The Battle of Rabaul, around the main town of Rabaul on the island of New Britain, in early February 1942, represented a strategically-significant defeat of Allied forces by Japan, in the Pacific campaign of World War II. Following the capture of Rabaul, Japanese forces turned it into a major base and proceeded to land on mainland New Guinea, advancing towards Port Moresby and Australia. World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons like the atom bomb. ... The Pacific War, which is known in Japan as the Greater East Asia War and in China as the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (kang-Ri zhanzheng, literally Resist Japan War), occurred in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in Asia. ... January 23 is the 23rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... This article is about the year. ... Space Radar Image of Rabaul Volcano Rabaul was the capital of East New Britain province, on New Britain Island, Papua New Guinea until 1994. ... (This article is about the island of New Britain in Papua New Guinea. ... Shigeyoshi Inoue (1889-1975) was a Japanese admiral of the navy during World War II. He was commander of the Fourth Fleet and later Vice-Minister of the Navy. ... Battle of the Coral Sea Conflict World War II, Pacific War Date May 4 – May 8, 1942 Place Coral Sea, between Australia, New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands Result Tactical Japanese victory Strategic Allied victory The Battle of the Coral Sea, in early May 1942, was arguably the turning point... The Kokoda Track Campaign was part of the Pacific War of World War II. The campaign consisted of a series of battles fought from July 1942 to January 1943 between Japanese and Australian forces in the Owen Stanley Ranges of Papua New Guinea. ... Battle of Milne Bay Conflict World War II, Pacific War Date August 25, 1942 – September 5, 1942 Place Milne Bay, New Guinea Result Allied victory The Battle of Milne Bay was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II. Japanese marines attacked the Australian base at Milne Bay... Battle of Buna-Gona Conflict World War II, Pacific War Date November 16, 1942 – January 22, 1943 Place New Guinea Result Allied victory The Battle of Buna-Gona was a battle in the Pacific campaign of World War II. On November 16, 1942, Australian and United States forces began to... Battle of the Bismarck Sea Conflict World War II, Pacific War Date March 2, 1943 – March 4, 1943 Place Bismarck Sea, in the vicinity of Lae Result Decisive Allied victory The Battle of the Bismarck Sea was a battle in the Pacific Campaign of World War II, between planes of... The eastern part of the Territory of New Guinea, and the northern Solomon Islands; the area in which Operation Cartwheel took place, from June 1943. ... Attack on Rabaul Conflict World War II, Pacific War Date October 12, 1943 – November 5, 1943 Place Rabaul on New Britain in the Bismarck Archipelago Result Allied victory The attack on Rabaul was a campaign of Allied air raids against the Japanese base at Rabaul in October and November 1943. ... Space Radar Image of Rabaul Volcano Rabaul was the capital of East New Britain province, on New Britain Island, Papua New Guinea until 1994. ... (This article is about the island of New Britain in Papua New Guinea. ... This article is about the year. ... When spelt with a capital A, Allies usually denotes the countries that fought together against the Central Powers in World War I and against the Axis Powers in World War II. // Other uses In general, allies are people or groups that have joined an alliance and are working together to... The Pacific War, which is known in Japan as the Greater East Asia War and in China as the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (kang-Ri zhanzheng, literally Resist Japan War), occurred in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in Asia. ... World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons like the atom bomb. ... Port Moresby, population 193,242 (1990), is the capital of Papua New Guinea. ...

New Britain, which was part of what was then the Australian territory of New Guinea, was important because of its proximity to the Japanese territory of the Caroline Islands, including a major Imperial Japanese Navy base, on Truk Island. Sunset at Colonia on Yap The Caroline Islands form a large archipelago of widely scattered islands in the western Pacific Ocean, northeast of New Guinea. ... The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) (大日本帝國海軍 Dai-Nippon Teikoku Kaigun or 日本海軍 Nippon Kaigun) was the navy of Japan before 1945. ... A view of Chuuk Chuuk is an island group that comprises one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), along with Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Yap. ...

The defences

The 1,400-strong Australian Army garrison in New Britain, known as Lark Force, was commanded by Lt Col. J. J. Scanlan. It included 716 frontline soldiers, in the shape of the 2/22nd Battalion, deployed from March 1941 as fears of war with Japan increased. The force also included personnel from a local militia unit, the New Guinea Volunteer Rifles, a coastal defence battery, an anti-aircraft battery, an anti-tank battery and a detachment of the 2/10th Field Ambulance. The 2/22nd Battalion Band, which was also included in Lark Force, is perhaps the only military unit ever to have been entirely recruited from the ranks of the Salvation Army. The Australian Army Emblem The Australian Army is Australias military land force. ... For people named Garrison, see Garrison (disambiguation). ... Following the federation of Australia in 1901, the six colonial militias were merged to form a national reserve army. ... The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian evangelist denomination, as well as a charity and social services organisation, with international headquarters at 101 Queen Victoria Street London, England. ...

