View source for Bombing of Rabaul (November 1943)

{{Short description|Air attack on cruiser force in Rabaul}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2014}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = Air attacks on Rabaul
| partof            = the [[Pacific War|Pacific Theater]] of [[World War II]]
| image             = [[File:Japanese cruiser Chikuma.jpg|300px|Japanese cruiser ''Chikuma''.]]
| caption           = Japanese cruiser {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Chikuma|1938|2}} under attack on 5 November 1943.
| date              = 2–11 November 1943
| place             = [[Rabaul]] on [[New Britain]] in the [[Bismarck Archipelago]]
| result            = Allied victory
*End of Japanese naval threat at the [[Landings at Cape Torokina|invasion of Bougainville]]
| combatant1        = {{flag|United States|1912}}<br/>{{flag|Australia}}<br/>{{flagcountry|Dominion of New Zealand}}
| combatant2        = {{flagcountry|Empire of Japan}}
| commander1        = [[George Kenney]] (land air forces),<br/>[[William Halsey, Jr.]],<br/>[[Frederick Sherman]] (naval forces)
| commander2        = [[Mineichi Koga]],<br/>[[Jinichi Kusaka]]
| strength1         = 3 fleet carriers,<br/> 2 light carriers,<br/>2 light cruisers,<br/>9 destroyers,<br/> 282 carrier aircraft,<br/> 349 land-based aircraft<ref name="Gailey, Bougainville, pp. 86-92">Gailey, ''Bougainville'', pp. 86–92.</ref>
| strength2         = 10 cruisers,<br/> 11 destroyers,<br/>200 aircraft<ref name="Gailey, Bougainville, pp. 86-92"/>
| casualties1       = 10 carrier aircraft,<br/>19 land-based aircraft destroyed (air raid at 2nd November<ref>Gailey, ''Bougainville'', pp. 88–89.</ref>
| casualties2       = 1 destroyer sunk <br/> 3 cruisers damaged, 3 cruisers lightly damaged,<br/>52 aircraft destroyed<ref>Gailey, ''Bougainville'', pp. 88–91 and Parshall & Hackett, Combinedfleet.com.</ref>
}}
{{Campaignbox New Guinea}}
{{Campaignbox Solomons}}

The '''bombing of Rabaul''' in November 1943 here refers to a series of concentrated air raids conducted by the allied military in World War 2, against the major Japanese stronghold in New Guinea located at Rabaul between November 2 to 11. In response to the [[Landings at Cape Torokina|Allied invasion of Bougainville]], the Japanese had brought a strong cruiser force down to Rabaul from [[Chuuk Lagoon|Truk]], their major naval base in the [[Caroline Islands]] about 800 miles north of Rabaul in preparation for a night engagement against the Allied supply and support shipping.  Allied [[aircraft carrier|carrier]]- and land-based planes attacked the Japanese ships, airfields, and port facilities on the island of [[New Britain]] to protect the Allied amphibious invasion of Bougainville. As a result of the Rabaul raids, the Japanese surface forces could no longer threaten the landings. The carrier raid of 4th November was effective in disabling the Japanese surface fleet.

==Background==
In early 1943, Rabaul had been distant from the fighting. However, the Allied grand strategy in the [[South West Pacific Area]]—[[Operation Cartwheel]]—aimed to isolate [[Rabaul]] and reduce it by air raids. Japanese ground forces were already retreating in [[New Guinea]] and in the [[Solomon Islands]], abandoning [[Guadalcanal]], [[Kolombangara]], [[New Georgia]] and [[Vella Lavella]]. 

Rabaul—on the island of [[New Britain]]—was one of two major ports in the Australian [[Territory of New Guinea]]. It was the main Japanese naval base for the [[Solomon Islands campaign]] and [[New Guinea campaign]]. [[Simpson Harbour]]—[[Battle of Rabaul (1942)|captured from Australian forces]] in February 1942—was known as "the [[Pearl Harbor]] of the South Pacific" and was well defended by 367 [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft gun]]s and five airfields.

