January 26, 1943
(5th AF) B-17s bomb Rapopo airstrip
February 15, 1943
(5th AF) A single B-17 attacks Rapopo Airfield
March 16, 1943
(5th AF) B-17s bomb Rapopo airstrip
June 19, 1943
(5th AF) B-24's bomb the airstrip
at Rapopo
June 20, 1943
(5th AF) B-24's bomb airstrip at Rapopo
October 23, 1943
(5th AF) 40+ B-24's escorted by P-38's, bomb Rapopo airstrip on New Britain , 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 airstrip; 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) 24 B-25s pound runway and revetments at Rapopo Airfield
April 19, 1944
(13th AF) 7 fighter-bombers bomb Rapopo airstrip
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 bomber from VMB-423, escorted by four F4Us 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, S/Sgt 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
