Claringbould, Michael/Ingman, Peter South Pacific War War. Volume 6: Wau to Bismarck Sea January - March 1943

The sixth volume in this series describes the air war in New Guinea during the critical period from January to March 1943. It can be read on its own or as a continuation of the previous five volumes, which cover the first thirteen months of the Pacific War. In January 1943, a Japanese supply and reinforcement convoy from Rabaul successfully reached Lae, despite fierce resistance from the Allied air forces. The fresh troops soon threatened to overrun the Australian mountain stronghold of Wau, before a massive airlift of C-47s from the 5th US Air Force brought reinforcements just in time. Meanwhile, the air war over New Guinea was increasingly fought by newly arrived JAAF units, which shared the air war burden with their veteran IJN colleagues. Against this backdrop, many of the 5th US Air Force bomber squadrons were transferred from Australia to Port Moresby. This greatly increased the combat efficiency of these units and, among other things, enabled sustained daily pressure on the Japanese stronghold of Rabaul. In March 1943, the Japanese sent a second convoy from Rabaul to Lae, leading to the Battle of the Bismarck Sea, one of the most significant engagements of the entire Pacific War. Using sophisticated attack and bombing tactics, the squadrons of the 5th US Air Force and the RAAF carried out a comprehensive ship destruction operation that made headlines around the world. Never before has this campaign been described in such detail, with Allied and Japanese accounts combined to provide a factual and detailed account of the conflict.