Battle of the Bismarck Sea

Uncommon card · No. 160797

The Battle of the Bismarck Sea (2–4 March 1943) took place in the South West Pacific Area (SWPA) during World War II when aircraft of the U.S. Fifth Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) attacked a Japanese convoy carrying troops to Lae, New Guinea, as part of Operation 81. Most of the Japanese task force was destroyed, and Japanese troop losses were heavy. The Japanese convoy was a result of a Japanese Imperial General Headquarters decision in December 1942 to reinforce their position in the South West Pacific theatre. A plan was devised to move some 6,900 troops from Rabaul directly to Lae. The plan was understood to be risky, because Allied air power in the area was strong, but the Japanese decided to proceed because otherwise, the troops would have to be landed a considerable distance away and march through inhospitable swamp, mountain, and jungle terrain without roads before reaching their destination. On 28 February 1943, the convoy – comprising eight destroyers and...

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