Salamaua-Lae campaign
Encyclopedia
The Salamaua–Lae campaign was a series of actions in the New Guinea campaign
of World War II. Australian and United States forces sought to capture two major Japanese
bases, one in the town of Lae
, and another one at Salamaua
. The campaign to take the Salamaua and Lae area began with the Australian attack on Japanese positions near Mubo
, on 22 April 1943. The campaign ended with the fall of Lae on 16 September 1943.
, in the large town of Lae, and in Salamaua, a small administrative town and port, 35 kilometres (22 mi) to the south. Salamaua was a staging post for attacks on Port Moresby
, such as the Kokoda Track campaign
. When the attacks failed, the Japanese turned the port into a major supply base.
Logistical limitations meant that the Salamaua-Lae area could garrison only 10,000 Japanese personnel: 2,500 seamen and 7,500 soldiers. The defences were centred on the Okabe Detachment, a brigade
-sized force from the 51st Division
under Maj. Gen.
Toru Okabe
.
In January 1943, the Okabe Detachment was defeated in an attack on the Australian base of Wau
, about 40 kilometres (25 mi) away. Allied commanders turned their attention to Salamaua, which could be attacked by troops flown into Wau. This also diverted attention from Lae, which was a major objective of Operation Cartwheel
, the Allied
grand strategy for the South Pacific
. It was decided that the Japanese would be pursued towards Salamaua by the Australian 3rd Division, which had been formed at Wau, under the command of Maj. Gen. Stanley Savige
.
Between 22 April and 29 May 1943, the Australian 2/7th Infantry Battalion, at the end of a long and tenuous supply line, attacked the southern extremity of Japanese lines, the Mubo area, at features known to the Allies as "The Pimple" and "Green Hill". While the 2/7th made little progress, they provided a diversion for the 2/3rd Independent Company
, which advanced in an arc and raided Japanese positions at Bobdubi Ridge, inflicting severe losses. In May, the 2/7th repelled a number of strong Japanese counterattacks.
At the same time as the first battle at Mubo, the Australian 24th Infantry Battalion
attacked to the near south-west of Salamaua, in the Bobdubi Range, between 22 April and 29 May. This allowed other units to secure the crossing over the Francisco River, on the track to Salamaua.
The Japanese Eighteenth Army commander, Lieutenant General Hatazō Adachi
, sent the 66th Regiment from Finschhafen
to reinforce the Okabe Detachment and launch an offensive. The 1,500 strong 66th attacked at Lababia Ridge, on 20–23 June. The battle has been described as one of the Australian Army's "classic engagements" of World War II. The ridge's only defenders were "D" Company of the 2/6th Battalion. The Australians relied on well-established and linked defensive positions, featuring extensive, cleared free-fire zones. These assets and the determination of "D" Company defeated the Japanese envelopment tactics.
Between 30 June and 19 August, the Australian 15th Infantry Brigade
cleared Bobdubi Ridge. The operation was opened with an assault by the inexperienced 58/59th Infantry Battalion
, and included hand-to-hand combat.
At the same time as the second Australian assault on Bobdubi, On 30 June–4 July, the U.S. 162nd Regimental Combat Team
made an unopposed amphibious landing at Nassau Bay
and established a beachhead
there.
A week after the Bobdubi attack and Nassau Bay landing, the Australian 17th Brigade launched another assault on Japanese positions at Mubo. With the Allies making ground closer to Salamaua, the Japanese withdrew to avoid encirclement.
Meanwhile the main body off the 162nd RCT following a flanking route along the coast, before encountering fierce resistance at Roosevelt Ridge — named after its commander, Lieutenant Colonel Archibald Roosevelt
— between 21 July and 14 August.
Between 16 July and 19 August, the 42nd and 2/5th Infantry Battalions gained a foothold on Mt Tambu. They held on despite fierce Japanese counter-attacks. The battle turned when they were assisted by the 162nd RCT.
