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A I R C A M PA I G N
RABAUL 1943–44
Reducing Japan’s great island fortress
MARK LARDAS | I L LU S T R AT E D B Y M A R K P O S T L E T H WA I T E
www.ospreypublishing.com
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be used or reproduced in any form without
the prior written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles
or reviews. Enquiries should be addressed to the Publisher.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Artist’s note
Readers may care to note that the original paintings from which the colour plates in this book
were prepared are available for private sale. All reproduction copyright whatsoever is retained
by the Publishers. All enquiries should be addressed to: [email protected]
The Publishers regret that they can enter into no correspondence upon this matter.
Osprey Publishing supports the Woodland Trust, the UK’s leading woodland conservation
charity. Between 2014 and 2018 our donations are being spent on their Centenary Woods
project in the UK.
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Author’s Note
The following abbreviations indicate the sources of the illustrations used in this volume:
AC – Author’s Collection
LOC – Library of Congress, Washington, DC
USNHHC – United States Navy Heritage and History Command
Author’s Dedication
I would like to dedicate this book to my good friend, Jim Oberg, and to his uncle, Lieutenant
Albert Oberg, who gave his last full measure of devotion aboard the USS Strong in July 1943 in
the Solomon Islands during the run up to the events described in this book.
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 4
CHRONOLOGY 10
ATTACKERS’ CAPABILITIES 14
DEFENDERS’ CAPABILITIES 23
CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES 34
THE CAMPAIGN 40
FURTHER READING 93
INDEX 95
INTRODUCTION
Simpson Harbor gave Simpson Harbor has the finest anchorage in the Southwest Pacific. Set on the eastern end
Rabaul one of the finest of New Britain, it is a marvelous deep-water harbor, 2 miles wide by 4 miles long, with
anchorages in the Pacific.
Large, deep, and water depths of 8 fathoms literally a stone’s throw from the shore. The depth through
sheltered, it could anchor much of the harbor exceeds 27 fathoms. Simpson Harbor is protected on three sides by
a fleet, and the largest volcanic mountains, with the entrance to the harbor emptying into Blanche Bay. Blanche
ship could anchor close to
shore. This picture shows Bay’s entrance to the ocean lies some 45 degrees from the main axis of Simpson Harbor.
Simpson Harbor in early This entrance feeds into a channel roughly perpendicular to Blanche Bay, formed by the
1943. (USAAF) sheltering ridges of New Britain and New Ireland. The result is an anchorage deep enough
for the greatest draft ship ever built, and large enough to accommodate the world’s largest
fleet within a sheltered haven.
Since its creation by a violent volcanic explosion in the seventh century AD, Simpson
Harbor was largely overlooked by everyone except those native to New Britain or neighboring
islands, such as New Ireland. It came to the attention of the outside world in 1872 when
the frigate HMS Blanche, commanded by Captain Cortland Simpson, surveyed the waters
around New Britain. Simpson named the harbor for himself and the larger bay for his ship.
Twelve years later, in 1884, New Britain, New Ireland, the northern Solomon Islands, and
the northeastern quarter of New Guinea were annexed by Germany, becoming German
New Guinea. Taking advantage of the magnificent harbor, the Germans built the province’s
capital on the north end of Simpson Harbor, naming the town Rabaul.
German rule ended in 1914. After World War I started Australian troops captured Rabaul.
Following the war’s end the League of Nations mandated control of German New Guinea
to Australia. Australia renamed all of the islands, retaining only the German name for the
sea north of New Britain. It remained the Bismarck Sea.
Rabaul was still the capital of the Mandate territory, but experienced relatively little
growth. The town was in an active volcano zone and minor eruptions were frequent.
In 1937, Tavurvur and Vulcan, two volcanoes near Rabaul, exploded, killing over 500 and
flattening the town. The territorial capital was moved to Lae, on New Guinea. Volcanoes
made the town too dangerous for a territorial governor, but the harbor was simply too good
to abandon. Rabaul remained the most important town in New Britain.
Simpson Harbor, despite its excellence, was in the wrong place for Australia to use it
much. The port was not on the way to anywhere, on an isolated island far from trade routes.
Rabaul would never become a Singapore or a Hong Kong. Between 1918 and 1941 Rabaul
remained a backwater; a place for copra planters on New Britain to ship their product to
market. Australia committed relatively little to the development or defense of Rabaul. The
Australians built an airstrip at Lakunai, on the southeast corner of Rabaul, and a second,
larger airstrip at Vunakanau, southwest of Vulcan volcano. Both were primitive airfields with
grass runways and hardstands, and no revetments for their aircraft. Communications facilities
were built, including a commercial radio station. A constabulary post was established.
