After equipping, the 822nd moved to New Guinea, where it joined the other elements of the 38th Group. It flew bombardment missions against Japanese shipping and airfields. The 822nd was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC) for bombing and strafing Japanese troops and fortifications located on New Britain's Cape Gloucester to prepare for an amphibious attack on the island in December 1943. It earned a second DUC for attacks on Japanese ships and airfields on 16 and 17 June 1944.