Case Studies in the Achievement of Air Superiority - Air Force ...

AIR SUPERIORITY
part to play in the neutralization of Rabaul. It was believed at the time that
the seizure of Arawe and Cape Gloucester, at the southern end of the island
of New Britain (Rabaul lay on the northern end) was an essential part of
the neutralization. Probably this was not the case, but hindsight is always
better than foresight. It certainly was essential that the flank of the advance
along the coast of New Guinea be protected, and the seizure of the
Admiralty Islands provided this protection, as well as furnishing a magnificent
anchorage. It must be understood, however, that support of these
operations absorbed much of the Southwest Pacific air effort from September
1943 through March 1944. This effort was certainly not wasted; it resulted
in the destruction of many Japanese aircraft and contributed significantly
to the neutralization of Rabaul. But if it had been possible to devote all this
effort to Wewak, the air superiority that had been achieved over eastern
New Guinea could have been converted into air supremacy far more
quickly.
In the meantime, the campaign against Wewak continued. From the
attacks of August 17-18 until the end of the month, B-24s flew 102 sorties
over Wewak and B-25s flew 21. Perhaps more important, attacks on other
Japanese positions in New Guinea forced fighters from Wewak to come out
and fight. Counting the first raids, during August the B-24s claimed to have
shot down 35 enemy aircraft for the loss of 3 bombers; B-25s claimed 22
enemy fighters for the loss of 5 bombers; and American fighters claimed 69
Japanese planes for a loss of 6 P-38s. During this summer, General Kenney’s
forces were growing stronger. The number of P-38s, his preferred
fighter because of range and the twin engines that saved so many lives on
overwater flights, was significantly increased. Supplementing the additional
P-38s, he received the P-47, the giant single-engine Republic Thunderbolt.
Even though P-47~ had to have droppable auxiliary fuel tanks to
give them the range necessary in the Southwest Pacific, and given that
there was initially some pilot prejudice against these aircraft, they proved
to be a valuable addition to the fighter inventory. No additional fighter
types would come to the Southwest Pacific until P-51 Mustangs arrived late
in 1944.51
The number of Japanese fighters and bombers on the four airfields at
Wewak and shipping in the harbor increased until September 27, when
another major strike took off from Allied airfields; eighteen B-24s, ninetyseven
B-25s, and sixty-eight P-38s struck at the airfields and at shipping.
The B-25s reported they had destroyed forty Japanese planes on the
ground, and fighters and bombers together took credit for nine shot out of
the air. Even so, the Japanese-the Japanese Fourth Air Army in this
case-continued to pour aircraft into Wewak.
During all this time bases nearer and nearer to Wewak were being
developed, and P-47s, P-~OS, and P-39s began to join the strikes. Whenever
adequate targets developed, the bombers went out. On November 27,
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