South Pacific Air War Volume 1: The Fall of Rabaul December 1941-March 1942

This volume chronicles aerial warfare in the South Pacific from December 1941 until March 1942, during which air operations by both sides became a daily occurrence. As Imperial Japanese Navy flying boats and land-based bombers penetrated over vast distances, a few under-strength squadrons of the Royal Australian Air Force put up a spirited fight. However it was the supreme power of aircraft carriers that had the biggest impact. Four Japanese fleet carriers facilitated the capture of Rabaul over a devastating four-day period in January 1942. The following month, the USS Lexington’s fighter squadron VF-3 scored one of the most one-sided victories of the entire Pacific War. By March 1942 the Japanese had landed on mainland New Guinea, and the scene was set for a race to control Port Moresby.

This is the full story of both sides of an air war that could have been won by either incumbent, but for timing, crucial decisions and luck.

Table of Contents

Contents
List of Aircraft Profiles
Dedication
Introduction
Chapter 1 Japanese Plans for the South Pacific
Chapter 2 Allied Defences in the South Pacific
Chapter 3 RAAF Pokes the Giant - December 1941
Chapter 4 Fourth Fleet Turns South – January 1942
Chapter 5 Colonel Scanlan’s Dilemma
Chapter 6 Carrier Attack Day 1 – 20th January 1942
Chapter 7 Carrier Attack Day 2 – 21st January 1942
Chapter 8 Carrier Attack Day 3 – 22nd January 1942
Chapter 9 Rabaul on the Eve of Invasion
Chapter 10 Invasion – 23rd January 1942
Chapter 11 Consolidation of Rabaul – late January to early February 1942
Chapter 12 Gasmata – Early February 1942
Chapter 13 South Pacific Buildup – mid-February 1942
Chapter 14 Black Day for No. 4 Ku – 20th February 1942
Chapter 15 USAAC Enters the Fray – Late February to early March 1942
Chapter 16 Lae and Salammaua – to 9th March 1942
Chapter 17 Bougainville and The Solomons – to March 1942
Chapter 18 Lark Force Postscript
Appendix 1 Confirmed Aircraft Losses – 8 December 1941 to 9 March 1942
Appendix 2 Surviving Aircraft
Sources
Index

Raised in Port Moresby, Michael Claringbould is a globally recognized expert on the New Guinea air war and Japanese aviation in particular.

Peter Ingman is an acclaimed military history author specializing in the early Pacific War period.