Reconnaissance reports having
found Rabaul crowded with ships and more than 200 enemy aircraft
parked on its airfields, Mitchells of the 498th Bomb Squadron,
345th Bomb Group attacked shipping in Simpson Harbor on 2 November
1943. Bombers were first to parafrag floating targets, then drop
100-pound bombs ignited with phosphorous - "Kenney's Cocktails"
- that laid a covering mist to screen incoming low-level B-25s
from anti-aircraft installations. Success of the subsequent bombing
attack on 2 November depended on neutralizing the defensive firepower.
Among the targets "parafragged" was an H8K 1 Emily
Flying Boat.
Signed and numbered by the artist. |