Aitape
Encyclopedia
Aitape is a small town of about 8,000 people on the north coast of Papua New Guinea
in the Sandaun Province. It is a coastal settlement that is almost equidistant from the provincial capitals of Wewak
and Vanimo
, and marks the midpoint of the highway between these two capitals. Aitape has 240 V power (in general 24 hours), telephone, a bank, a post-office, a courthouse and a police station, a supermarket and many tradestores, a petrol station, two airstrips, two secondary schools, a mission office and a hospital.
Aitape was established as a station by German
colonists in 1905 as part of German New Guinea
. During the Second World War the town was occupied by the Imperial Japanese Army
.
Boats also leave Aitape Harbor to Vanimo and Wewak.
There are two airstrips: Tadji
(TAJ), where most flights land, and Aitape
(ATP). Tadji airstrip is located 10km east of town.
German authorities found it difficult to colonize the Siau and Bakla of the Aitape area. The Aitape area was officially described as uncontrolled during the German colonial period. Still, the Germans built a solid prison at Aitape and installed a powerful radio station which maintained quality communication with Europe.
In 1908, the Aitape coastline was struck by a major tsunami event resulting in the collapse of an area of coastline between Arop and Sissano creating the Sissano Lagoon. (A second tsunami struck in 1935 with most recent occurring in 1998 also hitting Sissano.)
By 1914 there were 68 missionaries and 6 new stations established along the coast. The town along with the rest of German New Guinea passed to Australia
n control after the First World War and became part of the Territory of New Guinea
.
During the recapture American forces bypassed the Japanese 18th Army based at Wewak
, taking Aitape
on 22 April 1944. A base was developed here and repulsed a major Japanese counter-attack. The Americans were content to hold Aitape and not advance far towards Wewak. In fact, Aitape was captured as part of a 3-pronged invasion by the Allies (Aitape, Vanimo, Hollandia). There was little or no strategic gain to be had in doing so as the Japanese force based at Wewak no longer posed a real threat – cut off, short of supplies, and weakened from battle and diseases. In mid-1944, General Douglas MacArthur
, the American Commander-in-Chief of Allied forces in the South-West Pacific Area, secured an agreement from the Australian government for Australian forces to take over at Aitape. MacArthur then continued island hoping in preparation for the re-capture of the Philippines.
The Aitape-Wewak campaign
was the final Australian military campaign on mainland New Guinea. It ran from November 1944 to the war’s end in August 1945. It was fought by the 6th Division, Australian Imperial Force
(AIF) with air and naval support.
that killed over 2,000 people. The earthquake, a magnitude 7.0, which triggered the tsunami occurred, just before 7 p.m., on Friday, 17 July 1998, it resulted in a large undersea earth slippage, which then in turn resulted in the tsunami.
The area worst hit was Sissano village about 8 km west of Aitape. The village was situated on a narrow spit between the coast and a large lagoon. It is estimated that waves with an average height of 10.5 metres passed over the spit into the lagoon.
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
in the Sandaun Province. It is a coastal settlement that is almost equidistant from the provincial capitals of Wewak
Wewak
Wewak is the capital of the East Sepik province of Papua New Guinea. It is located on the northern coast of the island of New Guinea. It is the largest town between Madang and Jayapura. It is the see city of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wewak....
and Vanimo
Vanimo
Vanimo is the capital of Sandaun Province in Papua New Guinea. It is located on a peninsula close to the border with Indonesia.Vanimo is a small township with an economy based around the timber industry. Logging company Vanimo Forest Products, which is owned by Malaysian company Rimbunan Hijau, is...
, and marks the midpoint of the highway between these two capitals. Aitape has 240 V power (in general 24 hours), telephone, a bank, a post-office, a courthouse and a police station, a supermarket and many tradestores, a petrol station, two airstrips, two secondary schools, a mission office and a hospital.
Aitape was established as a station by German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
colonists in 1905 as part of German New Guinea
German New Guinea
German New Guinea was the first part of the German colonial empire. It was a protectorate from 1884 until 1914 when it fell to Australia following the outbreak of the First World War. It consisted of the northeastern part of New Guinea and several nearby island groups...
. During the Second World War the town was occupied by 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...
.
Transportation
Aitape can be reached by logging road from Vanimo and Wewak (180 km).Boats also leave Aitape Harbor to Vanimo and Wewak.
There are two airstrips: Tadji
Tadji Airport
Tadji Airport is an airfield serving Tadji, near Aitape, in the Sandaun Province of Papua New Guinea. It resides at an elevation of above mean sea level and has a runway designated 10/28....
