Battle of Milne Bay
Battle of Milne Bay
As the Japanese worked towards domination of the South Pacific, the only major remaining defence to conquer was that of Port Moseby, Papua New Guinea. Gaining control of Port Moseby would have provided the Japanese a strategically located base close to the shores of Australia. This would have escalated the vulnerability of Northern Australia with Japan lurking to invade. The battle of Milne Bay began on the 25th of August, 1942 and was not concluded until the 7th of December that year. It was one of a series of critical battles in the defence of Papua and marked a turning point for the Allied forces in the war.
The Milne Bay Flag – Bearing a good luck slogan and a Shinto blessing, Australian gunners of the 2/5th Field Regiment took the flag from a defeated Japanese tank, signed it and listed their fallen on the central disc Located on the south eastern tip of Papua, Allied forces had established a strategic base which consisted of almost 9000 troops. This included two Australian Infantry brigades (7th and 18th brigades) along with their fellow Australian defence personnel, the 75th and 76th Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Squadrons. The base boasted three airstrips which was a valuable asset and crucial component for the effective operation of the RAAF air support. Integrated with the Australian forces were the US 43rd Engineer regiment along with the 709th anti aircraft battery. This considerably established force was not the reception expected by the 2000 Japanese marines, known as the Kaigun Rikusentai (Japanese Special Naval Landing Forces), prior to landing eleven kilometres east of their intended landing area. The Japanese’s first contact with allied forces came from the efforts of the 61st battalion who successfully slowed them down, however the two Type 95 Ha-Go tanks utilised by the Japanese proved a valuable asset and the Australian battalion was defeated. On the 27th of August the Japanese were once again confronted, this time
As the Japanese worked towards domination of the South Pacific, the only major remaining defence to conquer was that of Port Moseby, Papua New Guinea. Gaining control of Port Moseby would have provided the Japanese a strategically located base close to the shores of Australia. This would have escalated the vulnerability of Northern Australia with Japan lurking to invade. The battle of Milne Bay began on the 25th of August, 1942 and was not concluded until the 7th of December that year. It was one of a series of critical battles in the defence of Papua and marked a turning point for the Allied forces in the war.
The Milne Bay Flag – Bearing a good luck slogan and a Shinto blessing, Australian gunners of the 2/5th Field Regiment took the flag from a defeated Japanese tank, signed it and listed their fallen on the central disc Located on the south eastern tip of Papua, Allied forces had established a strategic base which consisted of almost 9000 troops. This included two Australian Infantry brigades (7th and 18th brigades) along with their fellow Australian defence personnel, the 75th and 76th Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Squadrons. The base boasted three airstrips which was a valuable asset and crucial component for the effective operation of the RAAF air support. Integrated with the Australian forces were the US 43rd Engineer regiment along with the 709th anti aircraft battery. This considerably established force was not the reception expected by the 2000 Japanese marines, known as the Kaigun Rikusentai (Japanese Special Naval Landing Forces), prior to landing eleven kilometres east of their intended landing area. The Japanese’s first contact with allied forces came from the efforts of the 61st battalion who successfully slowed them down, however the two Type 95 Ha-Go tanks utilised by the Japanese proved a valuable asset and the Australian battalion was defeated. On the 27th of August the Japanese were once again confronted, this time
Bibliography: Memorial, A. W., n.d. The Battle of Milne Bay. [Online] Available at: http://www.awm.gov.au/units/event_345.asp [Accessed 10th April 2013].