A long and deep interest in the military history of the Second World War, especially the actions which liberated hundreds of prisoners of war and internees in the Philippines led me to the subject of. raiding in the Southwest Pacific Area While initially interested, in writing a history of three rescue operations in the Philippines I found that the raiding in the Southwest Pacific was so unique and interesting that more actions had to be covered to gain a broader perspective of raiding in the theater. As a result I began to investigate guerrilla raids; raids by Australians in the Markham Valley of New Guinea and on Timor; a magnificent espionage raid in Singapore Harbor; then raid patrols by American forces; actions by American units in New Guinea, New Britain, the Solomons, the Admiralties, and the Philippines; the many small raids by members of the Allied Intelligence Bureau; and finally, and briefly, raids by the Japanese. What started out as a rather limited history and study grew rapidly until many subjects had, to be trimmed to fit into a manageable thesis. This is the result of my interest and research: a broad narrative of many raids, primarily those which were made by American forces, which struck the Japanese during the war; and an evaluation of the raids, their side effects, and their impact on war in the Southwest Pacific.