The Convoy Japan Sent to Save the Island Never Made It Ashore

For ninety minutes on March 3, 1943, the Bismarck Sea became a killing ground as American aircraft unleashed a devastating new tactic against a massive Japanese reinforcement convoy. This is the story of how skip-bombing and mast-height strafing runs turned eight transports and eight destroyers into burning wreckage before they ever reached New Guinea. When Rear Admiral Masatomi Kimura sailed from Rabaul with nearly seven thousand battle-hardened soldiers of the Fifty-First Division, he trusted monsoon storms to hide his fleet. Instead, Allied intelligence had already intercepted their movements, and General George Kenney was waiting with modified B-25 bombers that would change aerial warfare forever. 0:00 The Battle of the Bismarck Sea 3:21 The Japanese Master Plan 8:42 The High Altitude Failure 14:49 Birth of the Gunship 20:09 Testing at Port Moresby 25:46 Kenney Layered Attack 31:10 First Contact on March 1 37:27 Slaughter on March 3 42:50 Aftermath in the Water If you want more deep dives into the pivotal battles and forgotten tactics of World War II, subscribe and turn on notifications so you never miss an upload. #ww2 #worldwarii #pacificwar #BismarckSea #b25mitchell #newguinea #usaaf #FifthAirForce #wwiihistory #militaryhistory #USAInWW2