Battle of Rabaul (1942)

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Fall of Rabaul
Part of World War II, Pacific War

Late January 1942. Australian soldiers (right centre) retreating from Rabaul cross the Warangoi/Adler River in the Bainings Mountains, on the eastern side of Gazelle Peninsula. Photographer: Sgt L. I. H. (Les) Robbins.
Date January 23, 1942 – February 1942
Location Rabaul, New Britain
Territory of New Guinea
Result Japanese victory
Combatants
Australia Japan
Commanders
John Scanlan Shigeyoshi Inoue (sea); Tomitaro Horii (land)
Strength
1,400 5,000
Casualties
Unknown number killed in action, at least 130 massacred after the battle[1] 16 officially killed in action[2]}
Pacific campaigns 1941-42
Pearl Harbor – Thailand – Malaya – Wake – Hong Kong – Philippines – Dutch East Indies – New Guinea – Singapore – Australia – Indian Ocean – Doolittle Raid – Solomons – Coral Sea – Midway
New Guinea campaign
1st Rabaul – Mo – Coral Sea – Kokoda Track – Milne Bay – Buna-Gona – Wau – Bismarck Sea – Salamaua-Lae – Cartwheel – Wewak raid – Finisterres – Huon Peninsula – Bougainville – Rabaul carrier raid – New Britain – Admiralties – Western New Guinea

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. Hostilities on the neighbouring island of New Ireland are also usually considered to be part of the same battle.

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.

Contents

[edit] The forces

The 1,400-strong Australian Army garrison in New Britain, known as Lark Force, was commanded by Lt Col. John Scanlan. It included 716 frontline AIF 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 main tasks of the garrison were protection of Vunakanau, the main Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) airfield near Rabaul, and the nearby flying boat anchorage in Simpson Harbour, which were important in the surveillance of Japanese movements in the region. However, the RAAF contingent, under Sqn Ldr (some sources say W. Cdr) John Lerew, had little offensive capability, being comprised of 10 lightly-armed CAC Wirraway training aircraft and four Lockheed Hudson light bombers from No. 24 Squadron.

A commando unit, the 130-strong 2/1st Independent Company was detached to garrison the nearby island of New Ireland.

The Imperial Japanese Army assault formation, the South Seas Force, under Maj. Gen. Tomitaro Horii, was essentially a brigade group based on the 55th Division.[3] Its main combat units were the 144th Infantry Regiment (headquarters unit, three infantry battalions, an artillery company, signals unit, and munitions squad), a few platoons from the 55th Cavalry Regiment, a battalion from the 55th Mountain Artillery Regiment and a company from the 55th Engineer Regiment.

[edit] Attack

In January 1942, Rabaul came under attack by Japanese planes. On January 21, eight Wirraways attacked a formation of 109 Japanese aircraft.[4] Three of the Wirraways were shot down, two crash-landed, and another was damaged. Lerew became famous for signalling RAAF HQ in Melbourne with the Latin message "Nos Morituri Te Salutamus" ("we who are about to die salute you"), the Roman gladiators' motto. One Japanese bomber was shot down by anti-aircraft fire. An Australian flying boat crew spotted the invasion fleet and signalled a warning before they were shot down. Because of the intense air attacks, Japanese planes destroyed the Australian coastal artillery and Australian infantry were withdrawn from Rabaul itself.

On January 22, the Japanese landed on New Ireland. The 2/1st Independent Company had been dispersed around the island and the Japanese took the main town of Kavieng without opposition. That night the invasion fleet approached Rabaul. At 2.45 am, on January 23, the South Seas Force began to land. The 3rd Battalion of the 144th Infantry Regiment encountered stiff resistance from a company of AIF and militiamen at Vulcan Beach. However, because of the numerical imbalance in favour of the Japanese, most of the South Seas Force was 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 guerrilla warfare on New Britain and — without a base or supplies — many of the Australians became sick, tired and/or exhausted. Leaflets posted by Japanese patrols or dropped from planes stated in English: "you can find neither food nor way of escape in this island and you will only die of hunger unless you surrender." Most Australian soldiers were captured or surrendered during the following weeks.

[edit] Tol Plantation massacre

Of the approximately 1,050 Australians taken prisoner, at least 130 personnel were massacred on or about February 4, 1942.[5] 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.

[edit] New Ireland

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 guerrilla campaign became impossible. The Australian commandos, along with some civilians who fought, in most cases were quickly overcome and killed, or taken prisoner. Japanese forces also committed atrocities against POWs on New Ireland.

[edit] Aftermath

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).

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. In December 1943, U.S. Marines landed in western New Britain and consequent Allied operations on New Britain gradually restricted the Japanese force to Rabaul. However a large number of Japanese personnel remained in Rabaul until the Japanese surrender in August 1945.

[edit] External links

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