreseeable and preventable reason: the prevalence of malaria in a virulent and hyperendemic form on the island of Madagascar. The battle for Madagascar took place at the medical inflection point in the Second World War when the Allies were regaining the broader global initiative, but still struggled with basic lessons of disease prevention and a disconnect between the priorities of force health protection and military exigency. This article examines the British military medical experience in Madagascar and argues that the lack of attention to malaria in these operations was a case of muddling through rather than a deliberate and calculated risk. It takes a global perspective and attempts to situate the Madagascar campaign within the broader context of British disease prevention efforts during the war.