The Battle of the Bismarck Sea

Lieutenant Colonel Peter Sweeny RFD Ret'd speaks in an online presentation to the Royal United Service Institution of New South Wales on the Battle of the Bismarck Sea in World War 2. Thirty minutes that changed the balance of power in New Guinea. A battle for land forces, fought at sea, won by air.

[@philipryan25]

Excellent video thank you

[@isejanus2714]

Australia's war in the Pacific is little known in America these days, a real pity. Please give us more videos about these courageous men.

[@23draft7]

That's changing here in Canada. Have seen several shows lately here. We know here, how galant they truly were. But yes, the US does seem to have blinders on as they were not the only country in WWll. So the wonderful country of Australia vets, thank you from Canada. God bless you.

[@isejanus2714]

@@23draft7 A certain amount of that is MacArthur's fault. Not generous in recognizing Australian or American troops.

[@NSWLancer]

It is with sadness that I advise Lieutenant Colonel (Retd) RFD MA (Mil Hist) is now (July 2022) suffering from dementia. This video with its many views stands tribute to his great skill as a researcher and presenter.

[@marvinacklin792]

Aussies and yanks rock...thanks enjoyed it very much.

[@franklinbarrett4630]

What I found interesting about that battle was the modifications made to the beau fighters. Extra machine guns were put on to add punch to their strafing runs. The modified fighters would descend to the water when approaching the ships to mimic a torpedo attack. The Japanese would turn to face the attack to minimize their profile for the torpedos, but that minimized and concentrated the target for the machine guns. The ships’ bridges and AA gun mounts were destroyed and their decks swept clean by the withering machine gun fire. So that strategy as well as skip bombing and mast high bombing won the day.

[@royalunitedserviceinstitut6194]

Peter Sweeney thanks you for your comment.

[@GM-fh5jp]

Quality video, thanks for posting.

[@leathaboyd2728]

The biggest mistake--and it is a whopper, is omitting the 3rd Bomb Group and its commerce destroying B-25C strafers and A-20A/B strafers attacking with the Beaufighters. Pappy Gunn and the Eagle Farm refits of the medium bombers, removing the bomb aimer and packing the nose with machine guns and ammunition, is one of the great innovations of the Pacific war. The effect of the eight forward forward firing M2 50 calibers was devastating. Along with the Beaus, the 3rd BG (they called themselves an "Attack Group" like their early lineage), obliterated the remaining fleet by skip bombing and strafing at no-miss height. Jock Henebry related to me that the fifties on the deck silenced the AAA fire. Skip bombing itself, once perfected, was basically a precision guided munition. This is an incredibly embarrassing omission and this history such as it is should be revised or pulled.

[@cooperjacob4548]

instablaster...

[@carlmarshall4069]

I cannot recall the publication but I read that "Bull " Garing arranged for a rehearsal off Port Moresby to ensure proper co ordination of the attacking force. He was unhappy with the result of the first attempt and insisted on a second attempt which was satisfactory. I wonder how many times in history of air battles that has happened .He was a remarkable airman and a master navigator .

[@megafauna8374]

'Bull' Garing in his memoir claimed there was another rehearsal the following day (29/2/43), although there is no evidence to support this.

[@markkover8040]

Very well done program, but as others have commented, Pappy Gunn's modifications to the A-20s and B-25s to turn them into heavy strafing attack aircraft was crucial to the allied success in this battle. The only factory-built aircraft that had that capability were the RAAF Beaufighters. The American A-20s and B-25s were modified by Gunn and his mechanics by stripping out the nose canopies and filling the forward sections of the aircraft with as many fifty caliber machine guns as they could safely carry. Some A-20s were armed with four 20mm cannon in the nose. The powerful strafing capability devastated the Japanese ships. Even destroyers were vulnerable to such attacks. General Kenney referred to the bombers that were modified this way as his 'commerce destroyers.' Still, it is a good program and recommendable.

[@michaelcoe9824]

Generally well presented... of course.

[@joebollig2689]

I love hearing Australian voices.

[@JB-gr6om]

Very good presentation - even better at 1.5x deliberate speaking speed.

[@NSWLancer]

Yeah/Na we just speak quick in Oz

[@winbrown9801]

A little point missed is that it was an Australian Catalina (Flight Lieutenant Duigan) that spotted the convoy after it was lost again. Based on co-operative advice by the US airman (Lieutenant Higgins) who had previously spotted it earlier. (Source Vietch - Battle Bismarck Sea)

[@josevicentejrmeneses8552]

At 12:40 I though the Japanese shoot down 3 P-38 Lightings that tried to engage the Zeros in a dogfight to save the B-17 crewmen ??

[@almelling6699]

I cannot understand that Pappy PIGunn was not mentioned,the hero of this battle.

[@nickjohnson811]

I just read his biography - it's quite a story.

[@gregcollins7602]

Agree. You cannot talk about the air force in the south Pacific without talking about Pappy Gunn.

[@royalunitedserviceinstitut6194]

It is RUSI NSW policy to post articles of interest and relevance to informing as many as possible on defence and security studies issues, but we DO NOT reply to specific comments or statements of opinion about the posts themselves.

[@23draft7]

Thank you to all Australian vets. From Canada. God bless.

[@gudmundursteinar]

I've always said 'strayf', he says 'strahf' is that an australianism or have I been saying it wrong the whole time?

