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battle, notable, interwar and Second World War

Battle of Rabaul

Battle of Rabaul was a battle fought in 1942 at Rabaul, in what is now Papua New Guinea. It was part of the South-East Asian theater of World War II, which ran from 1941 to 1945. The recorded result: Japanese victory.

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Gazelle Peninsula of New Britain, Papua New Guinea Summary: Warangoi River, New Britain. 1942-01. The Adler River, in the Bainings Mountains on the eastern side of the Gazelle Peninsula, an obstacle t
Gazelle Peninsula of New Britain, Papua New Guinea Summary: Warangoi River, New Britain. 1942-01. The Adler River, in the Bainings Mountains on the eastern side of the Gazelle Peninsula, an obstacle t. L.I.H. (Les) Robbins, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought1942
WhereRabaul, Papua New Guinea4.198S, 152.168E
OutcomeJapanese victory
BelligerentsAustraliaagainstEmpire of Japan
Part ofSouth-East Asian theater of World War II1941 to 1945

Where it sits in the South-East Asian theater of World War II

Attack on Pearl Harbor, 1941Sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse, 1941Battle of Rabaul, 1942Arakan Campaign 1942–1943, 1942Battle of the Admin Box, 1944Siege of Myitkyina, 1944Battle of Ramree Island, 1945Battle of Hill 170, 1945Battle of Pokoku and Irrawaddy River operations, 1945Battle of Meiktila and Mandalay, 1945Japanese coup d'état in French Indochina, 1945Battle of the Sittang Bend, 194519411945Battle of Rabaul, 1942
12 placed engagements of the South-East Asian theater of World War II in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date1942 (year precision)
to February 1942
PlaceRabaul, Papua New Guinea
4.198S, 152.168E
KindBattle, interwar and Second World War
Strength1,400 soldiers (New Britain); 130 soldiers (New Ireland); 24 Squadron RAAF (10 Wirraway trainer aircraft and 4 Hudson light aircraft, approximately 200 ground personnel).15,000 soldiers (New Britain)
Casualties and losses6 aircrew killed; 5 aircrew wounded; 28 soldiers killed; 1,000 soldiers captured; 4 aircraft shot down; 2 damaged aircraft crashed16 killed; 49 wounded; at least 2 aircraft shot down; 4 aircraft lost in accidents
Commanders
  • John Joseph Scanlan (soldier)
  • Shigeyoshi Inoue
  • Tomitarō Horii
Battle of RabaulBattle of RabaulOperation CartwheelBattle of Karavia BaySiege of TomaBattle of Bita PakaBattle of Open BaySiege of TomaBattle of Bita PakaBattle of Open Bay100 km4.198S, 152.168E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1942

Battle of Rabaul is one of 2,997 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 54 in present-day Papua New Guinea.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q1572785, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Rabaul (1942), revision 1384307446, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.