Battle of Porton Plantation
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Porton Plantation (8–10 June 1945) took place at Porton Plantation, near the village of Soraken
on Bougainville Island
, in the Solomon Islands archipelago
during World War II
. Involving forces from Australia
, New Zealand
and Japan
, the battle was part of the wider Bougainville campaign, which had begun in late 1943 and lasted until the end of the war in August 1945.
The fighting occurred after a company
-sized Australian force made an amphibious landing north of the Porton Plantation jetties in an attempt to outflank the Japanese positions on the Ratsua
front, which were holding up the advance of the 26th and the 31st/51st Battalions from the 11th Brigade
. The Australians landed unopposed and established a small perimeter, however a number of their landing craft ran aground and they were unable to bring their heavy weapons and support elements ashore. Troops from the Japanese 87th Naval Garrison Force quickly surrounded the beachhead and, as their supply situation grew desperate, the Australians were forced to withdraw. In the course of their evacuation by sea another landing craft ran aground. Over the next two days several unsuccessful rescue attempts were made until eventually, in the early morning of 11 June, the last Australian survivors were picked up.
The battle was a victory for the Japanese and it proved instrumental in helping them to regain the initiative in the northern sector of Bougainville. As a result, shortly afterwards the Australian forces on Bougainville changed the focus of their operations to the southern sector of the island where they were able to advance along the coastal plain towards the main Japanese position at Buin
. Since the end of the war, there has been considerable criticism of the planning undertaken by the Australians prior to the operation, and it has been argued that the operation failed due to poor intelligence and lack of resources and was ultimately unncessary.
took over responsibility for Allied operations on Bougainville from the US XIV Corps and throughout November and December Australian units began relieving the Americans who were then redeployed on subsequent operations in the Philippines. Although Japanese forces on Bougainville actually numbered around 40,000 men at the time, Allied intelligence failed to determine this accurately, estimating that there were only about 17,500 defenders. As a result of this error, Australian planning staff believed that they were opposed by a roughly equal-sized force and the Australian corps commander, Savige, consequently decided that he would pursue an aggressive offensive campaign to clear the Japanese from Bougainville. The majority of the Japanese force was believed to be concentrated in the south and as a result the main effort of the Australian plan was focused upon driving towards Buin
. Supporting operations were also conducted along two other fronts. In the north, it was planned that the Japanese would be forced into the narrow Bonis Peninsula
and contained there while, in the centre, the seizure of Pearl Ridge
would give the Australians control of the east–west avenues of approach, as well as affording them protection against further counter-attack
s and opening the way for a drive to the east coast.
In late December the 11th Brigade
, under the command of Brigadier John Stevenson, took over control of the northern sector of the island from the 7th Brigade, which was transferred to the southern sector to take part in the main offensive. Throughout January the brigade advanced north along the coast from Kuraio Mission, clearing the main settlements while sending patrols inland in an effort to flush out the Japanese from the high features in an effort to draw them into fighting in the open. In mid-January the lead Australian battalion, the 31st/51st Battalion
, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Kelly, came up against a strong Japanese position at Tsimba Ridge
and over the course of three weeks fought to gain control of the feature. The Australians lost 23 killed and 53 wounded while the Japanese had at least 66 men killed.
which advanced north to Ratsua, from where the Australians planned to move along the Bonis Peninsula. By late May, however, casualties amongst the 55th/53rd meant that they had to be withdrawn from the line, and the 26th Battalion was moved back up to replace them, along with the 31st/51st. At the start of June the Australians were stretched out across a 5 miles (8 km) line between Ratsua to Ruri Bay.
On 4 June, the 31st/51st Battalion began patrolling operations around Buoi Plantation. Two companies, 'B' and 'D', were committed to these operations with 'B' Company focusing upon the north-eastern part of the plantation, while 'D' Company patrolled to their east. Over the next three days a number of clashes followed in which the Australians suffered one man killed, while the Japanese lost 10. Australian intelligence suggested that the Japanese had concentrated strongly along the approaches to the peninsula, and in order to deal with these positions it was decided that an amphibious landing would be made at the jetties around Porton Plantation, 3.1 miles (5 km) to the north of Ratusa, to outflank them and launch an attack from the rear, while the main force pushed north from the Ratsua front to establish a new position along a line between Porton and Chindawon. On the evening of 5 June, the Australian battalion commander outlined his plan and in the afternoon of the following day rehearsal landings were undertaken. Final preparations were made on the night of 6/7 June and continued throughout the next day.
