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23/12/2004: "PEOPLE OF KAPINGAMARANGI ATOLL"
The arrival of a HU-16 seaplane was the first aircraft seen since WWII and created great interest.
The first engagement was reported on December 16, (1941) when our aircraft located and bombed a Japanese supply vessel near Greenwich Island. Greenwich Island is Kapingamarangi in the Eastern Caroline Islands group. It is a Japanese mandate, and the nearest Japanese-controlled territory to Australia. Then, on December 19, R.A.A.F. aircraft successfully bombed Japanese installations on Greenwich Island and damaged one vessel in a low-level attack, beating off attempted interception by the enemy. Targets at Greenwich were constantly under surveillance by the R.A.A.F. and other raids were made on them.
Our attacks at Kapingamarangi were marked by daring and skill, and our losses in those early days were slight. Buildings, installations, and some grounded aircraft of the Japanese were destroyed or damaged by our bombing attacks.
The first bombing attack on Rabaul, where Australia had an advanced base of land and air forces, occurred on January 4, 1942, the enemy using long-range bombers to attack the aerodrome. Only a few bombs were dropped, and some damage was caused to service installations. No Europeans were killed, although there were some native casualties. Our aircraft did not make contact with the enemy, who returned to a base, probably in the mandated islands under Japan's control. Later that day a second attack was launched by the Japanese. More bombs were dropped than in the daylight raid, but no casualties were caused. Three days later the third raid occurred, the enemy bombers making a single run over the target and causing slight damage and flying north before interception could succeed. Next morning the bombers returned to bomb the aerodrome and some of our aircraft were hit.
On January 8, the R.A.A.F. carried out a reprisal raid on Kapingamarangi, damaging installations and destroying a seaplane on the water. These attacks by the R.A.A.F. on the one hand and by the Japanese on the other, continued for some time, no great damage being caused by either side. The Japanese were apparently feeling out the defences and kept at great heights over places where little or no defence existed, in preference to coming low with the consequent risk (negligible at that time) of meeting ground and fighter defences.
SOURCE: http://www.diggerhistory2.info/raaf/1942/chapter10.htm
