Coast Watching in the Solomon Islands

The Bougainville Reports--by Jack Read, Paul Mason, and other coast watchers--are vivid accounts of the coast watching activities on Buka and Bougainville Islands in the Solomon Islands chain during World War II and describe in detail one of the most successful intelligence operations of the war. By the time war came to the South Pacific on December 8, 1941, an excellent intra-district communication network had already been established on Bougainville. A daily system of radio reporting was put into effect by Lieutenant Commander Eric Feldt, who later wrote: Few realized that when the first waves of United States Marines landed on the bitterly contested beaches of Guadalcanal, coast watchers on Bougainville, New Georgia, and other islands were sending warning signals of impending Japanese air raids almost two hours before enemy aircraft formations appeared over the island.

Japanese shipping and aircraft activity was monitored and news of spottings was telegraphed to Guadalcanal Headquarters. Information on shipping was directly responsible for the American victory in November 1942, when 12 Japanese transports, loaded with reinforcements, were intercepted and destroyed. Jack Read summarized his activities as follows: Reviewing the course of our operations, we can see that coast watching on that most northerly peg of the Solomons had fulfilled its mission long before we were driven out--and to a far greater effect than even we realized. During the early and uncertain days of the American struggle to wrest Guadalcanal from the Japanese, the reports and timely warnings from Bougainville were directly responsible for the enemy's defeat. Admiral William Halsey praised the work of the coast watchers and said that the intelligence information from Bougainville saved Guadalcanal and that Guadalcanal saved the South Pacific. These edited reports tell the remarkable story of Read, Mason, and other coast watchers and depict their struggles for survival in the Japanese-patrolled jungles of Bougainville. They provide a fascinating account that will intrigue historians, World War II and espionage buffs, and students.

Foreword by Walter Lord
Preface
Introduction: The South Pacific Coast Watching Network
The Retreat from Buka Island and the Abandonment of Kieta, December 12, 1941-August 7, 1942, by Jack Read
Organizing the Coast Watching Operation in Northern Bougainville, February 20-April 5, 1942, by Jack Read
Setting Up the Southern Bougainville Coast Watching Station, March 6-August 7, 1942, by Paul Mason
Air Battles at Guadalcanal, August 8, 1942-January 1, 1943, by Jack Read
Porapora Days and the U. S. S. Nautilus Rescue, November 4, 1942-January 1, 1943, by Jack Read
Missionary Work on Buka and Bougainville and the U. S. S. Nautilus Rescue, September-January 4, 1943, by Sister Mary Irene Alton
The Japanese Search for the Southern Bougainville Radio Station, August 8, 1942-January 1, 1943, by Paul Mason
The Reorganization of the Coast Watching Operation and the U. S. S. Gato Rescue, January 2-April 30, 1943, by Jack Read
Heading North, January 2-April 30, 1943, by Paul Mason
The Japanese Attack on Porapora and Other Coast Watcher Locations, May 1-July 19, 1943, by Jack Read
The End of Attempts to Return to Southern Bougainville, May 1-July 19, 1943, by Paul Mason
The Death of Admiral Yamamoto and the Ambush of Mason's Party, March 29-June 26, 1943, by Ken H. Thorpe and Walter Radimey
Escape from Bougainville: The U. S. S. Guardfish Rescues, July 20-July 30, 1943, by Jack Keenan and Jack Read
Afterword by Noelle Mason
Military and Police Personnel on Buka and Bougainville
Index
Photographs