Seemingly in the wrong forum however it was an Air Battle of monstrous proportions. For Andy: Beaufighters, Bostons and Beauforts, and USAAF Mitchells and Bostons - an all-out attack would be mounted from medium, low and very low altitudes. Read the rest of the story here: Battle for Australia Council BATTLE OF THE BISMARCK SEA A bomber banks away after dropping its load on a Japanese warship In the first week of March 1943 a force of land-based Australian and American warplanes won one of the most devastating victories of World War II. Described by General Douglas MacArthur as 'the decisive aerial engagement of the war in the Southwest Pacific', the brilliantly planned and conducted Battle of the Bismarck Sea smashed Japanese hopes of regaining the initiative in New Guinea and eliminated any possibility that Australia might be invaded. The war in the Pacific had started with a stunning series of disasters for the allies: the attack on Pearl Harbor; the fall in rapid succession of Malaya, Rabaul, Singapore, and the Netherlands East Indies; and on 19 February 1942 the low point in Australian military history, the bombing of Darwin. But following those defeats the allies began to claw their way back. The triumph of American naval air power at Coral Sea and Midway in mid-1942 halted the Japanese advance towards New Guinea and Australia; and shortly afterwards the Australian victories (with American assistance) at Milne Bay and Kokoda weakened the enemy's hold on New Guinea. Further successes at Buna, Gona and Sanananda between November 1942 and January 1943 left the Japanese forces in New Guinea in urgent need of reinforcement. Intercepted radio messages indicated that a powerful enemy convoy was likely to sail from the enemy stronghold at Rabaul with reinforcements for the vital garrison at Lae in late-February. It would be the task of the Royal Australian Air Force and the United States Army Air Force to prevent those reinforcements from reaching their destination. Air Commodore W.H. Garing CBE DFC DSC (US) RAAFThe commander of the Allied Air Forces, the dynamic and innovative General George C. Kenney, began preparing a major assault. He would rely on reconnaissance aircraft to detect the convoy, which would then be attacked by long-range USAAF heavy bombers. Once the enemy convoy was within range of the allies' potent anti-shipping aircraft - RAAF Beaufighters, Bostons and Beauforts, and USAAF Mitchells and Bostons - an all-out attack would be mounted from medium, low and very low altitudes. RAAF units assigned to the operation came from No. 9 Operational Group headed by Air Commodore Joe Hewitt. Hewitt, however, had only recently assumed command, so the main Australian planning contribution came from his predecessor, the ebullient and aggressive Group Captain W.H. 'Bull' Garing, whose leadership had been crucial to the RAAF''s contribution to victory at Milne Bay. This time Garing's expertise in maritime warfare, which he had gained flying Sunderlands with No. 10 Squadron in Europe in 1939-1940, was to prove decisive. It was Garing who convinced Kenney of the need for a massive, coordinated attack. Garing envisaged large numbers of aircraft striking the convoy from different directions and altitudes, with precise timing. Knowing that inexperienced crews would find the task difficult, Garing suggested to Kenney's forward-echelon commander, General Ennis C. Whitehead, that a full-scale dress rehearsal should be held. Because allied planners expected the battle to take place in the Huon Gulf they selected Cape Ward Hunt, 140 kilometres to the southeast, as the strike force's rendezvous point. Each formnation would have to overfly Cape Ward Hunt at precisely the right time if the desired degree of concentration were to be achieved. For the dress rehearsal. Garing briefed the crews to rendezvous at Cape Rodney, 140 kilometres southeast of Port Moresby, and to carry out a simulated strike against a wrecked ship in Port Moresby harbour. He and General Whitehead then observed the exercise from a nearby hill. The dress rehearsal was invaluable as potentially disastrous mistakes were made, with some aircraft arriving over the wreck twenty minutes late. Thorough debriefings were held and the problems resolved. During the waiting period crews honed their bombing and gunnery skills.
Was the 65th anniversary on Sunday! Would it be worth having a calendar feature like members' birthdays as a small form of commemoration/rememberance for such events?
Yes it was on Monday- March 3rd. This is also another reason why I cannot stand Macarthur and his political machine. The planning for the success of the mission was by an Australian and Macarthur & Kenney did not even mention the Australian contribution in their report back to the United States.
Also, it was a Beaufort pilot that, leaving late, and consequently spotting the recall flare from his CO before completing his search, came across (re-discovered) the convoy. He made a torpedo attack but the fish would not drop due to a faulty release mechanism so he had to satisfy himself with a strafing run. This story is recounted in Michael Veitch's Flak which I have at home but the pilot's name escapes me at the moment.
