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Battle of the Bismarck Sea order of battle

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World War II battle between U.S. and Australian and Japanese forces

The Battle of the Bismarck Sea (2–4 March 1943) took place in the South West Pacific Area (SWPA) during World War II.

At midnight 28 February 1942, eight transports carrying about 6,900 troops of the Imperial Japanese Army, escorted by eight destroyers of the Imperial Japanese Navy, departed their base at Rabaul, New Britain heading for Lae, New Guinea. Through the afternoon of 1 March, the overcast weather held at which point the weather changed direction and the slow-moving task force was spotted by an Allied scout plane.

Aircraft of the U.S. 5th Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) attacked the convoy, sinking all eight transports and four of the eight destroyers. The remaining destroyers with about 2,700 surviving troops limped back to Rabaul.

Japanese forces

Rear Adm. Masatomi Kimura
An Allied A-20 bomber attacks Japanese shipping during the Battle of the Bismarck Sea
Sin-ai Maru burning after attack from Allied air power during the Battle of the Bismarck Sea

Rear Admiral Masatomi Kimura

Transports

Captain Kamataro Matsumoto

Transport Gross
tonnage 		(m) Fate No.
killed
Aiyo Maru 2,716 7,686 sunk 323
Kembu Maru 950 2,688 sunk 20
Kyokusei Maru 5,493 15,545 sunk 486
Oigawa Maru 6,494 18,378 sunk 1,229
Sin-ai Maru 3,793 10,734 sunk 63+
Taimei Maru 2,883 8,159 sunk 200
Teiyo Maru 6,870 19,442 sunk 1,915
Nojima Maru 8,125 22,994 sunk 400
Embarked units
Army
Eighteenth Army Headquarters
Eighteenth Army Signals
51st Division Headquarters
51st Division Signals
51st Engineer Regiment
14th Artillery Regiment
115th Infantry Regiment
3rd Field Hospital
21st Artillery Brigade
50th Antiaircraft Battalion
15th Independent Engineer Regiment
22nd Airfield Battalion
209th Airfield Regiment
5th Air Signals Regiment
8th Shipping Engineer Regiment
3rd Company, 5th Shipping Engineer Regiment
3rd Disembarkation Unit
Navy
Yokosuka 3rd Naval Air Defence Unit
Yokosuka 5th Special Naval Landing Party
Maizuru 2nd Special Naval Landing Party
Screen
Kagerō-class destroyer

Rear Admiral Kimura

8 destroyers
2 Kagerō-class (6 × 5-in. main battery)
Tokitsukaze (Commander Masayoshi Motokura) (sunk)
Yukikaze (Commander Ryokichi Sugama)
3 Asashio-class (6 × 5-in. main battery)
Arashio (Commander Hideo Kuboki) (sunk)
Asashio (Commander Goro Yoshii) (sunk)
Asagumo (Commander Toru Iwahashi)
3 Fubuki-class (6 × 5-in. main battery)
Shikinami (Lt. Commander Akifumi Kawahashi)
Shirayuki (Commander Rokuro Sugawara) (sunk)
Uranami (Lt. Commander Chikara Hagio)
Air units
Navy
11th Air Fleet / Southeast Area Fleet
204 Air Group
252 Air Group
253 Air Group
First Air Flotilla
Zuihō Fighter Group (Kavieng)
Army
1st Flying Group (1st Hikō Sentai)
11th Flying Group (11th Hikō Sentai)

Allied forces

Allied air forces

Commander, Allied Air Forces, Southwest Pacific Area/US Fifth Air Force
Lieutenant General George C. Kenney
Advanced Echelon, Allied Air Forces
Major General Ennis C. Whitehead

RAAF

Douglas A-20 Boston
Bristol Beaufighter
No. 9 Operational Group RAAF
Air Commodore J. E. Hewitt
No. 73 Wing RAAF (Wing Commander Blake Pelly)
No. 6 Squadron RAAF (Wing Commander A. A. Barlow)
Turnbull Field: Lockheed Hudson
No. 22 Squadron RAAF (Wing Commander Keith Hampshire)
Wards Airfield: A-20 Boston
No. 30 Squadron RAAF (Wing Commander B. R. Walker)
Wards Airfield: Bristol Beaufighter
No. 71 Wing RAAF (Wing Commander Ian McLachlan)
No. 75 Squadron RAAF (Squadron Leader W. S. Arthur)
Gurney Airfield: P-40 Kittyhawk
No. 100 Squadron RAAF (Squadron Leader J. A. Smilbert (acting))
Gurney Airfield: Bristol Beaufort