The Australian landing force consisted of 190 men embarked on six landing craft. The bulk of the force was made up of infantry
from 'A' Company and a platoon
from 'C' Company, 31st/51st Battalion under the command of Captain Henry Downs. Artillery
support was provided by the 11th and 12th Batteries of the 4th Field Regiment
and the 2nd Mountain Battery, while additional supporting units included engineers from the 16th Field Company and 42nd Assault Landing Craft Company, medical support from the 19th Field Ambulance and logistics support from the 223rd Supply Platoon. Although aerial reconnaissance indicated that there were strong Japanese fortifications in the area, initially no air support was allocated to the operation, with requests for preliminary air strikes being denied by II Corps. The Japanese force in the immediate vicinity initially consisted of about 100 men from the Imperial Japanese Navy
's 87th Naval Garrison Force which had been formed from men drawn from the 211th Pioneer Unit interspersed with regular naval personnel. However, over the course of the battle the strength of the Japanese force grew to between 400 to 500 men. The Japanese force was commanded by the senior naval officer at Buka
, Captain Eikichi Kato
, whose 87th Naval Garrison Force had taken over responsibility for the defence of the Tarlena area when the Imperial Japanese Army
's 38th Independent Mixed Brigade was transferred south to the Numa Numa
area.
Lacking organic indirect fire support as all the mortars had been in the landing craft that were in the second wave, Downs established communications with the artillery, and a barrage was brought down on suspected Japanese positions by the artillery forward observation officer, Lieutenant David Spark, with the assistance of a Royal Australian Air Force
(RAAF) Boomerang
that was on station overhead to provide aerial observation. By dawn, Downs' company was taking sporadic fire from Japanese pill boxes, and they began patrolling forward of their perimeter to locate these positions. These patrols were unable to progress very far before they were forced back by Japanese fire, which confirmed how bad the company's position was. They determined that they had landed about 270 yards (246.9 m) north of where they had been supposed to land, and inside an "arc of enemy trenches and pill-boxes with a radius of about 400 yards" that effectively boxed them in.
Throughout the day the defenders began pressing against the Australian forward positions and engaging them with mortar fire as more reinforcements were brought up. Shortly after the landing, Kato was able to concentrate a force of about 100 Japanese defenders in the immediate vicinity, however, throughout the day he was able to bring in further reinforcements and by nightfall there were approximately 300 Japanese around the Australian perimeter. In order to respond, an attempt was made by the Australians to bring in reinforcements of their own and supplies by sea. Due to the low tide and heavy fire from the beach, the attempt failed, as did two subsequent attempts, as the Japanese commander pre-empted their arrival and set up ambushes along the approaches north and south of the landing beach. While the fighting was going on around Porton, the 26th Battalion and the rest of the 31st/51st Battalion attempted to break through to the Australian company from Ratsua. They were unable to penetrate the Japanese lines, however, as they came up against Japanese defenders that were determined to resist because they were unable to withdraw any further along the peninsula.
By the morning of 9 June, the supply situation for Downs' company had become critical and 11th Brigade headquarters decided that it would be best to evacuate the beach. Up until that point casualties had been relatively light with only four killed and seven wounded, but the Japanese force, which had increased overnight to between 400 to 500 men as reinforcements arrived by barges and trucks from the Buka Passage area, launched a strong attack aimed at destroying the Australian force, attacking from three sides of the perimeter. In order to defend themselves the Australians called down heavy artillery fire from the battery
of 25-pounders
that was supporting them from its position on the Soraken peninsula. As the fighting intensified, some of the artillery shells were brought down as close as 25 yards (22.9 m) from their own troops. Air support was also called in, with 16 RAAF Boomerangs and Royal New Zealand Air Force
Corsairs
attacking Japanese positions around the perimeter. As a result of these attacks, the Australians were able to hold off the Japanese attacks until 4:30 pm when three assault landing craft
arrived from Soraken to take them off the beach, and ferry them out to two larger vessels that were waiting further out to sea.
Amid a torrent of Japanese fire, the Australians broke contact and made for the landing craft, bringing the wounded out with them. The embarkation took only five minutes, but as the vessels attempted to depart two of them, overloaded with about 60 men on board, ran aground and stuck fast. In an effort to lighten the load, a number of men volunteered to leave the craft, which enabled one of the vessels to float free. The other, however, remained stuck. Coming under attack from the Japanese, some of whom waded out and attacked the men in the vessel with grenades, the casualties mounted, with a number of men, including Downs, being either killed or lost overboard and subsequently listed as missing, presumed killed.