[[Lakunai Airfield|Lakunai]] and [[Vunakanau Airfield|Vunakanau]] airfields were pre-war Australian strips. Lakunai had an all-weather runway of sand and volcanic ash, and Vunakanau was surfaced with concrete. [[Rapopo Airfield|Rapopo]]—{{convert|14|mi|nmi km|lk=on|abbr=on}} to the southeast—became operational in December 1942 with concrete runways and extensive support and maintenance facilities. [[Tobera Airfield|Tobera]]—completed in August 1943 halfway between Vunakanau and Rapopo—also had concrete strips. The four airfields had 166 protected revetments for bombers and 265 for fighters, with additional unprotected dispersal parking areas. A fifth airfield protecting Rabaul was Borpop airfield, completed in December 1942 across the [[Saint George's Channel (Papua New Guinea)|St. Georges Channel]] on [[New Ireland (island)|New Ireland]].<ref name="cnc">{{cite web | last =Mortensen | first =Bernhardt L. | year =1953 | url= http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/AAF/IV/AAF-IV-10.html|title = Chapter 10: Rabaul and Cape Gloucester| publisher = Hyper-War Foundation| access-date= 19 February 2010}} ''The Army Air Forces in World War II'': Vol. IV The Pacific: Guadalcanal to Saipan August 1942 to July 1944, p. 333.</ref>

The anti-aircraft defenses were well coordinated by army and naval units. Naval guns guarded Simpson Harbor and its shipping and the three airfields of Tobera, Lakunai, and Vunakanau. The army units defended Rapopo airfield, supply dumps and army installations; and assisted the navy in defending Simpson Harbor. An effective early warning radar system provided {{convert|90|mi|nmi km|abbr=on}} coverage from Rabaul, and extended coverage with additional radars were on New Britain, New Ireland, and at Buka. These sets provided from 30 to 60&nbsp;minutes' early warning of an attack.<ref name="cnc"/>

Allied air raids have been dispatched to Rabaul regularly since the beginning of the war, though small in number and sometimes incurring heavy losses when made at daylight. Likewise, the Japanese frequently launched major airstrikes and air superiority fighter sweeps from Rabaul. Japanese air power at Rabaul had proven particularly troublesome for the allies during the drive on Munda point. 

Rabaul was the key objective of all allied operations in the region. Though it gradually moved out of the limelight as the war moved on, its great air power warranted a large allied strategic offensive in the region aimed at capturing (later only neutralizing by air) Rabaul. To the Japanese, Rabaul was once a vital stronghold to defend the Solomons region, but was proving costly to reinforce. Towards the end of 1943 the combined fleet made several efforts to reinforce Rabaul, culminating in RADM. Koga ordering Operation RO, a large reinforcement of Rabaul with a large number of carrier aircraft, which transferred nearly all the carrier planes of the elite combined fleet to Rabaul by November 1st. The presence of these aircraft with their experienced aviators would be instantly felt by the allied 5th air force during its major raid on November 2nd.

=== First raids on Rabaul ===
As a part of Operation Cartwheel, in the fall of 1943 the U.S. [[Fifth Air Force]], the [[Royal Australian Air Force]] and the [[Royal New Zealand Air Force]], all under the command of General [[George Kenney]], began a sustained bombing campaign against the airfields and port of Rabaul. The initial mission was delivered by 349 aircraft on 12 October 1943, but it could not be followed up immediately because of bad weather. A single raid by 50 [[North American B-25 Mitchell|B-25 Mitchell]] [[medium bomber]]s reached the target on 18 October. Sustained attacks resumed on 23 October, culminating in a large raid on 2 November.<ref name="cnc" />
[[File:Japanese cruiser Haguro at Rabaul.jpg|thumb|Japanese heavy cruiser ''[[Japanese cruiser Haguro|Haguro]]'' and other shipping under attack at Rabaul, 2 November 1943.]]
In the 2 November mission, nine squadrons of B-25s, 72 bombers in total, and six squadrons of [[Lockheed P-38 Lightning|P-38 Lightning]] totaling 80 [[Fighter aircraft|fighter escort]]s attacked Simpson Harbor and its anti-aircraft defenses with bombing attacks and minimum altitude strafing runs. The raiding force encountered heavy resistance and 9 B-25s were shot down by anti-aircraft artillery or Japanese naval fighters and 10 of the P-38s were also shot down. Among the lost was Major [[Raymond H. Wilkins]] of the 3rd Attack Group, who was posthumously awarded the [[Medal of Honor]].<ref name="cnc"/> The defense encountered would be described as the heaviest in the history of the 5th air force. Though the pilots and Kenney made bombastic claims in terms of enemy ships sunk and aircraft destroyed, the raid actually inflicted light damage on the Japanese, who incurred a total of 20 aircraft lost in ground & air. 