On December 7, 1941, with the start of World War II in the Pacific, Rabaul’s location
gained significant strategic importance, especially for the Japanese, as they rampaged across
the Pacific. The main Japanese base in the Central Pacific was at Truk, an atoll in the Caroline
Islands. Rabaul was within 800 miles of Truk, well within the operational radius of American
long-range bombers operating from Rabaul. True, the United States and its Australian allies
had no long-range bombers at Rabaul in December 1941. Only ten obsolescent Wirraway
fighters, four Hudson bombers, and the incongruously named 1,400-man Lark Force guarded
Rabaul. But while Rabaul remained in Allied hands, Truk was threatened.
Rabaul was also within the operational radius of Japanese bombers based at Truk, and
only two days’ steaming for fast transports departing Truk. Japanese aircraft carriers from
Truk could reach Rabaul still faster.
A Nakajima B5N
Japan soon moved against Rabaul. Truk-based bombers began bombing Rabaul shortly (Allied code name “Kate”)
after New Year’s Day. Two weeks later they were joined by carrier aircraft, starting a week- torpedo bomber takes
long campaign which routed the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Wirraways and off from the aircraft carrier
Shokaku en route to Pearl
Hudsons. The Japanese landed on New Britain on January 22, and took Rabaul the next Harbor on December 7,
day. Lark Force had been ordered to hold off the Japanese for as long as possible and then run 1941. This torpedo-
for safety. They slowed the Japanese not an hour and were swallowed whole within a week. carrying aircraft played
a major role in projecting
Rabaul was easily reached by long-range Japanese fighters, such as the Mitsubishi A6M Japanese power.
“Zero,” allowing any air garrison at a Japanese-held Rabaul to be quickly reinforced. (USNHHC)
The port facilities were excellent, and the harbor big enough to hold the entire Imperial
Japanese Navy, its fleet train, and enough transports and supply ships to carry and maintain
an army corps.
Rabaul became the locus of Japanese expansion in the Southwest Pacific. It was perfectly
placed to project power to the seas around northwest Australia. Lae and the Admiralty
Islands were within 400 miles of Rabaul’s airfields; Port Moresby only 500 miles away.
Guadalcanal, at the southern end of the Solomons chain, was 650 statute miles by air
from Rabaul.
Japan soon moved troops, aircraft, and resources to Rabaul. Not all stayed at Rabaul,
passing to New Guinea or into the Solomons. But they staged through Rabaul, following
a route from the Japanese homeland through the Marianas to Truk, and then Rabaul.
The battle of the Coral Sea, fought in May 1942, led the Japanese to call off a planned
invasion of Port Moresby on the southern coast of New Guinea. Troops for the landing, at sea
when the operation was canceled, had boarded transports in Simpson Harbor, and returned
afterwards. By June 1942 Japan had 21,000 soldiers in Rabaul, and another 20,000 on the
surrounding islands. Over 150 aircraft of all types operated from the two airfields captured
from the Australians.
For the next six months the Japanese continued building up their forces at Rabaul.
They expanded and improved the two airfields they had and began work on three others.
They continued moving troops to and through Rabaul. Some went on to occupy the rest
of New Britain. The Japanese set up airfields at six widely distributed spots on New Britain,
with army garrisons to protect them. Some troops shifted to New Guinea. These forces
were intended to push the Australians off the island, capturing Port Moresby by crossing
the Owen Stanley Mountains. Many occupied islands around New Britain: the Solomons
as far south as Guadalcanal, Kiriwina Island, and the Woodlark Islands.
Many more stayed, however. By the start of 1943 there were over 100,000 men scattered
around the Gazelle Peninsula, where Rabaul was located. There were nearly 90,000 tons
of supplies and 2.5 million gallons of gasoline and oil cached in Gazelle Peninsula dumps,
most within 10 miles of Rabaul. Rabaul was the logistics center that fed the Japanese military
in the Southwest Pacific.
The Japanese had also moved thousands of POWs and shiploads of “comfort girls” to
Rabaul. The POWs served as laborers to build runways, roads, and buildings. The comfort
girls, recruited under the pretense they were to become factory workers, were forced into
prostitution serving the garrison.
