United States Army in World War II: The War in the Pacific
Victory in Papua
by Samuel Milner
1955
. . . to Those Who Served
Table of Contents
The Author
Chapter 1: The Japanese Threaten Australia
The Danger—The Plan To Isolate Australia
Chapter 2: Preparing the Defense
The High Command Acts—The Interim Period—The Defensive Problem—The Sufficiency of the Means
Chapter 3: The Thwarted Landing
Frustration at Jomard Passage—Securing the Approaches
Chapter 4: Providence Forestalled
Moving to the Offensive—The SWPA Prepares—The PROVIDENCE Operation—The Japanese Get There First
Planning the Overland Attack—The Japanese Strike Inland—The Main Force Arrives
Chapter 6: The Japanese Offensive Collapses
The SWPA: Early August—The Defense Falls Into Place—The Battle of Milne Bay—The Road to Ioribaiwa—The Australians Take the Offensive
Chapter 7: The Advance on the Beachhead
The Approach to the Target—Completing the Deployment—Drawing the Noose Tight
Chapter 8: The Allies Close In
Mounting the Attack—The 32nd Division on the Eve of Combat—The Enemy Position
Chapter 9: The Opening Blows in General Vasey’s Area
The Attacks on Gona—The 16th Brigade Moves on Sanananda—The Americans Take Over
Chapter 10: The First Two Weeks at Buna
General Harding Readjusts His Plans—The Battle Opens—The Attacks of 30 November
Chapter 11: I Corps Reaches the Front
The Situation: 30 November—General Eichelberger Is Ordered Forward—Buna Operations: 1 and 2 December—General Harding’s Relief
Chapter 12: The Fighting West of the Girua
Operations in the Gona Area—The Sanananda Front—The Japanese Reinforce the Beachhead
Chapter 13: Buna: The Second Two Weeks
The Attack of 5 December—Colonel Martin Softens Up the Enemy Line—Urbana Force Makes Its First Gains—The Scene Brightens
Chapter 14: Warren Force Takes the Initiative
The Advance to Simemi Creek—Crossing the Creek—The Fight for the Old Strip
Chapter 15: Urbana Force Closes on the Mission
The Search for an Axis of Attack—The Attack Moves North—The Subsidiary Operations—The Corridor to the Coast
The Advance to Giropa Point—The Capture of Buna Mission—The End at Buna—Buna’s Cost—The Situation to the Westward
Chapter 17: Clearing the Track Junction
General Herring Calls a Conference—The Preliminary Operations—Tokyo Decides To Withdraw—The Clean-up South of Musket
Chapter 18: The Final Offensive
The Three-Way Push—Finishing the Job—The Victory at Sanananda—The 41st Division Takes Over
The Campaign in Review—What the Campaign Taught—Conclusion
I. Pacific Ocean (National Geographical Society Map)
II. Papuan Campaign Area
III. Japanese Thrust Along Kokoda Trail, 22 July–16 September 1942
IV. Allied Advance Across Owen Stanley Range, 26 September–15 November 1942
V. The Buna Area
VI. Closing in on Japanese Beachhead, 16–21 November 1942
Maps inline with text
1. Battle of Coral Sea, 5–8 May 1942
2. Bulolo Valley Area
3. The Pacific Areas, 1 August 1942
4. Kokoda-Templeton’s Crossing Area
5. Japanese Attack at Milne Bay, 26–31 August 1942
6. Plan of 1 October 1942
7. Plan of Attack, 16 November 1942
8. Establishing Roadblock on Sanananda Road, 22–30 November 1942
9. Japanese Defenses at Buna
10. Situation on Approaches to Buna, Evening, 30 November 1942
11. Sanananda Front, December 1942
12. Warren and Urbana Fronts, 1–16 December 1942
13. Warren Front, 18–28 December 1942
14. Urbana Front, 18–28 December 1942
15. The Fall of Buna, 31 December 1942–2 January 1943
16. Sanananda Front, 3–12 January 1943
17. Sanananda Front, Last Phase, 15–22 January 1943
Illustrations
General MacArthur Arriving in Sydney—General Orders No 1, 18 April 1942—The Battle of the Coral Sea—The Battle of the Coral Sea—USS Yorktown Under Japanese Fire—Papua—Jungled Mountain Ridges Near the Gap—Port Moresby—Milne Bay Area—Australian Riflemen Passing Abandoned Japanese Tanks—Wharf At Gili Gili—General Harding—32nd Division Troops—32nd Division Troops—Bridge At Wairopi—Coastal Shuttle Operations—Coastal Shuttle Operations—Kapa Kapa Trail, September 1942—Crossing A Branch Of Eroro Creek—Chow Line Along The Muddy Trail—Taking A Break—Taking A Break—Simemi Village—Lt Col Herbert A Smith—General MacNider—107th Medical Battalion Corpsmen at Ward’s Drome—Coconut Log Bunker With Fire Trench Entrance—Interior of Coconut Log Bunker—Gona Mission Area—Natives With Supplies and Ammunition—“Fuzzy Wuzzy” Natives—Making Litters for the Wounded—Australian 3.7-inch Pack Howitzer—General Waldron—128th Infantrymen—128th Infantrymen—128th Infantrymen—128th Infantrymen—126th Infantrymen Passing Through Hariko—First Aid Station, Simemi—First Aid Station, Hariko—114th Engineer Battalion—Boatload of Rations—Disabled Bren Gun Carriers—Three Generals Convalescing—General Stuart Light Tanks M3—Simemi Creek Area—Bridge Over Simemi Creek—Swamp East of the Bridge—American and Australian Casualties—Warren Force Men After the Attack—127th Regimental Headquarters Command Post—Footbridge Over Entrance Creek—Japanese-Built Bridge—General Eichelberger and Members of His Staff—Firing a 60-mm Mortar—37-mm Antitank Gun—32nd Division Troops Examine Booty—Emaciated Prisoners Being Led to the Rear Area—General Blamey Touring the Battle Area—Weary Soldier Sleeps—General Herring—Sanananda Point—Collapsible Assault Boats—Setting Up a Field Switchboard—General MacArthur With General Kenney—.50-cal Browning Machine Gun—Order of the Day, 22 January 1943—Dobodura Airstrip—Dobodura Airstrip—Japanese Prisoners at Dobodura
The illustrations on pages 19 and 85 are Australian War Memorial photographs; those on pages 295 and 326 are Life photographs taken by Strock. All other illustrations are from the files of the Department of Defense.
Office of the Chief of Military History
Department of the Army
Washington, D.C., 1957
United States Army in World War II
Kent Roberts Greenfield, General Editor
Advisory Committee, (as of 30 March 1955)
James P. Baxter, President, Williams College
Brig. Gen. Samuel G. Conley, Continental Army Command
Samuel Flagg Bemis, Yale University
Brig. Gen. Thomas W. Dunn, Army War College
Gordon A. Craig, Princeton University
Brig. Gen. Charles E. Beauchamp, Command and General Staff College
Elmer Ellis, University of Missouri
Brig. Gen. Urban Niblo, Industrial College of the Armed Forces
William T. Hutchinson, University of Chicago
Col. Thomas D. Stamps, United States Military Academy
Charles H. Taylor, Harvard University
Office of the Chief of Military History
Maj. Gen. Albert C. Smith, Chief
Kent Roberts Greenfield, Chief Historian,
Col. Ridgway P. Smith, Jr.Chief, War Histories Division
Col. William H. Francis, Chief, Editorial and Publication Division
Joseph R. Friedman, Chief, Editorial Branch
Maj. James P. Holly, Chief, Cartographic Branch
Margaret E. Tackley, Chief, Photographic Branch