As rations and water dwindled, a number of unsuccessful attempts were made on 10 June to rescue the men in the stranded barge with support from artillery and aircraft. While Corsairs flew close support missions, Beaufort
and Mitchell bombers dropped life rafts but the survivors were unable to reach them due to machine-gun fire. Further casualties occurred when, in the early morning of 11 June, a Japanese soldier managed to reach the vessel and fired upon the occupants with a machine-gun, killing two and wounding a number of others before he was killed himself. Shortly after this a Japanese anti-tank gun fired two shells at the landing craft, destroying its stern. Further shots were prevented when Australian artillery ranged in on the gun, having been directed by Captain John Whitelaw
, an artillery observer on one of two landing craft that had been despatched with canvas
assault boats, crewed by engineers from the 16th Field Company.
Launching 150 yards (137.2 m) from the stranded craft, three assault boats set out and over the course of two hours ferried the survivors back to the landing craft, which then set out for Soraken, arriving there at 4:30 am on 11 June. A number of other men swam over 5500 yards (5,029.2 m) through the shark-invested water to Torokori Island, while others were either rescued at sea or managed to link up with the Australians along the Ratsua front by breaking through the Japanese lines.
under Brigadier Arnold Potts
took over control of the sector, and for a period of four weeks along the Ratsua front the 8th and 27th Battalions
carried out patrolling operations before the Australians decided to withdraw to the Buoi Plantation in mid-July, by which time the Japanese forces in the area, boosted by their victory at Porton, had begun to seize the initiative through the use of harassment tactics. Following this a number of small-scale actions continued along the front until offensive action was discontinued on 11 August 1945.
Since the end of the war, the conceptual validity and strategic necessity of the Australian landing has been called into question. A number of aspects of the planning undertaken by 11th Brigade staff and the 31st/51st Battalion's commander have been criticised, particularly in relation to a failure of intelligence to adequately identify the risks posed by the nearby reefs, as well as a failure to heed the concerns of a number of officers involved in the planning stage of the operation. Arguments were made that the landing was hastily planned, under-resourced and inadequately supported, and that it was part of an strategically unnecessary campaign. The Japanese might also have gained prior knowledge of the attack. In the aftermath of the fighting, General Thomas Blamey
, commander-in-chief of the Australian Military Forces during the war, visited Kelly at his headquarters around Ratsua and upon interviewing him, stated to the II Corps commander, Savige, that he felt that Kelly had erred in conducting rehearsals of the barge landings during the planning stage within view of Japanese positions.
The Battle of Porton Plantation was ultimately a defeat for the Australians, as the landing was repulsed and the Japanese remained in possession of the beachhead, albeit at significant cost. During the course of the landing and the subsequent withdrawal, the Australians suffered 23 killed or missing, presumed dead, and 106 wounded, while the Japanese lost 26 killed. Both sides seem to have overestimated the casualties that they inflicted, with the Australians believing that they had killed between 147 to 197 Japanese, and the Japanese estimating Australian losses to have been around 60 killed and 100 wounded.
Following the withdrawal, the 31st/51st Battalion continued fighting along the Ratsua front before being relieved on 28 June by the 8th Battalion and being withdrawn to Torokina
, where they remained until the end of the war. Upon the end of hostilities, a reconnaissance party including a number of officers from the 31st/51st Battalion returned to the area and found that the Japanese defenders had buried the Australians that had died on the beach and had constructed a memorial to them, reading: "The Australian soldiers buried here died by the sea". For its part in the landing, the 31st/51st Battalion received the battle honour
of "Bonis–Porton". Today, this honour is held by both the 31st Battalion, Royal Queensland Regiment
and the 51st Battalion, Far North Queensland Regiment
, the successor units of the 31st/51st Battalion. The following decorations were awarded to members of the Australian forces that took part in the battle: one Distinguished Conduct Medal
, two Military Cross
es, four Military Medal
s, and three Mentioned in Despatches. Porton Training Depot in Cairns, Australia
was named after this battle.
