In a move that would change the tide of the war in the Pacific Theater, Vice Admiral William Halsey Jr. authorized the most significant carrier-based attack the United States Navy had ever performed.

In November of 1943, and with a new force of American-built aircraft carriers, the Navy would prove their worth against a heavily fortified Japanese fleet that was already preparing for an engagement.

The attack on Rabaul, one of the most important islands in the Solomon chain, was essential to divert attention and forces and protect the crucial Allied invasion of Bougainville.

The brutal confrontation was also key in finally proving that carrier-based air forces could challenge land-based ones, and failing was not an option…