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The Bombing of Wewak was a series of air raids by the USAAF Fifth Air Force, on 17–21 August 1943, against the major air base of the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force on the mainland of New Guinea, at Wewak. The four raids, over a five-day period, represented a decisive victory for the Allies: the Japanese Fourth Air Army lost about 100 planes on the ground and in the air, reducing its operational strength to about 30 planes. Ten aircraft from the U.S. Fifth Air Force were lost. ==Background== By August 1943, the Fourth Air Army—which had been formed in June for the New Guinea campaign—had 130 operational aircraft.〔(Hiroyuki Shindo, 2001, "Japanese air operations over New Guinea during the Second World War" ''Journal of the Australian War Memorial'', No. 34 (June 2001) )〕 This was one third of its full complement of planes and represented an operational strength of 50%. According to Japanese historian Hiroyuki Shindo: "...the major causes of this low operational rate were widespread illness among the aircrews, along with ... the lack of aircraft replacements."〔 Nevertheless, the planes included state-of-the-art fighters like the formidable Nakajima Ki-43 ''Hayabusa'' ("Oscar"), the new in-line-engined Kawasaki Ki-61 ''Hien'' ("Tony"), and the twin-engined Kawasaki Ki-45 ''Toryu'' ("Nick") ground attack/night fighter.〔 During the U.S. and Australian Armies' Lae campaign, the Fourth Air Army moved a large number of aircraft out of range of Allied fighters, to a cluster of airfields near Wewak, some 400 miles (650 km) west of the Huon Peninsula. Escort fighters did not have the range to reach Wewak from existing Allied air bases, and the Allies considered large-scale, long-range raids by unescorted heavy bombers to be at risk of heavy losses. The Allied air commander in the South West Pacific Area, Major General George Kenney, devised a plan for a major attack on Wewak.〔(Col. John A. Warden III, 1988, The Air Campaign Planning for Combat, Ch. 2 "Offense or Defense — the Chess Game" (National Defense University Press, Washington, D.C. )〕 Allied personnel started construction of two dummy airfields, relatively close to Japanese infantry positions on the Huon Peninsula, north of Lae. Small construction crews created large clouds of dust, to create the impression that major construction was underway. The Japanese responded by frequently bombing the "airfields", and apparently preventing occupation by Allied units. Simultaneously, at Tsili Tsili, away, the Allies constructed a real airfield and transferred fighter planes there before the Japanese discovered its existence.〔 (However, the Australian official history says the new, secret base was the separate airfield at nearby Marilinan, from Lae.) On 12 August, the Fourth Air Army began to carry out a wave of raids on the Allied air bases at Mount Hagen, Bena Bena, Wau, Salamaua and elsewhere. Some small Allied raids were undertaken against Wewak.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Bombing of Wewak」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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