Soraken
Soraken is a village on the Soraken Peninsula on northwestern Bouganville. The Soraken copra plantation was setup by Choisel Plantations in January 1913 and a tramway system long was constructed. The railway is now is disrepair...
on Bougainville Island
Bougainville Island
Bougainville Island is the main island of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville of Papua New Guinea. This region is also known as Bougainville Province or the North Solomons. The population of the province is 175,160 , which includes the adjacent island of Buka and assorted outlying islands...
, in the Solomon Islands archipelago
Solomon Islands (archipelago)
The Solomon Islands are an archipelago in the South-Western Pacific Ocean, northeast of Australia, in the region known as Melanesia. The archipelago is currently divided between two countries; Papua New Guinea, in which they make up the autonomous province of Bougainville; and the Solomon Islands,...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Involving forces from Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, the battle was part of the wider Bougainville campaign, which had begun in late 1943 and lasted until the end of the war in August 1945.
The fighting occurred after a company
Company (military unit)
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–225 soldiers and usually commanded by a Captain, Major or Commandant. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure...
-sized Australian force made an amphibious landing north of the Porton Plantation jetties in an attempt to outflank the Japanese positions on the Ratsua
Battle of Ratsua
The Battle of Ratsua occurred during the Second World War and involved Australian and Japanese forces. Part of the wider Bougainville Campaign of the Pacific theatre, the battle took place in the northern sector of Bougainville between June and August 1945...
front, which were holding up the advance of the 26th and the 31st/51st Battalions from the 11th Brigade
11th Brigade (Australia)
The Australian 11th Brigade is an Australian Army brigade which currently comprises most Australian Army Reserve units located in Queensland. The Brigade was first formed in early 1916 as part of the 3rd Division and saw action during World War I and World War II.-Brigade Structure:*Headquarters...
. The Australians landed unopposed and established a small perimeter, however a number of their landing craft ran aground and they were unable to bring their heavy weapons and support elements ashore. Troops from the Japanese 87th Naval Garrison Force quickly surrounded the beachhead and, as their supply situation grew desperate, the Australians were forced to withdraw. In the course of their evacuation by sea another landing craft ran aground. Over the next two days several unsuccessful rescue attempts were made until eventually, in the early morning of 11 June, the last Australian survivors were picked up.
The battle was a victory for the Japanese and it proved instrumental in helping them to regain the initiative in the northern sector of Bougainville. As a result, shortly afterwards the Australian forces on Bougainville changed the focus of their operations to the southern sector of the island where they were able to advance along the coastal plain towards the main Japanese position at Buin
Buin, Papua New Guinea
Buin is a settlement at the southern end of the island of Bougainville, a part of the North Solomons Province, located in the northern Solomon Islands in the South Pacific Ocean.-History:...
. Since the end of the war, there has been considerable criticism of the planning undertaken by the Australians prior to the operation, and it has been argued that the operation failed due to poor intelligence and lack of resources and was ultimately unncessary.
Background
On 22 November 1944, the Australian II Corps under Lieutenant General Stanley SavigeStanley Savige
Lieutenant General Sir Stanley George Savige, KBE, CB, DSO, MC, ED , was an Australian Army soldier and officer who served in World War I and World War II, rising to the rank of lieutenant general....
took over responsibility for Allied operations on Bougainville from the US XIV Corps and throughout November and December Australian units began relieving the Americans who were then redeployed on subsequent operations in the Philippines. Although Japanese forces on Bougainville actually numbered around 40,000 men at the time, Allied intelligence failed to determine this accurately, estimating that there were only about 17,500 defenders. As a result of this error, Australian planning staff believed that they were opposed by a roughly equal-sized force and the Australian corps commander, Savige, consequently decided that he would pursue an aggressive offensive campaign to clear the Japanese from Bougainville. The majority of the Japanese force was believed to be concentrated in the south and as a result the main effort of the Australian plan was focused upon driving towards Buin
Buin, Papua New Guinea
Buin is a settlement at the southern end of the island of Bougainville, a part of the North Solomons Province, located in the northern Solomon Islands in the South Pacific Ocean.-History:...
