Axis naval forces operated throughout the Indian Ocean during World War II (1939–45). These activities included unrestricted submarine warfare, airstrikes by aircraft carriers, covert raiding ships, capital ships and raids by land-based heavy bombers. Forces of the Imperial Japanese Navy, German Kriegsmarine and Italian Regia Marina struck at Allied targets in and off countries including Australia, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia), British India, Madagascar and South Africa.