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American missions against Rapopo and Rapopo Airfield
January 26, 1943–June 23, 1944

PacificWrecks.comJanuary 5, 1943
(5th AF) A B-17 with a 5th Combat Camera Unit photographer and cine cameraman document the presence of a completed runway at Rapoo near Lesson Point running roughly north to south. This new runway is Rapopo Airfield.

January 26, 1943
(5th AF) B-17s bomb Rapopo Airfield.

February 15, 1943
(5th AF) A single B-17 attacks Rapopo Airfield.

March 16, 1943
(5th AF) B-17s bomb Rapopo Airfield.

June 19, 1943
(5th AF) B-24's bomb Rapopo Airfield.

June 20, 1943
(5th AF) B-24's bomb Rapopo Airfield.

October 23, 1943
(5th AF) 40+ B-24's escorted by P-38's, bomb Airfield, destroying about 20 airplanes on the ground; 20 enemy interceptors are claimed shot down.

October 24, 1943
(5th AF) At least 45 bombers are destroyed on the ground at Rapopo during attacks by B-25's.

November 7, 1943
(5th AF) 25 B-24's, with an escort of 60+ P-38's, bomb Rapopo Airfield. A large force of enemy fighters intercepts the formations and in the ensuing battle 5 P-38's are lost; US airplanes claim 20+ fighters shot down and several more destroyed on the ground.

January 13, 1944
(13th AF) B-25's bomb Rapopo and coast S of Rapopo.

January 14, 1944
(13th AF) During the night of 13/14 B-24's bomb Rapopo and other targets before dawn.

February 14, 1944
(13th AF) 28 B-24s, with escort, bomb Rapopo Airfield.

February 21, 1944
(13th AF) 4 B-24s, with fighter support, attack the airfield at Rapopo.

February 24, 1944
(13th AF) 6 B-24s bomb Rapopo.

February 25, 1944
(13th AF) B-25s hit Rapopo. 21 B-24s and 17 P-38s follow shortly with another strike on Rapopo.

February 28, 1944
(13th AF) 6 B-24s bomb Rapopo.

March 2, 1944
(13th AF) 11 B-25s, with USN fighter support, bomb Rapopo.

March 15, 1944
(13th AF) 22 unescorted B-24s, finding Tobera clouded over, bomb the airfield at Rapopo as a secondary target.

April 17, 1944
(13th AF) Twenty-four B-25s pound runway and revetments at Rapopo Airfield.

April 19, 1944
(13th AF) 7 fighter-bombers bomb Rapopo Airfield.

April 22, 1944
(13th AF) B-25s hit the area between Rapopo and Cape Gazelle. 40+ fighter-bombers attack the runway and gun positions at Rapopo.

April 28, 1944
(13th AF) 24 B-25s bomb Rapopo Airfield.

May 25, 1944
(13th AF) A B-24 bomb Rapopo.

May 27, 1944
(USMC) A single PBJ Mitchell from VMB-423, escorted by four F4U Corsairs fly over Rapopo Airfield. They drop their bombs and a 65 foot scroll signed by 35,000 Oklahoma school children, who had raise war bond money to buy a plane. General Mitchell decided a PBJ crew from Oklahoma should drop the scroll on the Japanese at Rabaul. Two Oklahoma natives, SSgt Bill Woolman and Lt. Dick Morgan led the flight, with four other crewmen who became adopted "Okies" for a day. The scroll was attached to a parachute and a burned out 30 cal machine gun barrel, and dropped with their bombs. They observed the scroll landing, but according to post war files, no indication exisits that the scroll was located by the Japanese. Reference Leatherneck Bombers by Alan Carey, page 23

June 10, 1944
(13th AF) AA guns S of Rapopo are attacked by 12 B-25s, 20 P-39s, and 20+ US Navy (USN) dive bombers.

June 11, 1944
(13th AF) 130+ B-25s, P-38s P-39s and USN dive bombers pound AA positions S and SW of Rapopo.

June 12, 1944
(13th AF)  B-24s bomb runway at Rapopo.

June 17, 1944
(FEAF) A-20s, B-25s and fighters attack targets around Rapopo.

June 20, 1944
(FEAF) B-25s, P-38s and other Allied aircraft, including some of the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF), blast AA positions S and SW of Rapopo.

June 23, 1944
(FEAF) B-25s along with other Allied aircraft, hit AA positions S and SW of Rapopo.



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