. Supporting operations were also conducted along two other fronts. In the north, it was planned that the Japanese would be forced into the narrow Bonis Peninsula
Bonis Peninsula
The Bonis Peninsula is a narrow peninsula located on Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea, at the north of the island. The Buka Passage separates the peninsula from Buka Island....
and contained there while, in the centre, the seizure of Pearl Ridge
Battle of Pearl Ridge
The Battle of Pearl Ridge was a battle of the Second World War fought between Australian and Japanese forces on Bougainville Island. Part of the wider Bougainville Campaign, the battle took place in the central sector of the island, shortly after the Australians had taken over responsibility from...
would give the Australians control of the east–west avenues of approach, as well as affording them protection against further counter-attack
Counter-Attack
Counter-Attack is a 1945 war film starring Paul Muni and Marguerite Chapman as two Russians trapped in a collapsed building with seven enemy German soldiers during World War II...
s and opening the way for a drive to the east coast.
In late December the 11th Brigade
11th Brigade (Australia)
The Australian 11th Brigade is an Australian Army brigade which currently comprises most Australian Army Reserve units located in Queensland. The Brigade was first formed in early 1916 as part of the 3rd Division and saw action during World War I and World War II.-Brigade Structure:*Headquarters...
, under the command of Brigadier John Stevenson, took over control of the northern sector of the island from the 7th Brigade, which was transferred to the southern sector to take part in the main offensive. Throughout January the brigade advanced north along the coast from Kuraio Mission, clearing the main settlements while sending patrols inland in an effort to flush out the Japanese from the high features in an effort to draw them into fighting in the open. In mid-January the lead Australian battalion, the 31st/51st Battalion
31st/51st Battalion (Australia)
The 31st/51st Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army, which served during World War II. Raised for service as part of the Militia in 1943 through the amalgamation of two previously existing battalions, the 31st/51st Battalion undertook garrison duties in Dutch New Guinea in...
, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Kelly, came up against a strong Japanese position at Tsimba Ridge
Battle of Tsimba Ridge
The Battle of Tsimba Ridge was a battle of the Second World War involving Australian and Japanese forces. Part of the wider Bougainville Campaign of the Pacific theatre, the battle occurred in the northern sector of Bougainville Island between 17 January and 9 February 1945, when the lead battalion...
and over the course of three weeks fought to gain control of the feature. The Australians lost 23 killed and 53 wounded while the Japanese had at least 66 men killed.
Prelude
Following the fighting on Tsimba Ridge, the 31st/51st was relieved by the 26th Battalion, and the Australians continued to advance north towards Soraken. In April, the 26th was relieved by the 55th/53rd Battalion55th/53rd Battalion (Australia)
The 55th/53rd Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army which saw active service during World War II. First formed in 1919 during the demobilisation of the Australian Imperial Force, the battalion was an amalgamation of two other units, the 55th and 53rd Battalions...
which advanced north to Ratsua, from where the Australians planned to move along the Bonis Peninsula. By late May, however, casualties amongst the 55th/53rd meant that they had to be withdrawn from the line, and the 26th Battalion was moved back up to replace them, along with the 31st/51st. At the start of June the Australians were stretched out across a 5 miles (8 km) line between Ratsua to Ruri Bay.
On 4 June, the 31st/51st Battalion began patrolling operations around Buoi Plantation. Two companies, 'B' and 'D', were committed to these operations with 'B' Company focusing upon the north-eastern part of the plantation, while 'D' Company patrolled to their east. Over the next three days a number of clashes followed in which the Australians suffered one man killed, while the Japanese lost 10. Australian intelligence suggested that the Japanese had concentrated strongly along the approaches to the peninsula, and in order to deal with these positions it was decided that an amphibious landing would be made at the jetties around Porton Plantation, 3.1 miles (5 km) to the north of Ratusa, to outflank them and launch an attack from the rear, while the main force pushed north from the Ratsua front to establish a new position along a line between Porton and Chindawon. On the evening of 5 June, the Australian battalion commander outlined his plan and in the afternoon of the following day rehearsal landings were undertaken. Final preparations were made on the night of 6/7 June and continued throughout the next day.
