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