Air Force the Official Service Journal - Air Force Historical Studies ...

Jap camouflage on this Sallv didn't fool lOll" tllill~ St h Air Force
bombers dlHin~ their .rttrck Oil Old :\:nnka .urdroruc, Bocruc l-J.md.
landing cast of Llc .md the p.uutroop operation at l\ad/,ab.
After that, strike followed strike ill Lipid succc-viou. Sul.rmana
\LIS capt urcd , :nHI b.rttcrcd Lie bee.nne ours on Scptcmbcr
l o. The Kcnncv air thrust secured liS all .ulv.uicc
airdrome lip the .\Ltrkh:llll Vallcv at Kui.ipit on the :::Oth.
foll owcd xhortlv aftCl"\\:m! hv the clphlre of Clhap .u«l
Tunipu. An :nllphihiollS bndill~ at l'imchhafcll Oil the
2:::11(! completed the rout of the J;IPS Oil the IIII"n l'cllin'IILi,
})millg Oet"ber Ittll;11I1 \\:h bcillg sqllce/cd clrv of air .unl
shipping tan,;ets. ,\ perfecth- pl.uuud and executed l)(llllhillg
attack on October l::: ucttccl three cnCII1\" dc-I rovcr-, three
brgc car~o \ e'scls, -f ') sllLdl clrgo \'csscfs. -;-lJ h;"lrhor craft
and 1:::(l uirpl.mc-, e]c,!Tm eel. Anuthcr .rtt.ick. Oil 'smel1l.
her 2, pcnu.mcut lv put Jbh:nl! out of the rnllning as a b.r«:
of ;111\"importmc« to the J:lpS.
This bleeding white of the cncnr, air forces and shipping
in the Sonth\lc,t 1';lcifie ITsltltcd III lii-, in.rhilitv to m.unt.un
sufficicul lv stroll'-; .iir PO\\lT at ;111\ one of his f:n filing m.melate
bases to jeop;mll/c oper:\tiom of our smLlcc fmces
:Igainst h im . .\Ltkin .md TaLI\\':1 were occllpil'll III u-, Oil
~mcll1her 21, The .\llstr:di:m ()th Divivion had pu-Iicd the
Alternate oil dump l;0CS "P in xm ol«: after B,25 .ittnck on I Ialma
hera hlands, last Jap bastioll bct\\cCll :\ell" Gnillca and Philippillcs,
NOVEMBER,1944
J;lp:lllesc lip to Sate1berg, and I (H 3 \\':IS closed with a suecessflll
landillg at Cape ClollcLster and the capture of a I"I'
hlse at Ar:l\\"e. '\C\\" Year 1(),H \\:IS cclcbr.rtcd one duv l.itc
with a LlJIdlllg at S:lic1or, 'sC\\" C\\111ca. .
\\'herC1S tlu: Allied Air hnees under Ccucr.r] Kcnncv
were fllllCtiolllllg with ele;ldll' dficiellCl', the enum'" org:lI~ivut
iou had become d ivruptcd to the poi nt of relldering his
order of butt!c useless for t.ut ical pLilllllllS;, ;\ 1;lpallesc striking
forcc of 100 pl.mcs h.id hccomc comp.rr.rblc to the PO\I"(,T
of 25. The cncmv \I'as definitell" in retreat.
,\lthough Ibh:;ul had been '!llutr:ilized, it was still too
strong for \IS to chance a frontal attack. As an nlt cru.it ivc we
cnpturcd Crcen Ivl.md to the cast and cut off a possible
avenue of esclpc, This move also cut off am' chance of the
[upunc:«: forces cscaping from Bougaimille or other parts of
the SO]Olnons. Om next need \I'as n n airb.rxc from which
II"C could strike at the cncmvs I\:el\' Guinea flank and complcteh"
bottle the Ibhlul-Kal'ieng area. The Achn ira ltv
IsLlllcls were iclcJ! for this pmposc and would also gill' us a
valuable base for deep rccouu.uvs.mcc to the north.
Om objectives, 1\ lanus and Los l\'cgros in the Admiralties,
\\'LTe garrisoned bv some -f,OOO [ap.uic-c troops. On \ larch
I :; a rccouua isvancc p.ntv in force, cOllSisting of a fClI' hundred
rifles of the 1st Cuv.ilrv Division, l.mclcd at I.os Ncgros.
Ccncr.rl .\ lac.Yrthur \I"as uncxpcctccllv on the scene .md went
a-horc with the troops. I Ie SIlfIT\U] the situation ~lIlcl
ordered the troops to remain in occupntion. Th u-, \Iomote
airclroinc \1:1S c.ipturcd and om perimeter \I"as reinforced jnst
ahL'ad of [ap.mc«: n-iuforccuuutv. This I\";\S perhaps the
mo-t import.mt opcr.rt ion ever concluctcd in this theater.
\\-ith air CO\CL\gc a\;1ihhle from .\Ionwte \\T were ill a
f:ll"(lr:lble position to begin 1cap-froggillg operations in l\eIV
Cui nc.r. It II:IS no IOll,-;er !ll'ceS\;trl" to attempt a bndillg c.r-t
of the lap:lnese stronghold :It \\"CII;IK. In-tcad a bold Strohl'
\I;IS pl.inncd to b:"-p:lss this hc.rvilv defendcd section and
l.uul at Hnllaucli.t, to the 11~"t" Oil .\ l.uch 2() .u«] ,lJ. hcavv
bOlllbers covered l loll.uuli« with a perfecth" pl.uiuccl attack,
de,troling a c"nsider;I1J1c part of the J:lp;IIlL'se .nmv air force
in :\CII' CllillL';l. Oil tile follml ing d:II, IIghter-cOIcred stLlfers
f()IIOI\'l'd lip nnc] c(llnp1cll'h- wrecked cncnrv .iir facilities
in till' a rv.i. hurnt out l Ioll.iudi.: .mcl clc-trovccl fuc],
ur.un hn.mrc :llId '-Ilpph" clmup-; ])mill'-; t lu«. ;IH;I'cks more
th.m -fl)[) cncnll :mpLll1cs \'.LTe :ICcOllllted for. .md there i~
cvid.ucc th.it the J:lp:lllese .ur comiu.md ill the .irc.: \I;IS rcliCled
in cli'c;race,
1 lnll.mdi.r. .mcl .vit.ip« to the CISt. \1"L'I"eoccupied wit h o ut
\lIhsLlnti;il resi,Llnee on .vpril 22. CIJttillg "IT the lap;lne'e
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