November 1943 (4)

Matilda tank enroute to Sattelberg

 

The battle of Sattelberg (17-25 November 1943) saw Australian troops capture a strongly defended Japanese position in the hills to the north-west of Finschhafen, and helped secure their position on the eastern tip of the Huon Peninsula, New Guinea.

The Australian 9th Division landed north of Finschhafin on 22 September 1943, at Scarlet Beach.  The Japanese retreated to Sattelberg.

After the failure of the Japanese counterattack the Australians were able to go back onto the offensive. They still held a fairly narrow coastal strip, running north from Finschhafen past Scarlet Beach and up to Bonga. They also had an isolated outpost at Jivevaneng, on the road west from the coast to Sattelberg.

The Japanese held the high ground around Sattelberg, the area north from Sattelberg to Wareo, and a ridge that ran east from Wareo to Gusika, on the coast just to the north of Bonga. They also still had a roadblock east of Jivevaneng, manned by a company from the 80th Regiment.

The Australian attack involved three brigades now in the Finschhafen area. The 24th Brigade was posted to the north, with the task of cutting the Japanese track between Wareo and Guisika. The 20th Brigade was to clear the Japanese roadblock. The 26th had the task of clearing the heights of Sattelberg. The 4th Brigade was also moved to the area to reinforce the 9th Division.

On D-Day itself the attack was supported by the Matilda tanks, and by a barrage of American rockets. The attack with a howitzer armed tank in the lead, followed by a gun tank and the infantry. The tanks were to take on the heavily fortified Japanese bunkers, while the infantry protected them against close in attackers.  About noon the lead tank was immobilized after it ran over an unexploded Australian 25pdr shell. The tank was stuck just around a corner, so the other tanks couldn’t pass it or tow it away. The infantry continued to advance without the tanks and made some progress before running into strong a Japanese position that held them up.

On 18 November the Japanese pulled out of Coconut Grove, the 2/23rd’s target. On the road the 2/48th, again supported by tanks, attacked, and this time they reached Coconut Grove where they ended the day. On 19 November the tanks ran into an anti-tank ditch which held them up for some time. After this barrier was overcome the advance resumed until the terrain finally defeated the tanks. The day ended with a successful infantry assault up a steep hill covered by the first use of a fougasse (a 5 gallon drum filled with flammable oils) on New Guinea. On 20 November the advance west along the road continued, and on 21 November the Australians broke through the Japanese lines at Steeple Tree Hill. There was then no opposition until the advancing troops reached the first hairpin bend on the road. By the end of the day the Australians were ready to attack the Sattelberg ridge itself.

Australian troops start their dawn attack on Sattelberg.

On 23 November scouts discovered a way across the valley to the right of the road, allowing them to conduct a surprise attack up the south-eastern corner of the ridge. On 24 November the Australians finally managed to get onto the summit after a day of very confused combat.

This finally convinced the Japanese to retreat north towards Wareo, their last major inland position. On the morning of 25 November the Australians made an unopposed entry into Sattelberg, while the deadlock was also broken around Position 2200.

In the north the 24th Brigade captured Pabu, blocking the Gusika-Wareo track, on 19 November. This was the main Japanese supply route, and they responded with a week of counterattacks. They also carried out a major attack towards the coast between Scarlet Beach and Bonga. The attack began on 22 November, but made no real progress. A few days later reinforcements reached the isolated Australian troops at Pabu. This secondary assault greatly helped the attack on Sattelberg by disrupted a planned Japanese counterattack.

Sgt. Tom Derrick raises the flag over the Sattelberg mission

The capture of Sattelberg helped secure the beachhead at Finschhafen. It also caused a great deal of damage to Japanese morale on New Guinea, and saw the failure of the last major large-scale counterattacks on the Huon Peninsula.

Information derived from Lancers.org; History of War.com; Australian War Museum; Wikipedia.

Click on images to enlarge.

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Military Humor – 

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Farewell Salutes – 

Albert Agnello – Rochester, NY; US Army, WWII

Frederick Bicknell – W.AUS; Royal Engineers, WWII, ETO, 8th Army

Louis Cardin – Temecula, CA; USMC, Iraq, SSgt., 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, KIA

Clifford Cooney – W.AUS; Royal Air Force # 1750576

Jean Foust – Delphos, OH; US Navy WAVE, WWII, nurse

Buck Haines – Luka, MS; US Air Force, Cuban Missile Crisis

Gilbert Lesko – Port Orangem, FL; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, 188th/11th Airborne

Matthew Locke – AUS; Australian Special Air Service Reg., Afghanistan, KIA

Andrew Russell – AUS; Australian Special Air Service Reg., Afghanistan, KIA

Elizabeth Strohfus – Faribault, MN; US Army Air Corps WASP, WWII, pilot

Joshua Wheeler – Roland, OK; US Army, Iraq, Delta Force, MSgt., KIA

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