On 23 August, Savige and the 3rd Division handed over the Salamaua operation to the Australian 5th Division
under Major General Edward Milford. After Allied landings near Lae in the first week of September, Japanese forces withdrew to the north, and the 5th Division occupied Salamaua on 11 September.
, involving an amphibious assault east of the town
, and an airborne landing near Nadzab
, 50 kilometres (30 mi) to the west.
, under Major General George Wootten
, landed east of Lae, on "Red Beach" and "Yellow Beach", beginning an attempt to encircle Japanese forces in the town. Five U.S. Navy
destroyers provided artillery support. The landings were not opposed by land forces but were attacked by Japanese bombers, who killed about 100 Allied naval and army personnel.
The 9th Division faced formidable natural barriers in the form of rivers swollen by recent rain. They came to a halt at the Busu River
, which could not be bridged for two reasons: the 9th lacked heavy equipment, and the far bank was occupied by Japanese soldiers. On 9 September, the 2/28th Infantry Battalion led an attack and secured a bridgehead after fierce fighting.
The following day, the U.S. 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, together with two gun crews from the Australian 2/4th Field Regiment
— who had received a crash course in the use of parachutes — and their cut-down 25-pounder artillery pieces, made an unopposed parachute drop at Nadzab, just west of Lae. The airborne forces secured Nadzab Airfield, so that the Australian 7th Division
, under Major General George Vasey, could be flown in, to cut off any possible Japanese retreat into the Markham Valley
. The 7th Division suffered its worst casualties of the campaign on 7 September, as they were boarding planes at Port Moresby: a B-24 Liberator
bomber crashed while taking off, hitting five trucks carrying members of the 2/33rd Infantry Battalion
: 59 died and 92 were injured.
On 11 September, the 7th Division's 25th Infantry Brigade
engaged about 200 Japanese soldiers entrenched at Jensen's Plantation in a firefight, at a range of 15 metres (49.2 ft), with the 2/24th Field Regiment providing artillery support. After defeating them and killing 33 enemy soldiers, the 25th Infantry Brigade engaged and defeated a larger Japanese force at Heath's Plantation, killing 312 Japanese soldiers. It was at Heath's Plantation that Private Richard Kelliher
won the Victoria Cross
, the highest award for gallantry in the British Commonwealth
.
The 25th Infantry Brigade entered Lae on 15 September, just before the 9th Division's 24th Infantry Brigade. The two units linked up that day.
While the fall of Lae was clearly a victory for the Allies, and it was achieved more quickly and at lower cost than anticipated, a significant proportion of the Japanese garrison had escaped through the Saruwaged Range
, to the north of Lae, and would have to be fought again elsewhere. The Huon Peninsula campaign
was the result.
Salamaua was not developed as a base. The Australian I Corps commander, Lt Gen. Sir Edmund Herring
, visited Salamaua by PT boat
on 14 September 1943, three days after its capture, and found little more than bomb craters and corrugated iron. He recommended cancelling the development of Salamaua and concentrating all available resources on Lae. The base that had originally been envisaged now looked like a waste of effort, because Salamaua was a poor site for a port or airbase. However, in drawing the Japanese attention away from Lae at a critical time, the assault on Salamaua had already served its purpose.
Lae was transformed into two bases: the Australian Lae Base Sub Area and the U.S. "Base E". Herring combined the two as the Lae Fortress, under Milford. Because General Thomas Blamey
, as commander of the Allied New Guinea Force
, had launched Postern before the logistical preparations were complete, most of the units needed to operate the base were not yet available.
The importance of Lae as a port was to supply the airbase at Nadzab, but this was compromised because the Markham Valley Road was found to be in poor condition. In order to expedite the development of Nadzab, minimal efforts were made to repair it, and heavy military traffic bound for Nadzab was permitted to use it. The road was closed following heavy rains on 7 October and did not reopen until December. Until then, Nadzab had to be supplied by air, and its development was slow because heavy engineer units could not get through.