[@mikemcguire1160]

The word is originally German, "strafen", to punish. The Australian pronunciation follows the British one which is as the German one. The usual American pronunciation is as you do it. My father was USAAF ground crew near Port Moresby at the time. Bismarck Sea was their St. Crispin's day after some hard times in New Guinea leading up to the battle. He did say it was hard to watch the gun camera film of the strafing of survivors in the aftermath.

[@gudmundursteinar]

@@mikemcguire1160 Thanks, indeed war brings out the worst in all of us.

[@GM-fh5jp]

stray F is correct

[@CatO9lives]

With all due respect to the Lieutenant Colonel, he failed to mention that the three P-38's that came to the defense of the B-17 crew that was being shot up in their chutes was also shot down by Zeros. He did mention the Allied losses as being four aircraft, that being the B-17 and the three Lightnings. He illustrated and mentioned that, "Five of the Japanese fighters strafing the B-17 aircrew were promtly engaged and shot down by three Lightnings." But I find it odd that he didn't illustrate and mention the fact that three Lightnings in reference here, were in turn, shot down by, " Japanese Fighters". This looks very much like the propaganda ploy used during the war where the news reels and accounts were quick to give (usually exaggerated) allied victories while not even mentioning the Allied loses when in many cases the Allies suffered more losses but was not mentioned. I think that the three Lightning pilots that lost their lives coming to the defense of their fellow airmen that was being shot up in their chutes could have at least had an honorable mention here or at least tell the facts of their loss. He failed to do either here like the incident never happened.

[@emilymcfadden4360]

The bodies of some of the unfortunate Japanese soldiers and sailors were carried for months by currents well over 220 miles to the Island of Woodlark and possibly Kiriwina to the south of New Britain. The Log of the 20th Naval Construction Battalion US NAVY, First Cruise, mentions hundrends of Japanese bodies washed ashore, this in July of 1943.

[@JB-gr6om]

Too bad we cannot go to Australia.😟

[@pringlel]

I see you edited out the section where lifeboats were strafed. Altering history? Tut tut.

[@GM-fh5jp]

The Zeros should have cut them to pieces. Against P40s and light bombers they should have had a field day. If they could fly from Rabaul to Guadacanal I would have thought the Bismark Sea was closer and well in their power to dominate?

[@stuartwald2395]

1) the 5th AF fighters were learning tactics that had been developed by Chennault, Thatch and others to use their own strengths and not try to dogfight; 2) the Japanese squadrons did not cooperate but engaged separately in series so they could be defeated that way; and 3) as described the Australian attack on Gasmata and the American on Madang (using the strike aircraft that were not specially trained for the anti-shipping role), going without escort, destroyed a lot of the Japanese fighter reserves on the ground.

[@leathaboyd2728]

They flew against experienced Airmen flying P-38s. It was the end of Japanese air superiority.

[@2paulcoyle]

The attackers had high cover of P-38's, P-40's. If the Zero's went low to fend off attackers, they would of been jumped by the high cover. They would of had a hard time even catching up, which they could do, with the fast Beofighters, Mitchell's. Zeros were not safe flying lower than high P-40's, which would convert height into diving speed and zoom attack pass at Zeros and swoop away. No free lunch. The light, swift, fast Zero was lightly made, no armor, no sealing fuel tanks. Thus the famous Zero was a pilot eating death machine if attacked. Japan could not train, recover and replace combat pilots.

[@davidhoffman6980]

One of the biggest factors, was the loss of 800 of Japan's most experienced pilots at Midway, and more at the battles of Santa Cruz, Eastern Solomons and Guadalcanal. Japan couldn't replace experienced pilots as quickly as we could, and the 5th airforce had begun suppressing the Japanese airforce in New Guinea, which kept getting reinforced by the navy. That pluss the raids on Rabaul ment the Japanese had fewer aircraft, and they were piloted by hastily trained crews. In short, the Japanese were starting to feel the effects of being on the loosing side of an attrition war.

[@shawnc1016]

@@davidhoffman6980 800 pilots at Midway?

[@gregcollins7602]

Midway, Midway! Is what Hollywood says was the turning point of the war when in fact it was the Battle of Bismarck Sea. The true turning point and the final nail in the Japanese coffins in the south Pacific was air bases on Bougainville.

[@nickdanger3802]

Lae-Salamaua raid Feb. 1942 pacificeagles.net/lae-salamaua-raid/

[@johnhaller7017]

@@nickdanger3802 Australia and USA, turned around and defeated the Japanese at Milne Bay in mid 1942. Milne Bay and Kokoda were the first defeats suffered by Japan. Many of the Australians were reservist, part time, Militia units and managed to do their job with great distinction against what were considered to be elite Japanese Marines.

[@nickdanger3802]

@@johnhaller7017 OK. I had the bad fortune to attend high school when most of the teachers were WWII veterans. A former Marine claimed all Japanese Imperial Marines were over six foot (1.8m) tall.

[@gregcollins7602]

@Crus Harold nope keep reading. You will get there

[@jackattack2608]

It is easy to imagine what would have happened at the Battle of the Bismarck Sea if two, three or four front line Japanese carriers and escort vessels had shown up to secure the entirety of the New Guinea coast. What isn't mentioned is that how many experienced Japanese pilots were pulled from that area to replace what was lost at Midway. Had Midway turned out differently, or not happened at all except for the loss of the Island, we don't know what effect that might have had.

[@briancooper2112]

Z force commandos had brass balls.