For most of World War II, the mention of Japan's island stronghold sent shudders through thousands of Allied airmen. Some called it ôFortress Rabaul,ö an apt name for the headquarters of the Imperial Japanese forces in the Southwest Pacific.

Author Bruce Gamble chronicles RabaulÆs crucial role in Japanese operations in the Southwest Pacific.

Millions of square feet of housing and storage facilities supported a hundred thousand soldiers and naval personnel. Simpson Harbor and the airfields were the focus of hundreds of missions by American air forces.