# Battle of the Bismarck Sea order of battle

The Battle of the Bismarck Sea (2–4 March 1943) took place in the South West Pacific Area (SWPA) during World War II.
At midnight 28 February 1942, eight transports carrying about 6,900 troops of the Imperial Japanese Army, escorted by eight destroyers of the Imperial Japanese Navy, departed their base at Rabaul, New Britain heading for Lae, New Guinea. Through the afternoon of 1 March, the overcast weather held at which point the weather changed direction and the slow-moving task force was spotted by an Allied scout plane.
Aircraft of the U.S. 5th Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) attacked the convoy, sinking all eight transports and four of the eight destroyers. The remaining destroyers with about 2,700 surviving troops limped back to Rabaul.

## Japanese forces

Rear Admiral Masatomi Kimura

### Transports

Captain Kamataro Matsumoto
| Transport | Gross tonnage | (m$^3$) | Fate | No. killed |
| Aiyo Maru | 2,716 | 7,686 | sunk | 323 |
| Kembu Maru | 950 | 2,688 | sunk | 20 |
| Kyokusei Maru | 5,493 | 15,545 | sunk | 486 |
| Oigawa Maru | 6,494 | 18,378 | sunk | 1,229 |
| Sin-ai Maru | 3,793 | 10,734 | sunk | 63+ |
| Taimei Maru | 2,883 | 8,159 | sunk | 200 |
| Teiyo Maru | 6,870 | 19,442 | sunk | 1,915 |
| Nojima Maru | 8,125 | 22,994 | sunk | 400 |

### Embarked units

    Army
    Eighteenth Army Headquarters
       Eighteenth Army Signals
       51st Division Headquarters
       51st Division Signals
       51st Engineer Regiment
       14th Artillery Regiment
       115th Infantry Regiment
       3rd Field Hospital
       21st Artillery Brigade
       50th Antiaircraft Battalion
       15th Independent Engineer Regiment
       22nd Airfield Battalion
       209th Airfield Regiment
       5th Air Signals Regiment
       8th Shipping Engineer Regiment
       3rd Company, 5th Shipping Engineer Regiment
       3rd Disembarkation Unit
    Navy
       Yokosuka 3rd Naval Air Defence Unit
       Yokosuka 5th Special Naval Landing Party
       Maizuru 2nd Special Naval Landing Party

### Screen

Rear Admiral Kimura
    8 destroyers
       2 Kagerō-class (6 × 5-in. main battery)
          Tokitsukaze (Commander Masayoshi Motokura) (sunk)
          Yukikaze (Commander Ryokichi Sugama)
       3 Asashio-class (6 × 5-in. main battery)
          Arashio (Commander Hideo Kuboki) (sunk)
          Asashio (Commander Goro Yoshii) (sunk)
          Asagumo (Commander Toru Iwahashi)
       3 Fubuki-class (6 × 5-in. main battery)
          Shikinami (Lt. Commander Akifumi Kawahashi)
          Shirayuki (Commander Rokuro Sugawara) (sunk)
          Uranami (Lt. Commander Chikara Hagio)

### Air units

    Navy
       11th Air Fleet / Southeast Area Fleet
          204 Air Group
          252 Air Group
          253 Air Group
       First Air Flotilla
          Zuihō Fighter Group (Kavieng)
    Army
       1st Flying Group (1st Hikō Sentai)
       11th Flying Group (11th Hikō Sentai)

## Allied forces
### Allied air forces
#### Commander, Allied Air Forces, Southwest Pacific Area/US Fifth Air Force

    Lieutenant General George C. Kenney

#### Advanced Echelon, Allied Air Forces

    Major General Ennis C. Whitehead

#### RAAF
##### No. 9 Operational Group RAAF

    Air Commodore J. E. Hewitt
    No. 73 Wing RAAF (Wing Commander Blake Pelly)
       No. 6 Squadron RAAF (Wing Commander A. A. Barlow)
          Turnbull Field: Lockheed Hudson
       No. 22 Squadron RAAF (Wing Commander Keith Hampshire)
          Wards Airfield: A-20 Boston
       No. 30 Squadron RAAF (Wing Commander B. R. Walker)
          Wards Airfield: Bristol Beaufighter
    No. 71 Wing RAAF (Wing Commander Ian McLachlan)
       No. 75 Squadron RAAF (Squadron Leader W. S. Arthur)
          Gurney Airfield: P-40 Kittyhawk
       No. 100 Squadron RAAF (Squadron Leader J. A. Smilbert (acting))
          Gurney Airfield: Bristol Beaufort

