Expeditionary· World War II
Closing the Ring
After Bougainville, two small operations finished sealing off Rabaul.
Both aimed to ring the great base with Allied airfields so its planes and ships could do no harm. New Zealand troops, with American support, took Green Island just north of Bougainville, close enough to Rabaul for bombers to reach it easily. Then attention turned to Emirau, well to the northwest. The job of landing there went to a famous unit, the 4th Marines, rebuilt from veteran raider battalions. The Marines came ashore and found the island empty of the enemy, so Seabees went straight to work building bomber and fighter strips. With airfields now set on every side of Rabaul, the great Japanese base was completely surrounded and choked off. The long Solomons campaign had reached its goal without the bloody assault many had feared.
Podcast episodes on World War II
Record no. 569