Bombing of Rabaul (November 1943)

Air attacks on Rabaul
	Part of the Pacific Theater of World War II
	; Japanese cruiser Chikuma under attack on 5 November 1943.
Date	2–11 November 1943
Location	Rabaul on New Britain in the Bismarck Archipelago
Result	Allied victory End of Japanese naval threat at the invasion of Bougainville;
Belligerents
United States; Australia; New Zealand	Japan
Commanders and leaders
George Kenney (land air forces),; William Halsey, Jr.,; Frederick Sherman (naval forces)	Mineichi Koga,; Jinichi Kusaka
Strength
3 fleet carriers,; 2 light carriers,; 2 light cruisers,; 9 destroyers,; 282 carrier aircraft,; 349 land-based aircraft	10 cruisers,; 11 destroyers,; 200 aircraft
Casualties and losses
10 carrier aircraft,; 17 land-based aircraft destroyed	1 destroyer sunk ; 3 cruisers damaged, 3 cruisers lightly damaged,; 52 aircraft destroyed

The bombing of Rabaul in November 1943 here refers to a series of concentrated air raids conducted by the allied military in World War 2, against the major Japanese stronghold in New Guinea located at Rabaul between November 2 to 11. In response to the Allied invasion of Bougainville, the Japanese had brought a strong cruiser force down to Rabaul from Truk, their major naval base in the Caroline Islands about 800 miles north of Rabaul in preparation for a night engagement against the Allied supply and support shipping. Allied carrier- and land-based planes attacked the Japanese ships, airfields, and port facilities on the island of New Britain to protect the Allied amphibious invasion of Bougainville. As a result of the Rabaul raids, the Japanese surface forces could no longer threaten the landings. The carrier raid of 4th November was effective in disabling the Japanese surface fleet.