Japanese cruisers and destroyers under attack by US Navy dive bombers off Rabaul in November 1943

The Allies of World War II conducted an air attack upon a cruiser force at the major Japanese base of Rabaul in November 1943. In response to the Allied invasion of Bougainville, the Japanese had brought a strong cruiser force down from Truk, their major naval base in the Caroline Islands about 800 miles north of Rabaul, to Rabaul in preparation for a night engagement against the Allied supply and support shipping. Allied carrier and landbased planes attacked the Japanese ships, airfields, and port facilities on the island of New Britain to protect the Allied amphibious invasion of Bougainville. As a result of the Rabaul raids, the Japanese naval forces could no longer threaten the landings. The success of the raid began to change the strongly held belief that carrierbased air forces could not challenge landbased air forces. At 3:14 the vessel under attack is probably Chikuma, identifiable by her distinctive four forward twin turrets. She suffered near misses in this engagement and was only lightly da