New Guinea campaign
Encyclopedia
Military campaign
In the military sciences, the term military campaign applies to large scale, long duration, significant military strategy plan incorporating a series of inter-related military operations or battles forming a distinct part of a larger conflict often called a war...
s of World War II.
Before the war, the island of New Guinea
New 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...
was split between:
- Territory of New GuineaTerritory of New GuineaThe 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...
, the north-eastern part of the island of New Guinea and surrounding islands, controlled by AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , 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...
under a League of Nations MandateLeague of Nations mandateA League of Nations mandate was a legal status for certain territories transferred from the control of one country to another following World War I, or the legal instruments that contained the internationally agreed-upon terms for administering the territory on behalf of the League...
; - Territory of Papua the south-eastern part of the island of New Guinea, an Australian colony and;
- Dutch New Guinea, the western part of the island (later known as West Papua).
Fighting between 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...
and 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...
forces commenced with the Japanese assault on Rabaul
Battle of Rabaul (1942)
The Battle of Rabaul, also known by the Japanese as Operation R, was fought on the island of New Britain in the Australian Territory of New Guinea, in January and February 1942. It was a strategically significant defeat of Allied forces by Japan in the Pacific campaign of World War II...
on 23 January 1942. Rabaul
Rabaul
Rabaul is a township in East New Britain province, Papua New Guinea. The town was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province until it was destroyed in 1994 by falling ash of a volcanic eruption. During the eruption, ash was sent thousands of metres into the air and the...
became the forward base for the Japanese campaigns in mainland New Guinea, including the pivotal 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...
of July 1942–January 1943, and the Battle of Buna-Gona
Battle of Buna-Gona
The Battle of Buna–Gona was a battle in the New Guinea campaign, a major part of the Pacific campaign of World War II. On 16 November 1942, Australian and United States forces attacked the main Japanese beachheads in New Guinea, at Buna, Sanananda and Gona. Both forces were riddled by disease and...
. Fighting in some parts of New Guinea continued until the war ended in August 1945.
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...
as Supreme Commander in the South West Pacific Area, led the Allied forces. MacArthur was based in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
and Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
. The Japanese 8th Area Army, under General Hitoshi Imamura
Hitoshi Imamura
-External links:...
, was responsible for both the New Guinea and Solomon Islands campaign
Solomon Islands campaign
The Solomon Islands campaign was a major campaign of the Pacific War of World War II. The campaign began with Japanese landings and occupation of several areas in the British Solomon Islands and Bougainville, in the Territory of New Guinea, during the first six months of 1942...
s. Imamura was based at Rabaul. The Japanese 18th Army, under 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...
, was responsible for Japanese operations on mainland New Guinea.
Major battles and sub-campaigns
- Operation RBattle of Rabaul (1942)The Battle of Rabaul, also known by the Japanese as Operation R, was fought on the island of New Britain in the Australian Territory of New Guinea, in January and February 1942. It was a strategically significant defeat of Allied forces by Japan in the Pacific campaign of World War II...
(1942) - Bombing of Rabaul (1942)
- Action off BougainvilleAction off BougainvilleThe Action off Bougainville was a naval and air engagement on the South Pacific Theater of World War II near Bougainville, Papua New Guinea on 20 February 1942. In the engagement, a United States Navy aircraft carrier task force on its way to raid the Imperial Japanese military base at Rabaul, New...
(1942) - Operation SRInvasion of Lae-SalamauaThe Invasion of Lae-Salamaua, called Operation SR by the Japanese, was an operation by Imperial Japanese forces to occupy the Salamaua-Lae area in the Territory of New Guinea 8–13 March 1942 during the Pacific campaign of World War II...
(1942) - Operation MoOperation MoOperation 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...
(1942) - Battle of the Coral SeaBattle of the Coral SeaThe Battle of the Coral Sea, fought from 4–8 May 1942, was a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II between the Imperial Japanese Navy and Allied naval and air forces from the United States and Australia. The battle was the first fleet action in which aircraft carriers engaged...
(1942) - Kokoda Track campaignKokoda Track campaignThe 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...
(1942) - Battle of Milne BayBattle of Milne BayThe Battle of Milne Bay, also known as Operation RE by the Japanese, was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II. Japanese marines attacked the Australian base at Milne Bay on the eastern tip of New Guinea on 25 August 1942, and fighting continued until the Japanese retreated on 5...
(1942) - Battle of Buna-GonaBattle of Buna-GonaThe Battle of Buna–Gona was a battle in the New Guinea campaign, a major part of the Pacific campaign of World War II. On 16 November 1942, Australian and United States forces attacked the main Japanese beachheads in New Guinea, at Buna, Sanananda and Gona. Both forces were riddled by disease and...
(1942–1943) - Battle of WauBattle of WauThe 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...
(1943) - Battle of the Bismarck SeaBattle of the Bismarck SeaThe Battle of the Bismarck Sea took place in the South West Pacific Area during World War II. During the course of the battle, aircraft of the U.S. 5th Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force attacked a Japanese convoy that was carrying troops to Lae, New Guinea...
(1943) - Operation CartwheelOperation CartwheelOperation 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...
(1943)
- Salamaua-Lae campaignSalamaua-Lae campaignThe 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...
(1943)- Landing at Nassau BayLanding at Nassau BayThe 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...
- First Battle of Mubo
- First Battle of Bobdubi
- Battle of Lababia Ridge
- Second Battle of Bobdubi
- Second Battle of Mubo
- Battle of Roosevelt Ridge
- Battle of Mount Tambu
- Operation Postern
- Landing at LaeLanding at LaeThe 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....
- Landing at NadzabLanding at NadzabThe 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....
