| 15 September 1942 U.S. Troops Land on Papua-New Guinea |
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| Ever since March Australian forces had been fighting
against the Japanese for control of Papua-New Guinea. That summer, General Douglas MacArthur decided
that he needed an airbase on Papua in order to support U.S. operations in the Solomon Islands.
A battalion from the 32 nd Infantry Division landed at Port Moresby in mid-September, and the next
several months saw fierce fighting, as both sides sought control of the Kokoda Trail, a primitive
track that crossed the island. Slowly the Japanese were pushed back through the autumn of 1942,
and by the end of the year the Australians had captured Gona, on the northern coast of Papua. In
late January all remaining Japanese resistance in Papua was overcome. It had been an extremely
costly campaign for both sides, with the Allies suffering 8,500 casualties and the Japanese nearly
12,000.
Histories: Campaign Maps: Photographs: Personal Accounts: |
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