(TAJ), where most flights land, and Aitape
Aitape Airport
Aitape Airport is located at Aitape, Papua New Guinea .There is another airstrip at Tadji about 10 km to the east, where most flights land....
(ATP). Tadji airstrip is located 10km east of town.
History
First contact between the Aitape (Eitape) area and the outside world is believed to have occurred during the 15th century when large sailing expeditions arrived from China. It is certain that Malay fishing fleets were active along the Sepik coastline from the early 17th century when island inhabitants were recruited as navigators for these Malay fishing vessels. The first Christian missionary arrived in the Aitape area in 1896. It was Societatis Verbi Divini (the Society of the Divine Word or SVD) from Germany and Holland. The first mission station was established on the island of Tumleo in 1896. A second station was set up at Pro on the mainland the following year. The inhabitants of Pro requested that the mission station be established to protect them from raids by much larger settlements. The major native settlements at the time were at Sissano, Malol, and Arop (the Siau group). The island settlements of Tumleo, Ali and Seleo (the Bakla) made up the next group of main settlements. Both the Siau and Bakla would band together annually for major trading expeditions taking in the Aitape coastline to the south east areas around Wewak.German authorities found it difficult to colonize the Siau and Bakla of the Aitape area. The Aitape area was officially described as uncontrolled during the German colonial period. Still, the Germans built a solid prison at Aitape and installed a powerful radio station which maintained quality communication with Europe.
In 1908, the Aitape coastline was struck by a major tsunami event resulting in the collapse of an area of coastline between Arop and Sissano creating the Sissano Lagoon. (A second tsunami struck in 1935 with most recent occurring in 1998 also hitting Sissano.)
By 1914 there were 68 missionaries and 6 new stations established along the coast. The town along with the rest of German New Guinea passed to 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...
n control after the First World War and became part of the Territory of New Guinea
Territory of New Guinea
The Territory of New Guinea was the Australia-controlled, League of Nations-mandated territory in the north eastern part of the island of New Guinea, and surrounding islands, between 1920 and 1949...
.
Second World War
During the Second World War the town was occupied, along with the rest of the Territory of New Guinea, by the Imperial Japanese Army.During the recapture American forces bypassed the Japanese 18th Army based at Wewak
Wewak
Wewak is the capital of the East Sepik province of Papua New Guinea. It is located on the northern coast of the island of New Guinea. It is the largest town between Madang and Jayapura. It is the see city of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wewak....
, taking Aitape
Operation Persecution
The Landing at Aitape was a battle of the Western New Guinea campaign of World War II. American and Allied forces undertook an amphibious landing on 22 April 1944 at Aitape on northern coast of Papua New Guinea...
on 22 April 1944. A base was developed here and repulsed a major Japanese counter-attack. The Americans were content to hold Aitape and not advance far towards Wewak. In fact, Aitape was captured as part of a 3-pronged invasion by the Allies (Aitape, Vanimo, Hollandia). There was little or no strategic gain to be had in doing so as the Japanese force based at Wewak no longer posed a real threat – cut off, short of supplies, and weakened from battle and diseases. In mid-1944, General Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
, the American Commander-in-Chief of Allied forces in the South-West Pacific Area, secured an agreement from the Australian government for Australian forces to take over at Aitape. MacArthur then continued island hoping in preparation for the re-capture of the Philippines.
The Aitape-Wewak campaign
Aitape-Wewak campaign
The Aitape–Wewak campaign was one of the final campaigns of the Pacific Theatre of World War II. Between November 1944 and the end of the war in August 1945, the Australian 6th Division, with air and naval support, fought the Imperial Japanese 18th Army in northern New Guinea...
was the final Australian military campaign on mainland New Guinea. It ran from November 1944 to the war’s end in August 1945. It was fought by the 6th Division, Australian Imperial Force
Second Australian Imperial Force
The Second Australian Imperial Force was the name given to the volunteer personnel of the Australian Army in World War II. Under the Defence Act , neither the part-time Militia nor the full-time Permanent Military Force could serve outside Australia or its territories unless they volunteered to...
(AIF) with air and naval support.
Tsunami
In July 1998 the area surrounding the town suffered from an enormous tsunamiTsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
that killed over 2,000 people. The earthquake, a magnitude 7.0, which triggered the tsunami occurred, just before 7 p.m., on Friday, 17 July 1998, it resulted in a large undersea earth slippage, which then in turn resulted in the tsunami.
The area worst hit was Sissano village about 8 km west of Aitape. The village was situated on a narrow spit between the coast and a large lagoon. It is estimated that waves with an average height of 10.5 metres passed over the spit into the lagoon.