- Landing at Lae
- Landing at Nassau Bay
- Bombing of WewakBombing of WewakThe Bombing of Wewak was a series of air raids by the USAAF Fifth Air Force, on 17–21 August 1943, against the major air base of the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force on the mainland of New Guinea, at Wewak...
- Bombing of Rabaul (1943)
- Finisterre Range campaignFinisterre Range campaignThe Finisterre Range campaign, also known as the Ramu Valley–Finisterre Range campaign, was a series of actions in the New Guinea campaign of World War II...
(1943–1944: Including a series of actions known as the Battle of Shaggy Ridge)- Ramu Valley campaign
- Battle of Johns' Knoll-Trevor's Ridge
- Battle of The Pimple
- Battle of Cam's Saddle
- Operation Cutthroat
- Battle of Faria Ridge
- Battle of Prothero I and II
- Battle of McCaughey's Knoll
- Battle of Kankiryo Saddle
- Huon Peninsula campaignHuon Peninsula campaignThe 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....
(1943–1944)- Battle of Scarlet BeachBattle of Scarlet BeachThe Battle of Scarlet Beach took place during the Huon Peninsula campaign of the Second World War. Involving forces from Australia, the United States and Japan, Allied forces landed at Scarlet Beach, north of Siki Cove and south of the Song River, to the east of Katika and about 10 kilometres to...
- Battle of FinschhafenBattle of FinschhafenThe Battle of Finschhafen was part of the Huon Peninsula campaign during the Second World War between September and October 1943 between Australian and Japanese forces...
- Battle of SattelbergBattle of SattelbergThe Battle of Sattelberg took place during the Huon Peninsula campaign of the Second World War. Involving forces from Australia, the United States and Japan, the fighting centred around the Sattelberg mission station which was situated atop a hill about above sea level, approximately inland from...
- Battle of Jivevaneng
- Battle of Wareo
- Battle of SioBattle of SioThe Battle of Sio, fought between December 1943 and March 1944, was the breakout and pursuit phase of General Douglas MacArthur's Huon Peninsula campaign, part of the New Guinea campaign of World War II....
- Landing at SaidorLanding at SaidorThe Landing at Saidor was an Allied amphibious landing at Saidor, Papua New Guinea on 2 January 1944 as part of Operation Dexterity during World War II. In Allied hands, Saidor was a stepping stone towards Madang, the ultimate objective of General Douglas MacArthur's Huon Peninsula campaign...
- Battle of Scarlet Beach
- Bougainville campaign (1943–1945)
- New Britain campaign (1943–1945)
- Admiralty Islands campaignAdmiralty Islands campaignThe Admiralty Islands campaign was a series of battles in the New Guinea campaign of World War II in which the United States Army's 1st Cavalry Division occupied the Japanese-held Admiralty Islands....
(1944) - Western New Guinea campaignWestern New Guinea campaignThe Western New Guinea campaign was a series of actions in the New Guinea campaign of World War II. United States and Australian forces assaulted Japanese bases and positions in the northwest coastal areas of Netherlands New Guinea and adjoining parts of the Australian Territory of New Guinea...
(1944–1945)- Operations Reckless and PersecutionOperations Reckless and PersecutionOperation Reckless, known as the Landing at Hollandia and Operation Persecution known as the Aitape landing, were Allied amphibious landings which commenced the Western New Guinea campaign. Both operations commenced on 22 April 1944....
- Landing at Aitape
- Landing at HollandiaLanding at HollandiaThe Landing at Hollandia 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 Hollandia on northern coast of Dutch New Guinea...
- Battle of WakdeBattle of WakdeThe Battle of Wakde was part of the New Guinea campaign of World War II. It was fought between the United States and Japan from 15 May 1944 to 18 May 1944....
- Battle of Lone Tree Hill (1944)Battle of Lone Tree Hill (1944)The Battle of Lone Tree Hill, also known as the Battle of Wakde-Sarmi, is the name given to a major battle in 1944 in Dutch New Guinea, between United States and Japanese forces....
- Battle of MorotaiBattle of MorotaiThe Battle of Morotai, part of the Pacific War, began on September 15, 1944, and continued until the war ended in August 1945. The fighting began when United States and Australian forces landed on the south-west corner of Morotai, a small island in the Netherlands East Indies , which the Allies...
- Battle of BiakBattle of BiakThe Battle of Biak was part of the New Guinea campaign of World War II. It was fought between the United States Army and the Japanese Army from May 27 to June 22, 1944. It was the first major tactical use of an ambush by the Japanese during the war....
- Battle of NoemfoorBattle of NoemfoorThe Battle of Noemfoor was a battle of World War II that took place on the island of Noemfoor, in Dutch New Guinea, between 2 July and 31 August 1944. United States and Australian forces attacked to capture Japanese bases on the island.-Background:...
- Battle of Driniumor RiverBattle of Driniumor RiverThe Battle of Driniumor River, also known as The Battle of Aitape, 10 July – 25 August 1944, was part of the Western New Guinea campaign of World War II. Japanese forces attacked United States forces on the Driniumor River, near Aitape in New Guinea...
- Battle of SansaporBattle of SansaporThe Battle of Sansapor was an amphibous landing and subsequent operations around Sansapor, Dutch New Guinea on the Vogelkop Peninsula during World War II....
- Aitape-Wewak campaignAitape-Wewak campaignThe 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...
- Operations Reckless and Persecution
Additional reading
- Zaloga, Steven J. Japanese Tanks 1939-45. Osprey, 2007. ISBN 978-1-84603-091-8.
- Hungerford, T.A.G. (1952). The Ridge and the River. Sydney: Angus & Roberston. Republished by Penguin, 1992; ISBN 0-143-00174-4.
Further reading
Translation of the official record by the Japanese Demobilization Bureaux detailing the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy's participation in the Southwest Pacific area of the Pacific WarPacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
.