New Guinea campaign
The New Guinea campaign was one of the major military campaigns of World War II.Before the war, the island of New Guinea was split between:...
of World War II. Australian and United States forces sought to capture two major Japanese
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
bases, one in the town of Lae
Lae
Lae, the capital of Morobe Province, is the second-largest city in Papua New Guinea. It is located at the start of the Highlands Highway which is the main land transport corridor from the Highlands region to the coast...
, and another one at Salamaua
Salamaua
Salamaua was a small town situated on the north-eastern coastline of Papua New Guinea part of Morobe province. The settlement was built on a minor isthmus between the coast with mountains on the inland side and a headland...
. The campaign to take the Salamaua and Lae area began with the Australian attack on Japanese positions near Mubo
Mubo
Mubo is a village located inland from Salamaua, in Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea. Mubo was occupied by the Imperial Japanese on 14 May 1943 during the Second World War. Australian Army forces libertaed the village in July 1943....
, on 22 April 1943. The campaign ended with the fall of Lae on 16 September 1943.
Background
During 1942, the Japanese established major bases on the north coast of New GuineaNew Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, in the large town of Lae, and in Salamaua, a small administrative town and port, 35 kilometres (22 mi) to the south. Salamaua was a staging post for attacks on Port Moresby
Operation Mo
Operation Mo or the Port Moresby Operation was the name of the Japanese plan to take control of the Australian Territory of New Guinea during World War II as well as other locations in the South Pacific with the goal of isolating Australia and New Zealand from their ally the United States...
, such as the Kokoda Track campaign
Kokoda Track campaign
The Kokoda Track campaign or Kokoda Trail campaign was part of the Pacific War of World War II. The campaign consisted of a series of battles fought between July and November 1942 between Japanese and Allied—primarily Australian—forces in what was then the Australian territory of Papua...
. When the attacks failed, the Japanese turned the port into a major supply base.
Logistical limitations meant that the Salamaua-Lae area could garrison only 10,000 Japanese personnel: 2,500 seamen and 7,500 soldiers. The defences were centred on the Okabe Detachment, a brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
-sized force from the 51st Division
51st Division (Imperial Japanese Army)
The 51st Division was an infantry division of the Imperial Japanese Army. It was formed on 10 July 1940 at Utsunomiya, Tochigi, and was assigned to the Eastern District Army. Under the command of Lieutenant General Kenichiro Ueno, upon formation the division's infantry group consisted of three...
under Maj. Gen.
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Toru Okabe
Toru Okabe
Major General Toru Okabe was a senior officer in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.He was born in 1889. He was promoted to the Commanding Officer of the infantry group of the 51st Division in 1941. He led the Okabe Detachment along the Black Cat Track and at the battle of Wau in 1943...
.
In January 1943, the Okabe Detachment was defeated in an attack on the Australian base of Wau
Battle of Wau
The Battle of Wau, 29–31 January 1943, was a battle in the New Guinea campaign of World War II. Forces of the Empire of Japan sailed from Rabaul and crossed the Solomon Sea and, despite Allied air attacks, successfully reached Lae, where they disembarked...
, about 40 kilometres (25 mi) away. Allied commanders turned their attention to Salamaua, which could be attacked by troops flown into Wau. This also diverted attention from Lae, which was a major objective of Operation Cartwheel
Operation Cartwheel
Operation Cartwheel was a major military strategy for the Allies in the Pacific theater of World War II. Cartwheel was a twin-axis of advance operation, aimed at militarily neutralizing the major Japanese base at Rabaul...
, the Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
grand strategy for the South Pacific
Pacific Ocean theater of World War II
The Pacific Ocean theatre was one of four major naval theatres of war of World War II, which pitted the forces of Japan against those of the United States, the British Commonwealth, the Netherlands and France....
. It was decided that the Japanese would be pursued towards Salamaua by the Australian 3rd Division, which had been formed at Wau, under the command of Maj. Gen. Stanley Savige
Stanley 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....
.
Salamaua
2/3rd Commando Squadron (Australia)
The 2/3rd Commando Squadron was one of twelve independent or commando companies and squadrons formed by the Australian Army for service during World War II. Raised in October 1941 as the 2/3rd Independent Company, it served in New Caledonia and New Guinea before being amalgamated into the 2/7th...