#### USAAF

    35th Fighter Group (Colonel Richard A. Legg)
       39th Fighter Squadron (Captain T. J. Lynch)
          Schwimmer Airfield: P-38 Lightning
       40th Fighter Squadron (Captain Malcolm A. Moore)
          Rogers Airfield: P-39 Airacobra
    49th Fighter Group (Lieutenant Colonel R. L. Morrissey)
       7th Fighter Squadron (Major William P. Martin)
          Durand Airfield: P-40 Warhawk
       8th Fighter Squadron (Major Mitchell E. Sims)
          Kila Airfield: P-40 Warhawk
       9th Fighter Squadron (Captain Jesse C. Peaslee)
          Schwimmer Airfield: P-38 Lightning
    3rd Attack Group (Lieutenant Colonel R. F. Strickland)
       13th Attack Squadron (Major Harold V. Maull)
          Schwimmer Airfield: B-25 Mitchell
       89th Attack Squadron (Major Glen W. Clark)
          Kila Airfield: A-20 Havoc
       90th Attack Squadron (Major Edward L. Larner)
          Durand Airfield: B-25 Mitchell
    38th Bombardment Group (Colonel Fay R. Upthegrove)
       71st Bombardment Squadron (Major Eugene P. Mussett)
          Durand Airfield: B-25 Mitchell
       405th Bombardment Squadron (Lieutenant Colonel Millard Lewis)
          Durand Airfield: B-25 Mitchell
    43rd Bombardment Group (Colonel Roger M. Ramey)
       63rd Bombardment Squadron (Major Edward W. Scott)
          Jacksons Airfield: B-17 Flying Fortress
       64th Bombardment Squadron (Major Kenneth D. McCullar)
          Jacksons Airfield: B-17 Flying Fortress
       65th Bombardment Squadron (Major Harray J. Hawthorne)
          Jacksons Airfield: B-17 Flying Fortress
       403rd Bombardment Squadron (Major Jay P. Reusek)
          Mareeba Airfield: B-17 Flying Fortress
    90th Bombardment Group (Colonel Ralph E. Koon)
       319th Bombardment Squadron (Captain Charles E. Jones)
          Jacksons Airfield: B-24 Liberator
       320th Bombardment Squadron (Major Roy L. Taylor)
          Jacksons Airfield: B-24 Liberator
       321st Bombardment Squadron (Major Cecil L. Faulkner)
          Jacksons Airfield: B-24 Liberator
       400th Bombardment Squadron (Major Harry J. Bullis)
          Jacksons Airfield: B-24 Liberator
       8th Photo Reconnaissance Squadron (1st Lieutenant F. S. Savage)
          Kila Airfield: F-4 Lightning, F-5 Lightning

### Motor Torpedo Boat Striking Force

Lieutenant Commander Barry K. Atkins
    Early Type (77 feet, 4 × 18-in. torpedo tubes)
       PT-66 (Lieutenant (jg) William C. Quinby)
       PT-67 (Ensign James W. Emmons)
       PT-68 (Lieutenant (jg) Robert L. Childs)
    Elco Type (80 feet, 4 × 21-in. torpedo tubes)
       PT-121 (Ensign Edward R. Bergin)
       PT-128 (Ensign James W. Herring)
       PT-143 (Lieutenant (jg) John S. Bayliss)
       PT-149 (Lieutenant William J. Flittie)
       PT-150 (Lieutenant (jg) Russell E. Hamacheck)