The Bombing of Rabaul in February and March 1942 occurred when Allied forces launched counter-attacks against the
Empire of Japan
The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent fo ...
base at
Rabaul,
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
. Rabaul had been captured by the Japanese during the
Battle of Rabaul in late January.
The bombing started on 20 February 1942 by the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
task force with the flagship , commanded by Vice Admiral
Wilson Brown. Later, the same officer commanded a new task force supported by the carrier on 10 March 1942 with the same purpose, amongst other objectives, in East
New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu
Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea).
It is a simplified version of ...
.
The American bombings were supported by
Royal Australian Air Force
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
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air strikes against the Japanese aerodromes in Rabaul during March.
History
The Japanese captured Rabaul in the
Battle of Rabaul in January 1942. They were preparing to convert the town into a large naval and air base for supplies and forces needed for the expansion of the
Japanese Empire perimeter in the South West Pacific. This included the planned conquest of
Port Moresby
(; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New Z ...
and subsequent occupation of
New Caledonia
)
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, image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg
, map_alt = Location of New Caledonia
, map_caption = Location of New Caledonia
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,
New Hebrides
New Hebrides, officially the New Hebrides Condominium (french: link=no, Condominium des Nouvelles-Hébrides, "Condominium of the New Hebrides") and named after the Hebrides Scottish archipelago, was the colonial name for the island group ...
(Vanuatu),
Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
,
Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...
and other nearby islands.
First American strike
On 20 February 1942, Vice Admiral Brown—under the lead of Admiral Leary ''en route'' to the objective—navigated the
Southwest Pacific
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...
with plans to strike the recently conquered Japanese base in
Rabaul, located in
New Britain
New Britain ( tpi, Niu Briten) is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago, part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from New Guinea by a northwest corner of the Solomon Sea (or with an island hop of Umboi the Dam ...
. Japanese reconnaissance planes saw this force and the Japanese ordered twin-engined land-based
torpedo bomber
A torpedo bomber is a military aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with aerial torpedoes. Torpedo bombers came into existence just before the First World War almost as soon as aircraft were built that were capable of carrying the weight ...
s to attack, but they were intercepted by ''Lexington''s
Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat
The Grumman F4F Wildcat is an American carrier-based fighter aircraft that entered service in 1940 with the United States Navy, and the British Royal Navy where it was initially known as the Martlet. First used by the British in the North Atla ...
fighters and
anti-aircraft
Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...
fire from the carrier and its escort vessels, which shot down 16 Japanese planes.
Due to the loss of the surprise factor, the American admiral ordered the task force to retire from the area.
On 23 February, six
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...
heavy bomber
Heavy bombers are bomber aircraft capable of delivering the largest payload of air-to-ground weaponry (usually bombs) and longest range (takeoff to landing) of their era. Archetypal heavy bombers have therefore usually been among the larges ...
s of the US Army Fifth Air Force, diverted from Hawaii and first operating out of Fiji, flew out of
Townsville
Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...
under
Royal Australian Air Force
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
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command on the first American land based bomber raid on Rabaul.
Second American strike
Later, Vice Admiral Brown—leading a new task force composed of the carriers ''Lexington'' and ''Yorktown'', along with escort and support vessels—received new orders to strike the Japanese in Rabaul and nearby areas. Admiral Brown decided to arrive at
Papuasia Gulf
Papuasia is a Level 2 botanical region defined in the World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions (WGSRPD). It lies in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, in the Melanesia ecoregion of Oceania and Tropical Asia.
It comprises the f ...
in South New Guinea under the relative protection of land-based Australian aviation which he considered best for a surprise factor.
On 10 March, during the
Japanese landings at Lae-Salamaua, the American planes flew over the
Owen Stanley Range and attacked Japanese targets in
Rabaul,
Lae
Lae () is the capital of Morobe Province and is the second-largest city in Papua New Guinea. It is located near the delta of the Markham River and at the start of the Highlands Highway, which is the main land transport corridor between the Highl ...
and
Salamaua
Salamaua () was a small town situated on the northeastern coastline of Papua New Guinea, in Salamaua Rural LLG, Morobe province. The settlement was built on a minor isthmus between the coast with mountains on the inland side and a headland. The c ...
, also seriously damaging or sinking Japanese transports and support vessels in
Huon Gulf
Huon Gulf is a large gulf in eastern Papua New Guinea. It is bordered by Huon Peninsula in the north. Both are named after French explorer Jean-Michel Huon de Kermadec. Huon Gulf is a part of the Solomon Sea. Its northern boundary is marked by ...
. The Americans suffered very light losses and inflicted severe damage to Japanese reinforcements, delaying Japanese plans to fortify recently conquered points in East New Guinea, which for some time were set up to support the so-called Australian occupation plan envisioned by the Japanese Navy's high command.
RAAF strikes
The
Australian Army
The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...
General Staff, responding to intelligence reports and reconnaissance reports of reinforcements arriving at
Rabaul, ordered the
Royal Australian Air Force
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
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(RAAF) to use air strikes against the base.
Such strikes occurred at low altitude, at great risk to the aircrews due to enemy antiaircraft fire, allowing
Martin B-26 Marauder
The Martin B-26 Marauder is an American twin-engined medium bomber that saw extensive service during World War II. The B-26 was built at two locations: Baltimore, Maryland, and Omaha, Nebraska, by the Glenn L. Martin Company.
First used in t ...
medium bomber
A medium bomber is a military bomber aircraft designed to operate with medium-sized bombloads over medium range distances; the name serves to distinguish this type from larger heavy bombers and smaller light bombers. Mediums generally carrie ...
s to obtain notable success, sinking numerous auxiliary vessels, between them the ''
Komachi Maru'' along with the destruction of most of the Japanese aircraft in the bases in the fortress, only leaving some old
Mitsubishi A5M
The Mitsubishi A5M, formal Japanese Navy designation , experimental Navy designation Mitsubishi Navy Experimental 9-''Shi'' Carrier Fighter, company designation Mitsubishi ''Ka''-14, was a Japanese carrier-based fighter aircraft. It was the world ...
4 "Claude" fighters.
Later, the aircraft carrier and aircraft transport
''Kasuga Maru'' arrived at
Rabaul with a shipment of the newest
Mitsubishi A6M2 Zeros (30 on carrier, 20 on auxiliary cruiser) to replace the previous losses, including spare parts and mechanics, along with other planes from the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
and
Dutch Indies
The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...
. With these new reinforcements in Rabaul, the Japanese continued their plans for the period.
See also
*
Bombing of Rabaul (November 1943)
A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechan ...
References
*
{{coord missing, Papua New Guinea
Rabaul
South West Pacific theatre of World War II
1942 in Papua New Guinea
Rabaul
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Territory of New Guinea
Airstrikes
February 1942 events
March 1942 events