, which advanced in an arc and raided Japanese positions at Bobdubi Ridge, inflicting severe losses. In May, the 2/7th repelled a number of strong Japanese counterattacks.
At the same time as the first battle at Mubo, the Australian 24th Infantry Battalion
24th Battalion (Australia)
The 24th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army. Originally raised in 1915 for service during World War I as part of the 1st Australian Imperial Force, it was attached to the 6th Brigade, 2nd Division and served during the Gallipoli campaign and in the trenches of the Western...
attacked to the near south-west of Salamaua, in the Bobdubi Range, between 22 April and 29 May. This allowed other units to secure the crossing over the Francisco River, on the track to Salamaua.
The Japanese Eighteenth Army commander, Lieutenant General Hatazō Adachi
Hatazo Adachi
was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.-Early career:Adachi was born into an impoverished samurai family in Ishikawa Prefecture in 1890...
, sent the 66th Regiment from Finschhafen
Finschhafen
Finschhafen is a district on the northeast coast of the Morobe province of Papua New Guinea. It is named after the port of the same name.The port was discovered in 1884 by the German researcher Otto Finsch. In 1885 the German colony of German New Guinea created a town on the site and named it...
to reinforce the Okabe Detachment and launch an offensive. The 1,500 strong 66th attacked at Lababia Ridge, on 20–23 June. The battle has been described as one of the Australian Army's "classic engagements" of World War II. The ridge's only defenders were "D" Company of the 2/6th Battalion. The Australians relied on well-established and linked defensive positions, featuring extensive, cleared free-fire zones. These assets and the determination of "D" Company defeated the Japanese envelopment tactics.
Between 30 June and 19 August, the Australian 15th Infantry Brigade
15th Brigade (Australia)
The 15th Brigade was an infantry brigade of the Australian Army. Originally raised in 1916 for service during World War I, the brigade took part in the fighting on the Western Front in France and Belgium before being disbanded in 1919. After this it was re-raised as a part-time unit of the Citizens...
cleared Bobdubi Ridge. The operation was opened with an assault by the inexperienced 58/59th Infantry Battalion
58th/59th Battalion (Australia)
The 58th/59th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army which served during the Second World War. Raised in 1942 as part of the Militia through the amalgamation of the 58th and 59th Battalions, it formed part of the 15th Brigade, assigned to the 3rd Division...
, and included hand-to-hand combat.
At the same time as the second Australian assault on Bobdubi, On 30 June–4 July, the U.S. 162nd Regimental Combat Team
162nd Infantry Regiment (United States)
The 162nd Infantry Regiment is a regiment of the Oregon Army National Guard with headquarters in Springfield, Oregon. In January, 2006 as part of the Army's transformation towards a modular force, the 1st Battalion, 162nd Infantry Regiment was inactivated...
made an unopposed amphibious landing at Nassau Bay
Landing at Nassau Bay
The Landing at Nassau Bay was an amphibious landing at Nassau Bay in the New Guinea campaign of World War II between June 30 - July 6, 1943. United States forces sought to capture a beachhead for a supply point to shorten the supply line for the proposed attack on Salamaua as part of the...
and established a beachhead
Beachhead
Beachhead is a military term used to describe the line created when a unit reaches a beach, and begins to defend that area of beach, while other reinforcements help out, until a unit large enough to begin advancing has arrived. It is sometimes used interchangeably with Bridgehead and Lodgement...
there.
Meanwhile the main body off the 162nd RCT following a flanking route along the coast, before encountering fierce resistance at Roosevelt Ridge — named after its commander, Lieutenant Colonel Archibald Roosevelt
Archibald Roosevelt
Archibald Bulloch "Archie" Roosevelt , the fifth child of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, was a distinguished U.S. Army officer and commander of U.S. forces in both World War I and II. In both conflicts he was wounded. He earned the Croix de guerre and Silver Star with Oak Leaf Cluster,...
