September 1943 (3)

Australian troops with a 25-pounder

Picture by Roy Cecil Hodgkinson and courtesy of Rant Foundry.

19-26 September – American and Australian forces continued to close their ring around the port at Nadzab, New Guinea.  The Japanese command withdrew some troops to defend Lae, but this action was too late.  The enemy retreated towards Sio as the Allies advanced.  On the 22nd, Lae fell into Australian hands and the enemy was forced to take the only route out, over the mountains to the north coast. (See map below).

The Australian Infantry Battalion of the 9th Division made an amphibious landing north of Finschhafen.  They were met by a counterattack of 5,000 Japanese troops who failed.  Finschhafen would be captured 2 October.  US aircraft continued to hit the enemy airstrip at Wewak; more than 60 aircraft were destroyed on the ground, while offshore, 6 enemy ships were sunk.

14th NZ Brigade at Vella Lavella

 

20-24 September – New Zealand forces cleared the island of Vella Lavella of all Japanese oppositions.  This allowed operations to begin from the newly acquired airfield as air coverage for the North Solomon Island campaigns.

limpet mine, attached by magnets

26-27 September – 6 Australian Special Force men, led by Major Ivan Lyon, used canoes under cover of darkness to penetrate the enemy shipping at Singapore harbour.  They placed limpet mines on select vessels; 2 enemy transports sunk and 5 others were damaged.

The swift and powerful momentum of the Allies in capturing the Huon Peninsula of New Guinea gave them a jumping-off base to invade New Britain.  This alarmed the Japanese command at Rabaul at the other end of the island.  The enemy garrison on Bougainville (300 miles to the southeast) was all that stood between the main Japanese base in the South Pacific and the other wing of Allied advance.

Japanese Imperial General Headquarters reversed their plans once more by ordering Imamura’s reserve troops to hold Bougainville and made it the Japanese priority.  The Japanese Combined Fleet was ordered to assist in this operation, but Admiral Koga was already planning to meet the Americans in the Central Pacific.  He moved to Eniwetok and ended up arriving too late to prevent the US landing on Bougainville. (This will be discussed in future posts).

Click on images to enlarge.

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Please Remember Them – 

President Nixon ordered a cease-fire for midnight 27/28 January 1973 – and our men started coming home!!!!  Please remember those who did not…..

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Military Humor – 

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Farewell Salutes – 

Robert Bold – Chaseley, ND; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, navigator/Morse Code

Helen Castellano – Peekskill, NY; NY Military Academy, nurse (Ret. 22 years)

Stan Emiec – Williamstown, NJ; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, 188th/11th Airborne Div.

Albert Gutierrez – Miami Beach, FL; USMC, Kuwait, Major, KIA

William Hiatt – Denver, CO; US Army, Colonel, Surgeon

Christopher Buck Johnson – Alva, OK; US Army, Vietnam, helicopter pilot, Purple Heart, Bronze Star

Joseph Mazza – Pittsburgh, PA; US Navy, WWII, USS Wichita, medical

John Rowlands – W.AUST; British Army, WWII, 20th King’s Hussars

Edward Stapela – Waterloo, IA; US Army, WWII

James Whyte – Tauranga, NZ; RNZ Army # 240826, WWII

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