Summary of James P. Duffy's War at the End of the World

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 On January 3, 1942, an assembly of top army officers was flying in to meet with their naval counterparts, with whom they rarely agreed on anything. The meeting was to discuss the invasion of New Guinea, which lay just eleven hundred miles to the southwest.

#2 In 1940, the Imperial Army had promoted Horii to major general and assigned him command of the South Seas Detachment, an elite amphibious landing unit that was part of the Imperial Navy’s South Seas Force. The detachment participated in the successful battle for Wake Island against American forces, then joined in on the swift move south that conquered island after island.

#3 The town of Rabaul, on the island of New Britain, had been abandoned in 1937 after a series of volcanic eruptions destroyed most of its buildings. It was just starting to reestablish itself when the war began. The town’s defenses were slim, consisting of only fifteen hundred men and women, even less than the figure reported to Horii.

#4 The Australian government decided not to reinforce Rabaul, and instead sent fourteen Royal Australian Air Force planes to defend it. They were not prepared for the tropical jungles that covered the islands they were now expected to defend.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: May 24, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822525528

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Insights on James P. Duffy's War at the End of the World

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 8

Insights from Chapter 9

Insights from Chapter 10

Insights from Chapter 11

Insights from Chapter 12

Insights from Chapter 13

Insights from Chapter 14

Insights from Chapter 15

Insights from Chapter 16

Insights from Chapter 17

Insights from Chapter 18

Insights from Chapter 19

Insights from Chapter 20

Insights from Chapter 21

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

On January 3, 1942, an assembly of top army officers was flying in to meet with their naval counterparts, with whom they rarely agreed on anything. The meeting was to discuss the invasion of New Guinea, which lay just eleven hundred miles to the southwest.

#2

In 1940, the Imperial Army had promoted Horii to major general and assigned him command of the South Seas Detachment, an elite amphibious landing unit that was part of the Imperial Navy’s South Seas Force. The detachment participated in the successful battle for Wake Island against American forces, then joined in on the swift move south that conquered island after island.

#3

The town of Rabaul, on the island of New Britain, had been abandoned in 1937 after a series of volcanic eruptions destroyed most of its buildings. It was just starting to reestablish itself when the war began. The town’s defenses were slim, consisting of only fifteen hundred men and women, even less than the figure reported to Horii.

#4

The Australian government decided not to reinforce Rabaul, and instead sent fourteen Royal Australian Air Force planes to defend it. They were not prepared for the tropical jungles that covered the islands they were now expected to defend.

#5

On New Year’s Day, Lerew led four bombers on a mission against a Japanese seaplane refueling station on Kapingamarangi, a tiny atoll at the southern end of the Caroline Islands. The attack resulted in damage to several slipways used by seaplanes and flying boats.

#6

On January 6, the Japanese attacked the Vunakanau Airfield, eleven miles south of Rabaul, with eleven flying boats. They destroyed a Wirraway and significantly damaged the airfield, its tiny air force station, and one of the Hudson bombers.

#7

On January 9, a Hudson aircraft took off from the field near Kavieng in New Ireland and flew north to Truk. It returned with photographs of a massive ship and aircraft buildup that looked like an invasion force soon to be heading south.

#8

On January 14, the townspeople of Rabaul were surprised when a ship steamed into their harbor. It was the Norwegian-owned Herstein, now under Australian charter. The crew unloaded two thousand bombs for the nearly nonexistent bomber force.

#9

On January 17, the first Japanese fleet sailed across the equator. The crews celebrated, and the emperor was praised. At 6:25 p. m. , a lookout on the minelayer Tsugaru saw the mast of a ship about eighteen miles away. It was thought to be General MacArthur fleeing the Philippines to Australia in a small vessel.

#10

The attack on Rabaul was a failure. The defenders were able to shoot down many of the planes, and the town was not taken. The Wirraway pilots were brave, but they were no match for the much faster and more maneuverable Zeros.

#11

The Herstein was attacked by three Val dive-bombers, which dropped a