The Australian landing force consisted of 190 men embarked on six landing craft. The bulk of the force was made up of infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
from 'A' Company and a platoon
Platoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four sections or squads and containing 16 to 50 soldiers. Platoons are organized into a company, which typically consists of three, four or five platoons. A platoon is typically the smallest military unit led by a commissioned officer—the...
from 'C' Company, 31st/51st Battalion under the command of Captain Henry Downs. Artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
support was provided by the 11th and 12th Batteries of the 4th Field Regiment
4th Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery
The 4th Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery is an artillery unit of the Australian Army. Currently it provides direct-support to the 3rd Brigade and is based at Lavarack Barracks in Townsville, Queensland. The unit was raised in 1960 and is currently re-equipping with M777A2 lightweight towed...
and the 2nd Mountain Battery, while additional supporting units included engineers from the 16th Field Company and 42nd Assault Landing Craft Company, medical support from the 19th Field Ambulance and logistics support from the 223rd Supply Platoon. Although aerial reconnaissance indicated that there were strong Japanese fortifications in the area, initially no air support was allocated to the operation, with requests for preliminary air strikes being denied by II Corps. The Japanese force in the immediate vicinity initially consisted of about 100 men from the Imperial Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
's 87th Naval Garrison Force which had been formed from men drawn from the 211th Pioneer Unit interspersed with regular naval personnel. However, over the course of the battle the strength of the Japanese force grew to between 400 to 500 men. The Japanese force was commanded by the senior naval officer at Buka
Buka, Papua New Guinea
Buka is situated on Buka Island, Bougainville Province, Papua New Guinea. It has been the capital of the province during the Bougainville civil war...
, Captain Eikichi Kato
Eikichi Kato
Captain Eikichi Kato was a senior officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Kato was the senior officer of the Imperial Japanese Navy forces on the Bonis Peninsula and Buka Island during the latter stages of World War II....
, whose 87th Naval Garrison Force had taken over responsibility for the defence of the Tarlena area when the Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
's 38th Independent Mixed Brigade was transferred south to the Numa Numa
Numa Numa Trail
The Numa Numa Trail is a trail on Bougainville that runs from Numa Numa on the east coast over the central mountains of Bougainville to Torokina on the western coast....
area.
Battle
At 3:57 am on 8 June the first wave of Australian troops landed on the beach in three landing craft. They came ashore unopposed and after advancing about 100 yards (91.4 m) inland established a small perimeter around the beachhead in the tree line surrounding the plantation. A series of forward positions were then established a further 50 yards (45.7 m) inland. Instead of pushing his rifle platoons further inland, however, Downs decided that he would wait for the second wave to arrive. This ultimately proved critical as it allowed the Japanese commander, Kato, time to respond to the landing. As the three landing craft of the first wave withdrew, another three landing craft came in with reinforcements, heavy weapons and other support elements, however, they ran aground on a coral reef and the men aboard were forced to wade ashore. Although one of these craft was later able to float free, two of the others remained stuck. A short time later they began to take fire from Japanese machine-guns, which stopped the Australians from unloading their equipment.Lacking organic indirect fire support as all the mortars had been in the landing craft that were in the second wave, Downs established communications with the artillery, and a barrage was brought down on suspected Japanese positions by the artillery forward observation officer, Lieutenant David Spark, with the assistance of a Royal Australian Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
(RAAF) Boomerang
CAC Boomerang
The CAC Boomerang was a World War II fighter aircraft designed and manufactured in Australia between 1942 and 1945. The Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation produced Boomerangs under the production contract numbers CA-12, CA-13, CA-14 and CA-19, with aircraft supplied under each subsequent contract...
that was on station overhead to provide aerial observation. By dawn, Downs' company was taking sporadic fire from Japanese pill boxes, and they began patrolling forward of their perimeter to locate these positions. These patrols were unable to progress very far before they were forced back by Japanese fire, which confirmed how bad the company's position was. They determined that they had landed about 270 yards (246.9 m) north of where they had been supposed to land, and inside an "arc of enemy trenches and pill-boxes with a radius of about 400 yards" that effectively boxed them in.
Throughout the day the defenders began pressing against the Australian forward positions and engaging them with mortar fire as more reinforcements were brought up. Shortly after the landing, Kato was able to concentrate a force of about 100 Japanese defenders in the immediate vicinity, however, throughout the day he was able to bring in further reinforcements and by nightfall there were approximately 300 Japanese around the Australian perimeter. In order to respond, an attempt was made by the Australians to bring in reinforcements of their own and supplies by sea. Due to the low tide and heavy fire from the beach, the attempt failed, as did two subsequent attempts, as the Japanese commander pre-empted their arrival and set up ambushes along the approaches north and south of the landing beach. While the fighting was going on around Porton, the 26th Battalion and the rest of the 31st/51st Battalion attempted to break through to the Australian company from Ratsua. They were unable to penetrate the Japanese lines, however, as they came up against Japanese defenders that were determined to resist because they were unable to withdraw any further along the peninsula.
