Battle for the Solomons by John Shaw – Framed Collectors Piece

As their Carrier USS Bunker Hill powers into the face of the enemy, US Navy Hellcats of VF-9 and Corsairs of VF-17 “Jolly Rogers”, launch a blistering response to a huge Japanese air assault on the US Carrier Group, during the Allied campaign against Rabaul, 11th November 1943. Through a barrage of anti-aircraft fire from Fleet Carriers Bunker Hill, Essex and Independence, the US Navy Fighters combine their efforts to bring down a Nakajima “Kate” torpedo bomber.

Following the Japanese invasion of the British Solomon Islands in early 1942, the Allied Pacific Fleet began a campaign to capture these strategic areas, in particular to neutralize the Japanese threat to Australia and New Zealand. The campaign saw some of the most important Naval Battles in History such as the Battles of the Coral Sea and Midway. The Allies eventually turned their attention to the major Japanese stronghold of Rabaul, launching Operation Cartwheel in early 1943.

NOVEMBER 1943…
During the opening days of November, the Japanese carried out extensive air offenses against the US task force and on November 7th 1943 Task Group 50.3 of the US 5th Fleet joined the campaign. Consisting of carriers Bunker Hill, Essex, Independence, several destroyers and other support vessels, the Task Group launched a significant assault against Rabaul on November 11th – ironically Armistice Day.

The Japanese retaliated with a huge strike of their own, launching more than 100 fighters, bombers and torpedo planes against the task force. They were met with ferocious opposition from carrier and nearby land-based American Corsairs and Hellcats.

During this epic encounter, the Task Force inflicted significant damage on the Japanese forces, destroying an estimated 40 enemy aircraft. Hellcats and Corsairs splashed an entire attack group of 14 “Kates”, before refueling and rearming aboard their Carriers to continue the fight, and the combination of radar, fighters, and gunfire ensured that the Japanese failed to hit a single US ship.

These devastating losses left Rabaul an increasingly isolated outpost and subsequent raids led to its complete neutralization, allowing the Allies to forgo a ground assault.