USAAF

Lockheed P-38 Lightning
Curtiss P-40 Tomahawk
North American B-25 Mitchell
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
Consolidated B-24 Liberator
35th Fighter Group (Colonel Richard A. Legg)
39th Fighter Squadron (Captain T. J. Lynch)
Schwimmer Airfield: P-38 Lightning
40th Fighter Squadron (Captain Malcolm A. Moore)
Rogers Airfield: P-39 Airacobra
49th Fighter Group (Lieutenant Colonel R. L. Morrissey)
7th Fighter Squadron (Major William P. Martin)
Durand Airfield: P-40 Warhawk
8th Fighter Squadron (Major Mitchell E. Sims)
Kila Airfield: P-40 Warhawk
9th Fighter Squadron (Captain Jesse C. Peaslee)
Schwimmer Airfield: P-38 Lightning
3rd Attack Group (Lieutenant Colonel R. F. Strickland)
13th Attack Squadron (Major Harold V. Maull)
Schwimmer Airfield: B-25 Mitchell
89th Attack Squadron (Major Glen W. Clark)
Kila Airfield: A-20 Havoc
90th Attack Squadron (Major Edward L. Larner)
Durand Airfield: B-25 Mitchell
38th Bombardment Group (Colonel Fay R. Upthegrove)
71st Bombardment Squadron (Major Eugene P. Mussett)
Durand Airfield: B-25 Mitchell
405th Bombardment Squadron (Lieutenant Colonel Millard Lewis)
Durand Airfield: B-25 Mitchell
43rd Bombardment Group (Colonel Roger M. Ramey)
63rd Bombardment Squadron (Major Edward W. Scott)
Jacksons Airfield: B-17 Flying Fortress
64th Bombardment Squadron (Major Kenneth D. McCullar)
Jacksons Airfield: B-17 Flying Fortress
65th Bombardment Squadron (Major Harray J. Hawthorne)
Jacksons Airfield: B-17 Flying Fortress
403rd Bombardment Squadron (Major Jay P. Reusek)
Mareeba Airfield: B-17 Flying Fortress
90th Bombardment Group (Colonel Ralph E. Koon)
319th Bombardment Squadron (Captain Charles E. Jones)
Jacksons Airfield: B-24 Liberator
320th Bombardment Squadron (Major Roy L. Taylor)
Jacksons Airfield: B-24 Liberator
321st Bombardment Squadron (Major Cecil L. Faulkner)
Jacksons Airfield: B-24 Liberator
400th Bombardment Squadron (Major Harry J. Bullis)
Jacksons Airfield: B-24 Liberator
8th Photo Reconnaissance Squadron (1st Lieutenant F. S. Savage)
Kila Airfield: F-4 Lightning, F-5 Lightning

Motor Torpedo Boat Striking Force

PT-105, an 80' Elco boat, underway

Lieutenant Commander Barry K. Atkins

Early Type (77 feet, 4 × 18-in. torpedo tubes)
PT-66 (Lieutenant (jg) William C. Quinby)
PT-67 (Ensign James W. Emmons)
PT-68 (Lieutenant (jg) Robert L. Childs)
Elco Type (80 feet, 4 × 21-in. torpedo tubes)
PT-121 (Ensign Edward R. Bergin)
PT-128 (Ensign James W. Herring)
PT-143 (Lieutenant (jg) John S. Bayliss)
PT-149 (Lieutenant William J. Flittie)
PT-150 (Lieutenant (jg) Russell E. Hamacheck)

Notes

  1. A Japanese army was equivalent to a Euro-American corps

References

  1. McAulay 1991, pp. 177–180
  2. McAulay 1991, p. 187
  3. McAulay 1991, p. 180
  4. McAulay 1991, pp. 181–184
  5. Hata, Izawa & Shores 2011, p. 49
  6. Hata, Izawa & Shores 2012, pp. 38–39
  7. "Group Captain Blake Raymond Pelly". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  8. ^ Morison 1950, pp. 64–65
  9. RAAF Historical Section 1995a, p. 16
  10. ^ McAulay 1991, pp. 173–174
  11. RAAF Historical Section 1995a, p. 64
  12. "Air Vice Marshal Ian Dougald McLachlan". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  13. RAAF Historical Section 1995b, p. 41
  14. "90 Fighter Squadron (PACAF)". Air Force Historical Agency. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  15. "319 Missile Squadron (AFGSC)". Air Force Historical Agency. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  16. "320 Missile Squadron (AFGSC)". Air Force Historical Agency. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  17. "321 Missile Squadron (AFGSC)". Air Force Historical Agency. Archived from the original on 11 June 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  18. "8 Flying Training Squadron". Air Force Historical Agency. Archived from the original on 3 October 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  19. Morison 1950, p. 61

Bibliography

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