The main tasks of the garrison were protection of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) airfield and flying boat anchorage, which were important in the surveillance of Japanese movements in the region. However, the RAAF contingent had little offensive capability at Rabaul, being comprised of 10 lightly-armed CAC Wirraway training aircraft and four Lockheed Hudson light bombers. The RAAF Roundel is based on that of the British Royal Air Force, with the central circle replaced by a Kangaroo, a symbol of Australia. ... Boeing 314 A flying boat is an aircraft that is designed to take off and land on water, in particular a type of seaplane which uses its fuselage as a floating hull (instead of pontoons mounted below the fuselage). ... Lockheed Hudson Mk V The Lockheed Hudson was a light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built initially for the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of World War II. The Hudson was the first significant aircraft construction contract for the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation—the initial RAF order for 200... A light bomber is a military bomber aircraft which, when compared to other bombers, is relatively small and fast; such aircraft will probably not carry more than one ton of ordnance. ...

A commando unit, the 130-strong 2/1st Independent Company was detached to garrison the nearby island of New Ireland. The French Navy commando Jaubert storm the Alcyon in a mock assault. ... New Ireland is an island in the Pacific, and the most northeastern province of Papua New Guinea. ...

Attack

In January 1942, Lark Force came under heavy attack by Japanese aircraft, which neutralised coastal artillery. In the early hours of January 23, 1942, the 20,000 Japanese marines of the South Seas Force, under Maj. Gen Tomitaro Horii, began to land. Some faced fierce resistance, but because of the enormous imbalance in forces, many Japanese troops were able to land unopposed, in unguarded locations. Within hours, Scanlan ordered: "every man for himself" and Australian soldiers and civilians split into small groups and retreated through the jungle. Only the RAAF had made evacuation plans and its personnel were removed by flying boat. The army had made no preparations for guerilla warfare on New Britain, and most soldiers surrendered during the following weeks. January 23 is the 23rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... The Japanese Special Naval Landing Forces (SNLF), (海軍陸戦隊 Tokubetsu Rikusentai) were the marine troops of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and was only part of the IJN Land Forces. ... The South Seas Force, also known as the Japanese Fourth Fleet, was the Empire of Japans combined sea, land and air formation, first used in December 1941, during the invasions of Wake Island, Guam and the Gilbert Islands, during the opening stages of the Pacific theatre of World War...

Tol Plantation massacre

Of the 1,049 Australians taken prisoner, at least 158 personnel were massacred on or about February 4, 1942. Six men survived these killings and later described what had happened. The Australian government concluded that personnel were marched into the jungle near Tol Plantation in small groups and were bayoneted by Japanese soldiers. At the nearby Waitavalo Plantation, 35 Australians who had also been taken POW were shot. The officer with the main responsibility for these war crimes was Colonel Masao Kusunose, who later committed suicide. The remains were found by 2 Australian soldiers, one Captain Dr Currell, and the other Corporal Harry Truscott of the 38th battalion. February 4 is the 35th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... The US Marine Corps OKC-3S bayonet From right to left: a carbine, a straight infantry officer sabre, a short curved infantry sabre (briquet), two bayonets. ...

Aftermath

On New Ireland, the 2/1st Independent Company became victims of a policy which scattered them in small groups around the island, to such an extent that their ability to wage any kind of co-ordinated raiding or guerilla campaign became impossible. The Australian commandos, along with some civilians who fought, in most cases were quickly overcome and killed, or taken prisoner. Atrocities were also committed against POWs on New Ireland. Guerrilla (also called a partisan) is a term borrowed from Spanish (from guerra meaning war) used to describe small combat groups. ...

From mainland New Guinea, some civilians and individual officers organised unofficial rescue missions to New Britain and—between March and May—about 450 troops and civilians who had managed to evade the Japanese were evacuated by sea.

At least 800 soldiers and civilian prisoners of war lost their lives on July 1, 1942, when the ship on which they were sent from Rabaul to Japan, the Montevideo Maru, was sunk off the north coast of Luzon by the US submarine Sturgeon (SS-187). Geneva Convention definition A prisoner of war (POW) is a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. ... July 1 is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 183 days remaining. ... The Montevideo Maru was a Japanese auxiliary vessel. ... Map of the Philippines showing the island groups of Luzón, Visayas, and Mindanao. ... USS Sturgeon (SS-187), a Salmon-class submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for named for the sturgeon, a large, bony-plated fish with an elongated body that is an important source of caviar and isinglass. ...

A handful of Lark Force members remained at large on New Britain and—often in conjunction with indigenous people—conducted guerilla operations against the Japanese. Rabaul became the biggest Japanese base in New Guinea. Allied forces landed in December 1944, although substantial Japanese forces continued to operate on New Britain until Japan surrendered in August 1945. The word indigenous is derived from the latin word indigena, meaning nativ, indigenous, aboriginal, and has several, related meanings: The native people of a place; see the article indigenous people. ...

External links

Australian War Memorial, Rabaul, 1942