RAAF Black Cats: The Secret History of the Covert Catalina Mine-Laying Operations to Cripple Japan’s War Machine

Summary

RAAF Black Cats chronicles a little-known, yet crucial and courageous chapter in Australia's war history. While this story involved Australia and the United States, very few people on either side of the Pacific know of the significance the RAAF Catalina Squadrons had on the outcome of the war against Japan, and General Douglas MacArthur's triumphant 'return' to the Philippines.

Between 22 April 1943 and 1 July 1945, the crews of the RAAF's PBY Flying Boat (Catalina) squadrons in coalition with the US 7th Fleet conducted top-secret covert mine-laying missions in the South Pacific to disrupt Japanese naval supply and military operations. General Douglas MacArthur, particularly, believed mine-laying would be an effective weapon to stop the Japanese from supplying their forces, feeding their war-machine and, therefore, softening the enemy for US Army and Marine landings. He was proved right.

This is the powerful story of the brave Australian crews who flew some of the most dangerous missions of the Pacific War.