New Article from Rick Dunn - "Air Combat in Western New Guinea, April-May 1944"

[Edward]

"After Hollandia – Air Combat in Western New Guinea, April-May 1944 – Part 1"
by Richard Dunn
23 September 2026

"The Hollandia air combat of 1944 marked the beginning of a rapid Allied advance into western New Guinea. With Japanese air strength already badly reduced by attacks on Hollandia and nearby bases, American heavy bombers pushed farther west against Noemfoor, Biak and other Japanese positions. The air operations that followed were relatively small compared with the larger Pacific campaigns underway, but they included hard-fought engagements and helped clear the way for the next stage of the Allied advance."

"This article highlights operations that seem a rather modest part of a much larger picture of aerial activities in the Pacific. In the month of April 1944, the U.S. Fifth Air Force conducted more than 5,600 sorties and dropped over 7,200 tons of bombs in New Guinea. Over the course of just a few days during the month U.S. Navy carrier based aircraft flew over 2,000 sorties there. Amphibious operations along New Guinea’s northwest coast in May were soon overshadowed by the invasion of Saipan and the related carrier battle in the central Pacific. This study attempts to illuminate operations which have received relatively little attention."

https://rldunn.com/after-hollandia-1944-part-1/

[Jim Oxley]

Anything written by rick is well worth the read.

[Edward]

Invasion of Biak - May 1944

"After Hollandia: The Air War Over Western New Guinea, April–May 1944 – Part 2"
by Richard Dunn
October 7, 2026

"Following the Allied landings at Hollandia in April 1944, the air war in New Guinea rapidly shifted westward toward Biak, Wakde, Noemfoor, Manokwari and the Vogelkopf Peninsula. During April and May, U.S. Fifth and Thirteenth Air Force bombers and fighters pressed against increasingly scattered Japanese Army and Navy air forces. This second part of the After Hollandia series follows that changing air campaign through the invasion of Biak and the Japanese effort to reinforce western New Guinea ahead of Operation A-Go. . . . "

https://rldunn.com/after-hollandia-1944-part-2/

[NickM]

Richard Dunn is apparently also the author of 'Exploding Fuel Tanks' a very interesting book about the self sealing fuel tanks of aircraft in the Pacific War.

[Edward]

Originally Posted by NickM

Richard Dunn is apparently also the author of 'Exploding Fuel Tanks' a very interesting book about the self sealing fuel tanks of aircraft in the Pacific War.

He is indeed.
https://rldunn.com/exploding-fuel-tanks-book/

[NickM]

Originally Posted by Edward

He is indeed.
https://rldunn.com/exploding-fuel-tanks-book/

It's proving to be a very interesting read. After I'm done and my funds allow, I might just invest in his South Pacific Air War book as well.