By the morning of 9 June, the supply situation for Downs' company had become critical and 11th Brigade headquarters decided that it would be best to evacuate the beach. Up until that point casualties had been relatively light with only four killed and seven wounded, but the Japanese force, which had increased overnight to between 400 to 500 men as reinforcements arrived by barges and trucks from the Buka Passage area, launched a strong attack aimed at destroying the Australian force, attacking from three sides of the perimeter. In order to defend themselves the Australians called down heavy artillery fire from the battery
Artillery battery
In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of guns, mortars, rockets or missiles so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems...
of 25-pounders
Ordnance QF 25 pounder
The Ordnance QF 25 pounder, or more simply, 25-pounder or 25-pdr, was introduced into service just before World War II, during which it served as the major British field gun/howitzer. It was considered by many to be the best field artillery piece of the war, combining high rates of fire with a...
that was supporting them from its position on the Soraken peninsula. As the fighting intensified, some of the artillery shells were brought down as close as 25 yards (22.9 m) from their own troops. Air support was also called in, with 16 RAAF Boomerangs and Royal New Zealand Air Force
Royal New Zealand Air Force
The Royal New Zealand Air Force is the air arm of the New Zealand Defence Force...
Corsairs
F4U Corsair
The Vought F4U Corsair was a carrier-capable fighter aircraft that saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Demand for the aircraft soon overwhelmed Vought's manufacturing capability, resulting in production by Goodyear and Brewster: Goodyear-built Corsairs were designated FG and...
attacking Japanese positions around the perimeter. As a result of these attacks, the Australians were able to hold off the Japanese attacks until 4:30 pm when three assault landing craft
Landing Craft Assault
The Landing Craft Assault was a British landing craft used extensively in World War II. Its primary purpose was to ferry troops from transport ships to attack enemy-held shores. The craft derived from a prototype designed by John I. Thornycroft Ltd. During the war it was manufactured throughout...
arrived from Soraken to take them off the beach, and ferry them out to two larger vessels that were waiting further out to sea.
As rations and water dwindled, a number of unsuccessful attempts were made on 10 June to rescue the men in the stranded barge with support from artillery and aircraft. While Corsairs flew close support missions, Beaufort
Bristol Beaufort
The Bristol Beaufort was a British twin-engined torpedo bomber designed by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, and developed from experience gained designing and building the earlier Blenheim light bomber....
and Mitchell bombers dropped life rafts but the survivors were unable to reach them due to machine-gun fire. Further casualties occurred when, in the early morning of 11 June, a Japanese soldier managed to reach the vessel and fired upon the occupants with a machine-gun, killing two and wounding a number of others before he was killed himself. Shortly after this a Japanese anti-tank gun fired two shells at the landing craft, destroying its stern. Further shots were prevented when Australian artillery ranged in on the gun, having been directed by Captain John Whitelaw
John Whitelaw (1921–2010)
Major General John Stewart Whitelaw AO CBE was a career soldier in the Australian Army who rose to the position of Deputy Chief of the General Staff...
, an artillery observer on one of two landing craft that had been despatched with canvas
Canvas
Canvas is an extremely heavy-duty plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, and other items for which sturdiness is required. It is also popularly used by artists as a painting surface, typically stretched across a wooden frame...
assault boats, crewed by engineers from the 16th Field Company.
Launching 150 yards (137.2 m) from the stranded craft, three assault boats set out and over the course of two hours ferried the survivors back to the landing craft, which then set out for Soraken, arriving there at 4:30 am on 11 June. A number of other men swam over 5500 yards (5,029.2 m) through the shark-invested water to Torokori Island, while others were either rescued at sea or managed to link up with the Australians along the Ratsua front by breaking through the Japanese lines.