=== Japanese attacks on Bougainville ===
Admiral [[William Halsey Jr.|William Halsey]] was implementing the next phase of his advance up the [[Solomon Islands (archipelago)|Solomon chain]] and looked to establish a base on [[Bougainville Island|Bougainville]].  On Bougainville the Japanese had two airfields at the southern tip of the island, one at the northernmost peninsula, and a fourth on [[Buka Island|Buka]] just across the northern passage. Instead of attempting a costly assault on these heavily defended areas, Halsey landed his invasion force of 14,000&nbsp;[[United States Marine Corps|Marines]] at [[Empress Augusta Bay]], about halfway up the west coast of Bougainville. There he would have his [[Seabee|Seabees]] clear and build an airfield of their own.<ref>Costello, ''The Pacific War 1941–1945'', pp. 421–422</ref>

On the night of 1/2 November the screening naval unit succeeded in defending the landing (the [[Battle of Empress Augusta Bay]]), but Admiral [[Mineichi Koga]] responded quickly, on the next day a large number of Rabaul-based aircraft raided the landing sites at Empress Augusta bay, and a force of Rabaul-based dive bombers tracked the allied surface fleet near Bougainville and bombed it, hitting one cruiser with 3 bombs in-spite of the presence of Airsols fighters. Within the next few days the local cruiser force had been augmented with reinforcements from [[Chuuk Lagoon|Truk]]. The Japanese had been conserving their naval forces over the past year, but in the face of the imminent threat to Rabaul they committed substantial resources in hopes of crushing the newly landed force and its naval support. The force refueled at Rabaul in preparation for the coming battle.

Halsey lacked comparable surface forces to oppose this fresh challenge. His main surface strength, two battleships and a number of cruisers, had been transferred to the Central Pacific to support the upcoming [[Battle of Tarawa|invasion of Tarawa.]] The only forces at hand were the carrier airgroups of {{USS|Saratoga|CV-3|2}} and {{USS|Princeton|CVL-23|2}}. These would have been considered a potent force for a battle at sea, but Rabaul was a heavily fortified port with five airfields and extensive anti-aircraft batteries. Navy aviators had termed it "a hornet's nest". With the exception of the surprise [[Attack on Pearl Harbor|raid at Pearl Harbor]], no attack against such a formidable land target had been attempted by carrier aircraft. As such it was considered a highly dangerous mission for the aircrews and also placed the carriers at risk. Halsey later said the threat that the Japanese cruiser force at Rabaul posed to his landings at Bougainville was "the most desperate emergency that confronted me in my entire term as ComSoPac (Commander of the [[South Pacific Area]])."<ref>Potter, ''Admiral Arliegh Burke'', pp. 98–99</ref>

[[File:Rabaul raid.jpg|thumb|right|Japanese warships attempt to get under way while being attacked by US Navy aircraft.]]

== Major carrier attacks on Rabaul, disabling of the Japanese surface fleet ==
With the fate of the landing in the balance, Halsey ordered his carriers, under command of Rear Admiral [[Frederick C. Sherman]], to steam north through the night of 4/5 November to get within range of Rabaul for a daybreak raid on the base. Approaching behind the cover of a weather front, Sherman launched all 97 of his available aircraft against the target, leaving no aircraft behind for combat air patrol over his ships. The aircrews were ordered to damage as many warships as possible, rather than attempting to achieve a sinking. Aircraft from airfields on [[Barakoma Airfield|Barakoma]] and the recently captured [[Vella Lavella]] were sent out to sea to rendezvous with the carrier force to provide it with some measure of protection.

