The Rabaul Campaign: "Mission to Rabaul" and "Attack! The Battle for New Britain" DVD

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Photo of B-25 Mitchel bombers attacking a ground target during the New Guinea Campaign in World War 2 from the film Mission to Rabaul.

Still photos taken from the films

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The Rabaul Campaign DVD
"Mission to Rabaul"
and
"Attack! The Battle for New Britain"
Two feature films on one DVD

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Description

Our DVD Specs

The Rabaul Campaign DVD
Two exciting films showing the reduction and neutralization
of the mighty Japanese island Fortress
Rabaul, a large natural harbor on the eastern end of the huge Island of New Britain (located northeast of New Guinea in the Southwest Pacific) was an essential strategic linchpin for the Japanese from which they could project their forces throughout the region. They poured tens of thousands of troops, hundreds of airplanes, and thousands of tons of supplies and material into this base to make it a mighty fortress. The Allies' brilliant solution to the Rabaul conundrum was to isolate it, slowly starve it, and bypass it -- rather than assault it directly.
* Mission to Rabaul (1944, B&W, 60:00) (New! - Digital Audio & Video restoration) This dramatic, high impact documentary film shows some of the most memorable, exciting, and extensive footage of 5th Air Force B-25G bombers conducting tree top level attacks with machine guns and delayed action bombs to come out of World War 2 .The first step in the reduction of Rabaul was the seizure of a string of Japanese bases along the Northeast coast of New Guinea. The film focuses on the decisive and revolutionary impact of the air component in the strategy, including high & low level attacks, parachute drops, and resupply, accompanied by a magnificent musical score drawn from Holst's "The Planets."You're literally sitting in the cockpit or in the tail gunners seat watching amazing low level attack runs. You'll also see P-38s, A-20s, B-25s and B-24 cooperating with US Australian and New Zealand Forces securing forward air bases to strike against Rabaul and for the invasion of New Britain. "Mission to Rabaul" shows how each piece of this classic strategy culminated inevitably in the first escorted, massed bomber strike on Rabaul on 12th October, 1943 an essential goal in the reduction of Japanese defenses.
* Attack! The Battle for New Britain (1944 B&W 60:00) Stage two of the isolation and reduction of the Japanese fortress of Rabaul was the seizure of key bases at the opposite (Western) end of the 370-mile long island of New Britain, cutting enemy supply lines and providing advance airfields for continuing attacks on the stronghold. You'll see all aspects of the invasion, including planning, training, air attacks, amphibious assaults, and the intense jungle fighting to secure objectives. And there's more of those exciting low level B-25 strikes!,An initial diversionary attack was carried out on the Arawe Peninsula on they south side of the island by Task Force "Director," a sub division sized mix of US Army units, led by the 112th Cavalry and landed by US Marine amphibious tractor forces. The main attack on Cape Glouster followed on December 25th, led by the 1st Marine Division, supported by US and Australian Naval and Air Forces. After a week of intense jungle fighting, including numerous Japanese air and ground force counterattacks, the Marines with tank support, secured it's main objective, the Cape Gloucester Airdrome.You'll see jungle fighting in truly unbelievable terrain.,Afterwords, the Marines continued to push eastwards on New Britain through April, when they were relieved by the Army's 40th Division, which in turn was relieved by the 5th Australian Division. By the end of the War, enemy forces were bottled up on the Eastern end of New Britain and once mighty Rabaul was cut off and reduced to a virtual prison for the starving Japanese.