— between 21 July and 14 August.
Between 16 July and 19 August, the 42nd and 2/5th Infantry Battalions gained a foothold on Mt Tambu. They held on despite fierce Japanese counter-attacks. The battle turned when they were assisted by the 162nd RCT.
On 23 August, Savige and the 3rd Division handed over the Salamaua operation to the Australian 5th Division
Australian 5th Division (World War II)
The 5th Division was an infantry division of the Australian Army which served during the First and Second World Wars. The Division was formed in February 1916 as part of the expansion of the Australian Imperial Force infantry brigades...
under Major General Edward Milford. After Allied landings near Lae in the first week of September, Japanese forces withdrew to the north, and the 5th Division occupied Salamaua on 11 September.
Operation Postern
The codename for the main operations to take Lae was Operation Postern. This was a classic pincer movementPincer movement
The pincer movement or double envelopment is a military maneuver. The flanks of the opponent are attacked simultaneously in a pinching motion after the opponent has advanced towards the center of an army which is responding by moving its outside forces to the enemy's flanks, in order to surround it...
, involving an amphibious assault east of the town
Landing at Lae
The Landing at Lae was an amphibous landing, as part of ', to the east of Lae in the Salamaua-Lae campaign of World War II between 4–6 September 1943....
, and an airborne landing near Nadzab
Landing at Nadzab
The Landing at Nadzab was an airborne landing on 5 September 1943 during the New Guinea campaign of World War II that began with a parachute drop at Nadzab in conjunction with the Landing at Lae....
, 50 kilometres (30 mi) to the west.
Lae
On 4 September, the Australian 9th DivisionAustralian 9th Division
The 9th Division was a division of the Australian Army that served during World War II. It was the fourth division of the Second Australian Imperial Force and was formed in the United Kingdom in late 1940 from infantry brigades and support units which had been previously raised in Australia and...
, under Major General George Wootten
George Wootten
Major General Sir George Frederick Wootten KBE, CB, DSO & Bar, ED , was an Australian soldier, public servant, right wing political activist and solicitor. He rose to the rank of temporary Major General during World War II....
, landed east of Lae, on "Red Beach" and "Yellow Beach", beginning an attempt to encircle Japanese forces in the town. Five U.S. Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
destroyers provided artillery support. The landings were not opposed by land forces but were attacked by Japanese bombers, who killed about 100 Allied naval and army personnel.
The 9th Division faced formidable natural barriers in the form of rivers swollen by recent rain. They came to a halt at the Busu River
Busu River
The Busu River is a river located near Lae, in Morobe Province of Papua New Guinea....
, which could not be bridged for two reasons: the 9th lacked heavy equipment, and the far bank was occupied by Japanese soldiers. On 9 September, the 2/28th Infantry Battalion led an attack and secured a bridgehead after fierce fighting.
Nadzab
Field artillery
Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, long range, short range and extremely long range target engagement....
— who had received a crash course in the use of parachutes — and their cut-down 25-pounder artillery pieces, made an unopposed parachute drop at Nadzab, just west of Lae. The airborne forces secured Nadzab Airfield, so that the Australian 7th Division
Australian 7th Division
The 7th Division was an infantry division of the Australian Army. It was formed in February 1940 to serve in World War II, as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force...
, under Major General George Vasey, could be flown in, to cut off any possible Japanese retreat into the Markham Valley
Markham Valley
Markham Valley is a geographical area in New Guinea. It is described as "Flatter than a pancake for miles and miles in all directions, until it runs into the mountains that surround it on three sides" and "Always hot, and usually bone dry." The Highlands Highway runs through the valley. The Markham...
. The 7th Division suffered its worst casualties of the campaign on 7 September, as they were boarding planes at Port Moresby: a B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
bomber crashed while taking off, hitting five trucks carrying members of the 2/33rd Infantry Battalion
2/33rd Battalion (Australia)
The 2/33rd Battalion was a infantry battalion of the Australian Army during the Second World War. Formed as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force in the United Kingdom on 27 June 1940 as the 72nd Battalion to create the 25th Brigade...