On 5th November, the air raid on Rabaul began. The daybreak Navy air bombing of Rabaul was followed up an hour later with an Army Air Force raid by 27 [[Consolidated B-24 Liberator|B-24 Liberator]] [[heavy bomber]]s of the Fifth Air Force, escorted by 58 P-38s.<ref name="cnc" /> By the end of the attacks, six of the seven Japanese cruisers at Rabaul had been damaged, four of them heavily. {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Atago||2}} suffered near misses by three {{convert|500|lb|kg|abbr=on}} bombs that caused severe damage and killed 22 crewmen, including her captain.<ref>Hackett, ''IJN ATAGO: Tabular Record of Movement'', Combinedfleet.com. ''Atago'' went to [[Yokosuka (city)|Yokosuka]], Japan, for further repairs which were completed on 30 December 1943.</ref> {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Maya||2}} was hit by one bomb above one of her engine rooms, causing heavy damage and killing 70 crewmen.<ref>Hackett, ''IJN MAYA: Tabular Record of Movement'', Combinedfleet.com. ''Maya'' went to Yokosuka for further repairs which, along with the addition of additional anti-aircraft guns, were completed on 9 April 1944.</ref> {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Mogami|1934|2}} was hit by one 500&nbsp;lb bomb and set afire, causing heavy damage and killing 19 crewmen.<ref>Hackett, ''IJN MOGAMI: Tabular Record of Movement'', Combinedfleet.com. ''Mogami'' went to [[Kure, Hiroshima|Kure]], Japan for further repairs which were completed on 17 February 1944.</ref> {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Takao|1930|2}} was hit by two 500&nbsp;lb bombs, causing heavy damage and killing 23 crewmen.<ref>Hackett, ''IJN CHIKUMA: Tabular Record of Movement'', Combinedfleet.com. ''Takao'' went to Yokosuka for further repairs which were completed on 18 January 1944.</ref> {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Chikuma|1938|2}} was slightly damaged by several near-misses.<ref>Hackett, ''IJN CHIKUMA: Tabular Record of Movement'', Combinedfleet.com.</ref> One bomb struck near {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Agano||2}}, which damaged an anti-aircraft gun and killed one crewman.<ref>Hackett, ''IJN AGANO: Tabular Record of Movement'', Combinedfleet.com.</ref> Three destroyers were also lightly damaged.<ref>Hackett, ''IJN FUJINAMI: Tabular Record of Movement'', ''IJN AMAGIRI: Tabular Record of Movement'', ''IJN WAKATSUKI: Tabular Record of Movement'', Combinedfleet.com., {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Fujinami||2}} suffered minor damage with one crewman killed. {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Amagiri|1930|2}} and {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Wakatsuki||2}} suffered minor damage and no casualties.</ref>

The strike had been a stunning success, effectively neutralizing Koga's cruisers as a threat to the Bougainville mission. Under the threat of additional airstrikes, most of the Japanese warships departed for Truk the next day, practically ending Japanese naval presence in the area. Losses among the attacking aircraft were light.

Two days later an additional carrier unit, Task Group 50.3 of the U.S. 5th Fleet, reached Halsey, arriving on 7 November. These ships were among the first wave of newly built U.S. Navy warships and had only recently become operational. Commanded by Rear Admiral [[Alfred E. Montgomery]], the task group consisted of the fleet carriers {{USS|Essex|CV-9|2}} and {{USS|Bunker Hill|CV-17|2}} and the light carrier {{USS|Independence|CVL-22|2}}. Halsey used Montgomery's ships as well as Task Force 38 (TF 38) in a combined strike against Rabaul on 11 November. Sherman launched his strike from near [[Nissan Island|Green Island]], northwest of Bougainville, which attacked in bad weather at about 08:30. After its return, TF&nbsp;38 retired to the south without being detected. Montgomery launched from the [[Solomon Sea]] {{convert|160|mi|nmi km|abbr=on}} southeast of Rabaul.

