Reference Entry
BATTLE OF THE BISMARCK SEA
One year later to the week, the balance of power in the air over the Southwest Pacific had begun to shift. On March 2nd, 1943, United States Army Air Forces and Royal Australian Air Force units spotted a Japanese convoy attempting to move troops and supplies to the key base at Lae in New Guinea. Over the next two days, Allied medium bombers and attack aircraft used new low-level “skip bombing” techniques, roaring in just above the waves and tossing bombs that bounced into ships’ hulls.
Dated Historical Context
A RECORDED MOMENT IN HISTORY
Battle of the Bismarck Sea begins
One year later to the week, the balance of power in the air over the Southwest Pacific had begun to shift. On March 2nd, 1943, United States Army Air Forces and Royal Australian Air Force units spotted a Japanese convoy attempting to move troops and supplies to the key base at Lae in New Guinea. Over the next two days, Allied medium bombers and attack aircraft used new low-level “skip bombing” techniques, roaring in just above the waves and tossing bombs that bounced into ships’ hulls. The result was a disaster for the convoy, with most transports and several escorting warships sunk, thousands of soldiers lost, and Japanese reinforcement plans badly disrupted. The battle demonstrated how air power, when combined with good intelligence and innovative tactics, could effectively replace traditional surface fleet actions against shipping. For the United States, it was a clear sign that control of the air could strangle enemy logistics long before land fighting reached the front lines.
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