Battle Of The Bismarck Sea

ST. Martin's Press, New York, 1991. Edition Unstated. Hardcover. Good Condition/Good. The scene over the convoy was something never before seen by Allied crews. No one person was able to sit & watch it. The Beaufighters & 90th Squadron B52 strafers had been overtaken by 89th Squadron A20s & the higher-level B25s of the 38th Group. Overhead the 43rd Group B17s were on their bomb runs...30 minutes that changed the balance of power in New Guinea - a battle for land forces, fought at sea, won by air. March 1943: the Japanese had thousands of troops available and powerful unchallenged naval units to deliver them to New Guinea - only air power could be brought to bear on the naval force. A convoy of eight ships with eight battle-hardened destroyers as escort formed to deliver 6,000 fresh, experienced, fully equipped troops to New Guinea. Using bad weather as cover, the convoy reached the last stage of its voyage from Rabaul to Lae - but next morning was clear. A US-Australian air strike force flew out as the last hope for the Allies and employed tactics proposed by an Australian officer. The result was disaster for the Japanese and the convoy was destroyed in 30 minutes. Accounts of the battle published at the time and for years afterwards used a repeated wartime propaganda, exaggerations, myths and lies. This is the full and authentic story of the battle from solid Australian, US and Japanese sources. 'Below deck on destroyer Arashio, Sub-Lieutenant Reiji Masuda felt the speeding ship jump several times and felt large shocks through the hull.The lights went out; power supply failed. He called the bridge; no answer. Masuda sent a messenger but could hardly believe what the man said on return - there was no bridge and the bows were on fire. He ran up to see the bridge had been blown away by a direct hit. Gone were the captain and all the officers of the gunnery and torpedo departments, the medical officer, all the Army officers aboard who had been there in preparation for arrival at Lae, and three newspaper men. All that remained was the front window frame and a grisly sight; the blackened body of the navigator impaled on the remains of the window. But with no one at the helm the destroyer was rushing on at full speed. Masuda looked around. All the other ships were burning. The Imperial Japanese Navy had a disaster on its hands.' Size: 180mm - 250mm. 226 pages. Dust Jacket has some shelf-wear, some marking, as well as some bumping to corners and extremities. Previous owner's name in ink. Covers have some shelf-wear as well as some bumping to corners and extremities. Quantity Available: 1. Shipped Weight: Under 1 kilo. Category: Military & Warfare; History. ISBN: 0312058209. ISBN/EAN: 9780312058203. Inventory No: 52297. . 9780312058203