== Aftermath ==
''Agano''—which had remained at Rabaul after the 5 November strike—was torpedoed and heavily damaged in these attacks.<ref>Hackett, ''IJN AGANO: Tabular Record of Movement'', Combinedfleet.com. On 16 February 1944, as ''Agano'' traveled from [[Chuuk State|Truk]] to Japan for further repairs, she was hit by two torpedoes from the American submarine {{USS|Skate|SS-305|2}} and sunk. Her 523 survivors were picked up the destroyer {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Oite|1924|2}} and returned to Truk. In [[Operation Hailstone]], ''Oite'' was sunk by U.S. carrier aircraft, killing all of ''Agano''{{'}}s survivors.</ref> The destroyer {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Suzunami |1943|2}} reportedly suffered a direct bomb hit while loading torpedoes near the mouth of Rabaul Harbor. She blew up and sank, killing 148 of her crew.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/suzuna_t.htm | title=Long Lancers }}</ref> In the wake of the raids the Japanese launched a series of counterattacks involving 120 aircraft against the U.S. carriers, but the force was intercepted and lost 35 planes without inflicting damage on Montgomery's ships. 

The raids succeeded in protecting the Allies' recent gains, leaving Rabaul as an increasingly isolated outpost, difficult to supply and posing little danger to accelerating Allied operations in the region. The capture of Bougainville and Buka brought Rabaul into range of land-based US Navy and Marine Corps tactical bombers for the first time, setting the stage for the pacification campaign intended [[Neutralisation of Rabaul|to neutralize Rabaul]] that began on 17 December 1943.

