Target: Rabaul: The Allied Siege of Japan's Most Infamous Stronghold, March 1943 - August 1945

by Bruce Gamble

  Ray Wilkins, commander of the 8th Bomb Squadron/3rd Bomb Group, earned a posthumous Medal of Honor for his actions over Simpson Harbor on November 2. For more than a year and a half, he had survived everything the Japanese could throw at him, but he could not outfly the concentrated gunfire of Japanese warships on Bloody Tuesday. His B-25, named Fifi for his fiancée, was one of eight Mitchell bombers that crashed outright or ditched with severe damage. Gerry Kersey

  Paul Barnett perches on the cockpit sill of the strike commander’s TBF Avenger prior to the first carrier raid on Rabaul, November 5, 1943. Having volunteered for the mission, Barnett snapped a series of dramatic aerial photos of the attack before he was fatally wounded by gunfire from a Zero. National Archives

  An intervalometer automatically snapped this dramatic photo from the tail of a B-25 flown by Frank Cecil, 71st Bomb Squadron/38th Bomb Group. Behind him, Richard Hastings has just flashed over the stern of either Arasaki or Hayasaki, identical storeships that were anchored in Simpson Harbor. In the background, multiple fires started by phosphorous bombs obscure Rabaul. MacArthur Memorial

  One of Barnett’s photographs reveals Japanese warships scurrying from the confines of Simpson Harbor. Cruisers fired their main batteries, creating the large clouds of white smoke. Lakunai airdrome is visible at upper left, directly across from Tavurvur crater at the edge of Matupit Harbor (upper center); part of Vulcan crater can be seen at lower right. National Archives

  This SBD, flown by John Lucas, scored a damaging near-miss on the heavy cruiser Chikuma but received a direct hit on the starboard side of the fuselage that killed its gunner, Myles James. The blood trails were left during the removal of the body after Lucas returned to Saratoga. National Archives

  Gunner Kenneth Bratton, his left knee torn by shrapnel from a 20mm shell, is lifted from the turret of the Avenger flown by strike commander Howard Caldwell. The body of Paul Barnett, who had been shot in the back of the head, was recovered from the cockpit just forward of the turret. A third crewman was also wounded in the Avenger, which Caldwell skillfully brought aboard despite severe damage. National Archives

  In a scene that would boggle the minds of today’s safety-conscious flight deck crews, dozens of spectators mill about during active recovery of F6F Hellcats aboard Saratoga following the raid on Rabaul. A mishap might have killed or injured scores of bystanders. In the foreground is an SBD Dauntless of VB-12, the squadron that scored most of the effective hits. Altogether the raid damaged five heavy cruisers, two light cruisers, and two destroyers. National Archives

  Burial at sea: In a tradition as ancient as seafaring, the weighted, flag-draped remains of Paul Barnett and Myles James will soon be committed to the deep. The assembled crew stands at attention prior to the commencement of the service, which would include a brief scripture (note the robed chaplain), rifle volleys, and Taps. National Archives

  The combat debut of the new Curtiss SB2C Helldiver was made during the second carrier raid on November 11, 1943. Honors for the first attack went to Bombing Squadron 17 aboard USS Essex, namesake of the navy’s newest class of fleet carrier. Here, during a training evolution, a Helldiver’s landing is waved off and the pilot banks sharply to go around for another pass. National Archives

  The prize: Using dynamite and bulldozers, Seabees constructed the most important Allied airstrip of the South Pacific war in a swampland on the south coast of Bougainville. The field at Torokina Point enabled land-based fighters to reach Rabaul for the first time, and the campaign against the fortress shifted to Vice Adm. “Bull” Halsey’s aerial forces in the Solomons. National Archives

  Frank Walton (left image) and National Archives (right image)

  The ace race: Marine fighter pilots Greg Boyington (left) and Bob Hanson (right) were birds of a feather. Among their many commonalities, they each experienced a meteoric rise as Corsair aces. Boyington was shot down by Zeros to become a prisoner of war; Hanson fell to antiaircraft fire a day before his 24th birthday. Each received a Medal of Honor. Another common trait was discovered later—some of their victory claims were too good to be true.

  With subtle improvements in powerplant, armament, and features, the ubiquitous Mitsubishi Type 0 carrier fighter served throughout most of the Pacific War. Greatly feared at first, the Zero was later outclassed. Pictured here is one of Japan’s top aces, Hiroyoshi Nishizawa, in a Model 22 “Hamp” of Air Group 251 over the Solomons in mid-1943. Darryl Ford

  Sole survivor: Normally the F4U Corsair enjoyed an advantage over the Zero, but when twenty to thirty Japanese fighters overwhelmed a trio of Corsairs near Rabaul on December 19, 1943, only one Marine got away. Bob Marshall (center, in flight gear) landed at Torokina with extensive damage to the tail of his Corsair. He was lucky to escape. Note the large hole in the national insignia from a 20mm shell. National Archives

  In this view looking south over the caldera, a pair of B-25s from the 42nd Bomb Group overflies Rabaul on March 2, 1944, the day that saturation bombing commenced. At center left, a string of bombs explodes along Malaguna Road in Chinatown. Just one block north, the star indicates the location of the prison run by the 6th Field Kempeitai, where most of the Allied POWs were held. National Archives

  Tunnel rats: Due to the heavy bombing, the Japanese moved underground into a network of caves and tunnels around the caldera. This entrance, which stands approximately seventeen feet high, resembles poured concrete but was carved from compacted volcanic ash and pumice. National Archives

  Tunnel interiors were shored to prevent collapse. This communications center, photographed after the surrender, still has all of its radio equipment. Tunnels built for headquarters, hospitals, and barracks were finished with interior walls, electricity, and ventilation. Some even had running water. Doug Vahry

  By the conclusion of the saturation bombing in April 1944, more than 90 percent of the structures in Rabaul had been obliterated. Vegetation recovered rapidly, as shown in this photo taken in September 1945. The large ship is the hulk of the cargo liner Komaki Maru, sunk at its wharf on April 18, 1942, by a B-26 Marauder. Doug Vahry

  Gaunt survivors: Five of the six American POWs who emerged alive from the Kempeitai prison at Rabaul. Photographed in the Philippines more than a month after the war ended, they had regained some weight and strength, but their clothing still fit loosely. Left to right: Jim McMurria, Al Quinones, Joe Holguin, Escoe Palmer, John Kepchia. Joe Nason was still hospitalized. Joe Nason

  Wearing fresh whitewash and red crosses to prevent their accidental shoot-down, the last Japanese planes at Rabaul—three Zeros and a sleek Army Ki-46 Dinah—were flown from Vunakanau airdrome under RNZAF escort on September 16, 1945. Doug Vahry

  After the surrender, Allied troops discovered this cemetery off Tunnel Hill Road containing the bodies of POWs who had died at the 6th Field Kempeitai prison. The Japanese had made some attempts to improve its appearance with new crosses and small vases of flowers. The vertical marker reads “Graveyard of Allied Forces Personnel.” Doug Vahry

  To the thousands of soldiers, sailors, and airmen who gave their lives in the longest battle of World War II. Rest, and be remembered.