The laborers were needed. While the runways on the rest of New Britain were grass strips,
the Japanese paved runways on the two existing airports, and the three new ones. In 1942
and 1943 they added miles of paved roads throughout the Gazelle Peninsula. They threw up
hangars, warehouses, barracks, radio shacks, control towers, repair facilities, docks, and the
other facilities needed to maintain a modern army, navy, and air force. They also built lots
Admiral William “Bill”
of gun positions, both shore and antiaircraft batteries. Rabaul soon became more formidable Halsey commanded
than Truk, with more men, more guns, and more aircraft. the South Pacific Theater.
What it did not become was the springboard to Australia. The battle of the Coral Halsey directed
Comairsols which did the
Sea proved the high-water mark for the Japanese in the Southwest Pacific. They took heavy lifting in reducing
Guadalcanal, but moved no further south. Nor did they make significant progress in New Rabaul. He was the man
Guinea. Instead the Japanese were thrown on the defensive. In August 1942, US Marines who made the call to
attack Rabaul with
landed on Guadalcanal, capturing the airfield the Japanese had just completed. A Japanese Saratoga and Princeton.
invasion at Milne Bay in late August 1942 was not only thrown back, but the attacking (USNHHC)
force was crushed.
The struggle on Guadalcanal continued until February 9,
1943, with the final six weeks a Japanese withdrawal. Japan
lost 24,000 soldiers, 24 warships (including two battleships
and an aircraft carrier), and nearly 700 aircraft at Guadalcanal.
News from New Guinea was no better. After Milne Bay the
Allies had gone on the offensive in New Guinea. Starting
in November, Australian and US troops began a drive
culminating in January 1943 with the capture of the Japanese
base at Buna. By the start of 1943 Japan was on the defensive.
Rabaul was the Allies’ ultimate objective.
The extent to which the tide had shifted became apparent
in the first half of 1943. Forces under the overall command of
Admiral Bill Halsey began pushing up the Solomons chain,
capturing the Russell Islands in February, and landing on
New Georgia in July. By September, the pacification of New
Georgia was complete, and the Japanese airfield at Munda
controlled by the Allies. One of that campaign’s casualties
was the architect of the Pearl Harbor attack. Admiral Isoroku
Yamamoto was killed when the bomber he was flying in was
shot down over Buin, on April 18, 1943.
Things went as badly for the Japanese in New Guinea. Allied forces led by General
Douglas MacArthur began pushing north from Buna. In January they repulsed a Japanese
thrust against Wau in New Guinea’s interior. The Allies began a long drive to recapture Lae,
the territorial capital. The land acquired was used to build new airfields, allowing Allied
aircraft to reach Rabaul without flying over the Owen Stanley Mountains.
The impact of these new airfields was felt in March, during the battle of the Bismarck
Sea. The three-day battle saw B-25 Mitchells from the New Guinea-based Fifth Air Force
destroy a Japanese convoy carrying reinforcements to New Guinea. All eight transports
were sunk, as were four of the eight escorting destroyers. In June MacArthur’s forces took
the Woodlark Islands and Kiriwina, giving the Allies airfields close to New Britain. By
September Lae and Finschhafen, formerly Japanese strongholds, were in Allied hands, their
airfields turned against their previous owners.
As September drew to a close, Rabaul was the next target. Plans to retake Rabaul had
been drawn up as early as July 1942. However by January 1943, land operations against
the Japanese in New Guinea and the Solomon Islands demonstrated that Allied soldiers
could expect stubborn resistance and heavy casualties against entrenched Japanese soldiers.
No place in the Southwest Pacific had more, and more heavily entrenched, Japanese soldiers
than did Rabaul and the Gazelle Peninsula. Invading them could prove prohibitively costly.
Yet they could not be ignored.
Prior campaigns had used airpower to isolate and immobilize enemy forces, which were
then mopped up by boots on the ground. Germany had done this in Norway and Crete.
The Japanese had done it throughout the Pacific, but to greatest effect in the Philippines.
The Allies had used this approach in the Solomons and New Guinea.
An alternative strategy had been developed in March. Instead of invading Rabaul, Rabaul
would be neutralized by airpower. The Allies would seize lightly held islands around Rabaul,
build airfields on them, and ring Rabaul with Allied aircraft. These aircraft, conducting
sustained raids and patrols, would gradually reduce Rabaul to irrelevance as a military base.
This strategy had never been tried before by either side. If successful, this campaign would
rewrite the rulebook. Up through September, the Allies had been preparing to lay siege to
Rabaul by air. By October 1943, they were ready to see if airpower alone could neutralize
a major enemy base.
Tokyo
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Sea ISLANDS Saipan
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