== See also ==
* [[Rabaul Airfield Complex]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
{{Refbegin}}
*{{cite book | last = Bergerud | first = Eric M. | year = 2000 | title = Fire in the Sky: The Air War in the South Pacific | publisher = Westview Press | location = Boulder, CO, USA | isbn = 0-8133-3869-7 }}
*{{cite book |last=Costello |first=John |title=The Pacific War 1941–1945 |orig-date=1981 |year=2009 |publisher=Harper Perennial |location=New York |isbn=978-0-68-801620-3}}
*{{cite book | last = D'Albas | first = Andrieu | year = 1965 | title = Death of a Navy: Japanese Naval Action in World War II | publisher = Devin-Adair Pub | isbn = 0-8159-5302-X }}
*{{cite book | last = Dull | first = Paul S. | year = 1978 | title = A Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1941–1945 | publisher = Naval Institute Press | isbn = 0-87021-097-1 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/battlehistoryofi0000dull }}
*{{cite book | last = Fry | first = John | year = 2000 | title = USS Saratoga (CV-3): An Illustrated History of the Legendary Aircraft Carrier 1927–1946 | publisher = Schiffer Publishing | isbn = 0-7643-0089-X }}
*{{cite book | last = Gailey | first = Harry A. | year = 1991 | title = Bougainville, 1943–1945: The Forgotten Campaign | publisher = University Press of Kentucky | location = Lexington, Kentucky, USA | isbn = 0-8131-9047-9 }}- neutral review of this book here:[http://www.sonic.net/~bstone/archives/030504.shtml]
*{{cite book | last = Hara | first = Tameichi | author-link = Tameichi Hara | year = 1978 | orig-year = 1961 
| title = Japanese Destroyer Captain | publisher = [[Ballantine Books]] | location = New York & Toronto | isbn = 0-345-27894-1 }}
*{{cite book | last = Lacroix | first = Eric |author2=Linton Wells  | year = 1997
| title = Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War | publisher = Naval Institute Press | isbn = 0-87021-311-3 }}
*{{cite book | last = McGee | first = William L. | year = 2002 | chapter = Bougainville Campaign | title = The Solomons Campaigns, 1942–1943: From Guadalcanal to Bougainville—Pacific War Turning Point, Volume 2 (Amphibious Operations in the South Pacific in WWII) | publisher = BMC Publications | isbn = 0-9701678-7-3 }}
*{{cite book | last = Morison | first = Samuel Eliot | author-link = Samuel Eliot Morison | year = 2001 | orig-year = 1958 | title = Breaking the Bismarcks Barrier'', vol. 6 of ''[[History of United States Naval Operations in World War II]] | publisher = Castle Books | isbn = 0-7858-1307-1 }}
* {{Cite book|author=Potter, E. B.|author-link=E. B. Potter|year=2005|title=Admiral Arleigh Burke|publisher=U.S. Naval Institute Press| isbn=978-1-59114-692-6}}
*{{cite book | last = Sakaida | first = Henry | year = 1996 | title = The Siege of Rabaul | publisher = Phalanx | location = St. Paul, MN, USA | isbn = 1-883809-09-6 }}
*{{cite book | last = Sherrod | first = Robert | year = 1952 | title = History of Marine Corps Aviation in World War II | url = https://archive.org/details/historyofmarinec00sher | url-access = registration | publisher = Combat Forces Press | location = Washington, D.C. }}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Bombing on Rabaul, 1943}}
{{Refbegin}}
*{{cite web | last = Mersky | first = Peter B. | year = 1993 | url = http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USMC/USMC-C-Aces/index.html | title = Time of the Aces: Marine Pilots in the Solomons, 1942–1944 | work = Marines in World War II Commemorative Series | publisher = History and Museums Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps | access-date = 20 October 2006 }} Account of U.S. Marine involvement in air war over Solomon Islands and Rabaul.
*{{cite web | url = https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2-1Epi-c1-WH2-1Epi-d.html | title = Title: THE ASSAULT ON RABAUL. Operations by the Royal New Zealand Air Force December 1943 – May 1944
| access-date = 2006-05-30 }}
*{{cite web | last = Chen | first = C. Peter | year = 2004–2006 | url = http://www.ww2db.com/battle_spec.php?battle_id=8 | title = Solomons Campaign, August 23, 1942 – November 26, 1943 | work = World War II Database | access-date = 2 June 2006 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060323031827/http://www.ww2db.com/battle_spec.php?battle_id=8# | archive-date = 23 March 2006  }}
*{{cite web | last = Shaw | first = Henry I. |author2=Douglas T. Kane  | year = 1963 | url = http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USMC/II/index.html | title = Volume II: Isolation of Rabaul | work = History of U.S. Marine Corps Operations in World War II | access-date = 2006-10-18 }}
*{{cite web | last = Miller | first = John Jr. | year = 1959 | url = http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-P-Rabaul/index.html | title = CARTWHEEL: The Reduction of Rabaul | work = United States Army in World War II: The War in the Pacific | page = 418 | publisher = [[Office of the Chief of Military History]], U.S. Department of the Army | access-date = 20 October 2006 }}
*{{cite web | last = Parshall | first = Jon |author2=Bob Hackett |author3=Sander Kingsepp |author4=Allyn Nevitt  | url = http://www.combinedfleet.com/kaigun.htm | title = Imperial Japanese Navy Page (Combinedfleet.com) | access-date = 2006-06-14 }}- Tabular records of movement for the Japanese warships involved in this battle.
*{{cite web | last = Parshall | first = Jon |author2=Bob Hackett |author3=Sander Kingsepp |author4=Allyn Nevitt  | url = http://www.combinedfleet.com/btl_rab.htm | title = Carrier Raid on Rabaul | access-date = 2006-12-14 }}
{{Refend}}

{{Coord|4|11|58|S|152|10|4|E|type:city|name=Rabaul|display=title}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rabaul 1943-11}}
[[Category:Conflicts in 1943]]
[[Category:1943 in Papua New Guinea]]
[[Category:Naval aviation operations and battles]]
[[Category:November 1943 in Oceania]]
[[Category:Aerial bombing operations and battles of World War II]]
[[Category:South West Pacific theatre of World War II]]
[[Category:United States Marine Corps in World War II]]
[[Category:World War II aerial operations and battles of the Pacific theatre]]
[[Category:Aerial operations and battles of World War II involving the United States]]
[[Category:Battles and operations of World War II involving Papua New Guinea]]
[[Category:Aerial operations and battles of World War II involving Australia]]
[[Category:Aerial operations and battles of World War II involving Japan]]
[[Category:Aerial operations and battles of World War II involving New Zealand]]