This is another fine air force history by Michael Veitch. The Battle of the Bismark sea would be the most one-side battle of the entire war and one that the Japanese would never recover from.

The battle immediately convinced the Japanese that they could not operate even strongly escorted convoys in areas within range of land-based Allied air planes. From then on, they were forced to rely on barges, small coastal vessels, and submarines to provide a lifeline to their vital strategic outposts in the archipelago.

Aerial attacks continued to exact a dreadful price on Japanese ships, even as they hugged the coasts in desperate attempts to escape detection from above. Submarines met with more success but could not move significant quantities of men and materiel.

The battle was to take a vicious turn when several Zeros broke of from attacking American bombers to shoot the parachuting survivors of an American B52. Radio silence was broken as the American airmen were aghast at what they just saw.

From then on NO quarter was given with Japanese soldiers and sailors being strafed in the water, and life boats and landing barges being sunk.

Throughout the next day the same “mopping up” occurred.

“In the thick of World War II, during the first week of March 1943, Japan made a final, desperate lunge for control of the South West Pacific. In the ensuing Battle of the Bismarck Sea, a force of land-based Australian and American planes attacked a massive convoy of Japanese warships. The odds were against them. But a devastating victory was won and Japan’s hopes of regaining the initiative in New Guinea destroyed.” From the publisher.

All eight transport and cargo ships were sunk with the 6,000 troops destined for Lae for an attack on Port Moresby. Four of the eight escorting destroyers were also sunk. Destroyers rescued 800 men and transported them to Lae and then returned with submarines to fill the crowded decks with more survivors for the long trip back to Rabaul

More importantly for Australians, the victory decisively removed any possibility that Australia might be invaded by Japanese forces. It was, for us, along with the Battle of the Coral Sea, one of the most significant times in our history – a week when our future was profoundly in the balance.

A great read about the battle, the oreparation, and the new attack methodology used.