: 59 died and 92 were injured.
On 11 September, the 7th Division's 25th Infantry Brigade
25th Brigade (Australia)
The 25th Brigade was a brigade-sized infantry unit of the Australian Army that served during the Second World War. Raised in July 1940 and consisting of three infantry battalions, the 25th Brigade served in the United Kingdom, the Middle East, New Guinea and Borneo before being disbanded in...
engaged about 200 Japanese soldiers entrenched at Jensen's Plantation in a firefight, at a range of 15 metres (49.2 ft), with the 2/24th Field Regiment providing artillery support. After defeating them and killing 33 enemy soldiers, the 25th Infantry Brigade engaged and defeated a larger Japanese force at Heath's Plantation, killing 312 Japanese soldiers. It was at Heath's Plantation that Private Richard Kelliher
Richard Kelliher
Richard Kelliher VC was an Irish-born Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry that can be awarded to Commonwealth forces...
won the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, the highest award for gallantry in the British Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
.
The 25th Infantry Brigade entered Lae on 15 September, just before the 9th Division's 24th Infantry Brigade. The two units linked up that day.
Aftermath
Saruwaged Range
The Saruwaged Range is a mountain range on the Huon Peninsula in Morobe Province, north-eastern Papua New Guinea...
, to the north of Lae, and would have to be fought again elsewhere. The Huon Peninsula campaign
Huon Peninsula campaign
The Huon Peninsula campaign was a series of battles in the New Guinea campaign of the Second World War. Australian forces assaulted Japanese bases on the Huon Peninsula....
was the result.
Salamaua was not developed as a base. The Australian I Corps commander, Lt Gen. Sir Edmund Herring
Edmund Herring
Lieutenant General Sir Edmund Francis Herring, KCMG, KBE, DSO, MC, KStJ, ED, QC was an Australian Army officer during the Second World War, Lieutenant Governor of Victoria, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria.A Rhodes scholar, Herring was at New College, Oxford, when the First World...
, visited Salamaua by PT boat
PT boat
PT Boats were a variety of motor torpedo boat , a small, fast vessel used by the United States Navy in World War II to attack larger surface ships. The PT boat squadrons were nicknamed "the mosquito fleet". The Japanese called them "Devil Boats".The original pre–World War I torpedo boats were...
on 14 September 1943, three days after its capture, and found little more than bomb craters and corrugated iron. He recommended cancelling the development of Salamaua and concentrating all available resources on Lae. The base that had originally been envisaged now looked like a waste of effort, because Salamaua was a poor site for a port or airbase. However, in drawing the Japanese attention away from Lae at a critical time, the assault on Salamaua had already served its purpose.
Lae was transformed into two bases: the Australian Lae Base Sub Area and the U.S. "Base E". Herring combined the two as the Lae Fortress, under Milford. Because 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....
, as commander of the Allied New Guinea Force
New Guinea Force
New Guinea Force was a military command unit for Australian, territory of Papua and territory of New Guinea troops serving in the New Guinea campaign during World War II. Formed in April 1942 it was responsible for planning and directing all operations within the territory up until October 1944,...
, had launched Postern before the logistical preparations were complete, most of the units needed to operate the base were not yet available.
The importance of Lae as a port was to supply the airbase at Nadzab, but this was compromised because the Markham Valley Road was found to be in poor condition. In order to expedite the development of Nadzab, minimal efforts were made to repair it, and heavy military traffic bound for Nadzab was permitted to use it. The road was closed following heavy rains on 7 October and did not reopen until December. Until then, Nadzab had to be supplied by air, and its development was slow because heavy engineer units could not get through.
External links
- David Dexter, 1961, Official Histories – Second World War, Volume VI, "The New Guinea Offensives" (1st edition)
- Chapters 2-13 inclusive
- Samuel Milner, 1957, United States Army in World War II: The War in the Pacific; Victory in Papua, Office of the Chief of Military History, Department of the Army, Washington, D.C.