 Complete the following phrase:  At the start of the Pacific War the strategic port town of Rabaul in New Britain was defended by Lark Force, which comprised the 222nd Infantry Battalion reinforced with coastal artillery and a poorly equipped RAAF bomber squadron. While Lark Force was regarded as inadequate by the Australian military, it was not possible to reinforce it before the Japanese South Seas Force landed at Rabaul on 23 January 1942. The outnumbered Australian force 