Aftermath
Following the failure of the landing at Porton Plantation, the planned Australian advance into the Bonis Peninsula was called off. The Australian high command decided to refocus their efforts upon the drive towards Buin in the south and as a result the effort in the north was reduced to that of a holding action as further resources were transferred out of the sector. The 23rd Brigade23rd Brigade (Australia)
The 23rd Brigade was a brigade of the Australian Army. Formed in 1940 for service during the Second World War, the brigade was initially a formation of the Second Australian Imperial Force assigned to the 8th Division, however, after its subunits were captured by the Japanese in 1942 it was...
under Brigadier Arnold Potts
Arnold Potts
Brigadier Arnold William Potts DSO, OBE, MC was an Australian grazier who served in the First World War and led 21st Brigade of the Second AIF during its defence of the Kokoda Trail during the Second World War...
took over control of the sector, and for a period of four weeks along the Ratsua front the 8th and 27th Battalions
27th Battalion (Australia)
The 27th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army. It was initially raised in 1915 as part of the First Australian Imperial Force for service during World War I. During the conflict, the battalion saw action briefly at Gallipoli before later fighting on the Western Front between...
carried out patrolling operations before the Australians decided to withdraw to the Buoi Plantation in mid-July, by which time the Japanese forces in the area, boosted by their victory at Porton, had begun to seize the initiative through the use of harassment tactics. Following this a number of small-scale actions continued along the front until offensive action was discontinued on 11 August 1945.
Since the end of the war, the conceptual validity and strategic necessity of the Australian landing has been called into question. A number of aspects of the planning undertaken by 11th Brigade staff and the 31st/51st Battalion's commander have been criticised, particularly in relation to a failure of intelligence to adequately identify the risks posed by the nearby reefs, as well as a failure to heed the concerns of a number of officers involved in the planning stage of the operation. Arguments were made that the landing was hastily planned, under-resourced and inadequately supported, and that it was part of an strategically unnecessary campaign. The Japanese might also have gained prior knowledge of the attack. In the aftermath of the fighting, General Thomas Blamey
Thomas Blamey
Field Marshal Sir Thomas Albert Blamey GBE, KCB, CMG, DSO, ED was an Australian general of the First and Second World Wars, and the only Australian to date to attain the rank of field marshal....
, commander-in-chief of the Australian Military Forces during the war, visited Kelly at his headquarters around Ratsua and upon interviewing him, stated to the II Corps commander, Savige, that he felt that Kelly had erred in conducting rehearsals of the barge landings during the planning stage within view of Japanese positions.
The Battle of Porton Plantation was ultimately a defeat for the Australians, as the landing was repulsed and the Japanese remained in possession of the beachhead, albeit at significant cost. During the course of the landing and the subsequent withdrawal, the Australians suffered 23 killed or missing, presumed dead, and 106 wounded, while the Japanese lost 26 killed. Both sides seem to have overestimated the casualties that they inflicted, with the Australians believing that they had killed between 147 to 197 Japanese, and the Japanese estimating Australian losses to have been around 60 killed and 100 wounded.
Following the withdrawal, the 31st/51st Battalion continued fighting along the Ratsua front before being relieved on 28 June by the 8th Battalion and being withdrawn to Torokina
Torokina
Torokina is a coastal village on the island of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. It is located on the western coast of that island, at ....
, where they remained until the end of the war. Upon the end of hostilities, a reconnaissance party including a number of officers from the 31st/51st Battalion returned to the area and found that the Japanese defenders had buried the Australians that had died on the beach and had constructed a memorial to them, reading: "The Australian soldiers buried here died by the sea". For its part in the landing, the 31st/51st Battalion received the battle honour
Battle honour
A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags , uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible....
of "Bonis–Porton". Today, this honour is held by both the 31st Battalion, Royal Queensland Regiment
31st Battalion, Royal Queensland Regiment
The 31st Battalion, Royal Queensland Regiment was a Reserve infantry battalion of the Australian Army. Although it was officially formed as 31 RQR in 1965 the battalion can trace its lineage back to units formed in 1881 as part of the colonial defence forces of the state of Queensland.Over the...
and the 51st Battalion, Far North Queensland Regiment
Far North Queensland Regiment
The 51st Battalion, Far North Queensland Regiment is a light infantry battalion of the Australian Army. The battalion serves as a Regional Force Surveillance Unit , carrying out reconnaissance and surveillance tasks as its primary role...
, the successor units of the 31st/51st Battalion. The following decorations were awarded to members of the Australian forces that took part in the battle: one Distinguished Conduct Medal
Distinguished Conduct Medal
The Distinguished Conduct Medal was an extremely high level award for bravery. It was a second level military decoration awarded to other ranks of the British Army and formerly also to non-commissioned personnel of other Commonwealth countries.The medal was instituted in 1854, during the Crimean...
, two Military Cross
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
es, four Military Medal
Military Medal
The Military Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land....
s, and three Mentioned in Despatches. Porton Training Depot in Cairns, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
was named after this battle.