Australian Rabaul Air Attack (March 1942)

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The "Australian Rabaul Air Attack" refer to Australian RAAF air strikes against Japanese airdromes in Rabaul,New Britain in March 1942.

The Japanese were preparing to convert Rabaul into a large Naval and Air base where supplies and forces needed for the expansion of the Japanese Empire perimeter;the conquest of Port Moresby and subsequent Australian occupation, amongst the disembarcs in New Caledonia,New Hebrides,Fiji,Samoa and other nearests islands.

The Australian Army General Staff, responding to intelligence reports and reconnaissance reports of reinforcements arriving at Rabaul ,ordered the RAAF to use air strikes against the base.

Such strikes occurred at low altitude, at great risk to the aircrews due to enemy antiaircraft fire, allowing Martin B-26 "Marauder" medium bombers to obtain notable success, sinking numerous auxiliary vessels, between them the "Komachi Maru" along with the destruction of most of the Japanese aircraft in the bases in the fortress, only leaving some old Mitsubishi A5M "Claude".

Later the Carrier Shōhō and Auxiliary Cruiser Kasuga Maru arrived at Rabaul with a shipment of the newest Mitsubishi A6M "Zero"(30 in Carrier,20 in Auxiliary Cruiser) to replace the previous losses, including spare parts and mechanics, along with other planes from the Philippines and Dutch Indies. With these new reinforcements in Rabaul, the Japanese continued their plans for the period.