BATTLE OF THE BEACHHEADS -BUNA, GONA and SANANANDA

BATTLE OF THE BEACHHEADS -BUNA, GONA and SANANANDA


Battle for Australia Council
BATTLE OF THE BEACHHEADS -BUNA, GONA and SANANANDA


Prime Minister John Curtin and
General Douglas MacArthur in March 1942 In the mistaken belief that the Japanese were finished General Macarthur, Supreme Commander of South West Pacific Area, ordered an assault by Australian and American troops on the Japanese beachheads. The three villages of Buna, Gona and Sanananda were on the north coast of Papua New Guinea. The Japanese had heavily fortified the villages, and reinforced them with fresh troops. With the sea on one side, and protected by swamps and jungle on the landward side, the 9000 Japanese troops took a heavy toll on the attacking Australians and Americans during the two months of savage fighting that it took to capture the Japanese strongholds. Deaths as a result of the Kokoda Track and Beachhead battles totalled more than 12,000 Japanese, 2,165 Australians and 930 Americans. More Australians died in Papua than in any other campaign of the war, but the Japanese defenders were virtually eliminated.
THE COUNTER OFFENSIVE

The counter offensive against the Japanese continued unabated. The strategy of 'leapfrogging' or bypassing some Japanese positions in order to seize others which would be more useful to develop as supporting bases or 'stepping stones' towards an eventual assault on the Japanese mainland proved successful. Because of the success of American submarine attacks on Japanese mercantile and administrative support fleets little assistance or replenishment of food and stores was available for the bypassed positions. In all cases the Japanese were required to expend a great deal of time and energy in growing their own food. The Australian forces were tasked with 'mopping up' the bypassed Japanese bases on the islands' of New Britain and Bougainville and on the New Guinea mainland around Aitape and Wewak. Australian forces also made successful amphibious landings to seize the vital oilfields in Borneo, thus further weakening the Japanese ability to wage war.
Combined operations between Australia and our Allies isolated and defeated the enemy in detail. After the successful conclusion of the war in Europe Britain was able to concentrate more against Japan. Slowly those countries which had been conquered by the Japanese were liberated, and, just as preparations were being made to invade the Japanese mainland, Japan surrendered to the Allies. This was the direct result of the devastation caused by dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
At the end of the war in August 1945, only 14,315 servicemen and thirty service women had survived as prisoners of war. One in three had died in captivity. This means that nearly half of the deaths suffered by Australians in the war in the Pacific were among the men and women who had surrendered. Such suffering was the result of a deliberate policy pursued by the Japanese.


THE AUSTRALIAN WAR EFFORT

To understand the part played by Australians in the war, the following books are recommended reading:

• McKernan, M. [1983] II ALL IN/ Australia during the Second World War" Robertson, John I! Australia's War 1939-1945"
• Adam-Smith, Patsy [1984] "Australian Women at War"
• Horner, David [1994] "The Battles that shaped Australia"
• Nelson, Hank [1985] "Prisoners of War -Australians Under Nippon".

 

Battle of the beachheads book

Spidge

I am working on a book on Buna-Gona-Sanananda. Early days yet so I am still collecting sources. One of the things I do is interview veterans. Do you know of any veterans of the fighting Nov 42-Feb 43?

Peter

 

Hi Peter,

Sadly no.


Cheers

Geoff

 

Peter, I might be able to put you in touch with someone in Western Australia. PM me to remind me please.

 

The men of the 39th after being called running rabbits by Blamey, due to this many of the 39th fought to the death at Gona, after the battles these men were found in their positions surrounded by loads of dead Imperial Japanese. They very well could of got out alive and with honour, however many veterans of the track including western desert vets died solely due to Gen Blamey's comments.

For more info, including names of men who may still be alive read Peters Brunes,
Those Ragged Bloody Heroes.
From Kokoda trail to Gona Beach 1942
it sh*ts on anything Fitzsimons writes,

And Blamey not long after Gona disbanded the 39th, it was the most experienced Btn in Jungle war fare in the Aussie army, why did he do this yet allowed Btns such as the 53rd that were ordered out of battle during the Kokoda track battles due to total incompetence and even cowardice to continue as Btns. Thankfully most of the 39th went to their brothers in arms from the Track and from Hawthorn/Richmond the 2/14th

 

There is so much to be learnt from the Australian campaigns after Kokoda. I have two of Brune's books but have yet to read them (TRBH and A Bastard of a Place). My plan is to start with Fitzsimons to get an overview and feel and then get stuck into Brune's work. Once I know my way around things, I'll feel comfortable enough to appreciate McAulay's classic Blood and Iron. Same applies with Tobruk.

 

Guys,
"A Bastard of a place " is a moving book that will make you sad.
But any of the books you read about the NG campaign will emotionaly drain you.
The more I read of those battles, espicially the coast battles, after what the blokes had been through, (particularly the Kokoda veterans) makes me angry.......Don't mention Blamey...the little B......!
The problem was I read Kokoda/Ham-Kokoda/Fitsimons & ABOAP, all within a short period, boy was I angry, for those Heroes.

The other good book is Retreat from Kokoda - Raymond Paull.


Cheers
GW

 

Brunes writing is very good, "TRBH's", "A bastard of a place",
"Gona's Gone" The battle for the beach heads 1942.

You are right, reading about the imcopentance of Macarthur his clique including Blamey , it is very very emotional and i would not be surpried if you even cry or smash something while reading about the slaughter of Aussies due only too total incompetance at the most senior level in the Sth West Pacific leadership.
If i could I would go back in time shoot Macarthur, and strangle Blamey.
I will go now as this has bought back all the emotions from all of the above books + more, and I am now in a filthy filthy mood.
Murdering b@s^rds. Thats the Allied high command Sth West Pacific 1942

 

The worst part,
They wouldn't recognise the Great work done by the withdrawing officers/soldiers.
It was NOT a rout, it was a fighting withdrawal.
Brilliantly executed, except for the 53rd debacle.
Logistical nightmare, some of the harshest terrain in the world, untrained troops.
Allied headquarters didn't have the knowledge of the terrain.
Where's the leadership? The BIG Rabbit, kowtowing to MacArthur.

Then onto the beachheads, again Headquarters pushing instead of allowing the commanders on the spot to plan & engage.

Then the poor untrained Americans were thrown in & slaughtered.
SWP headquarters have much blood on their hands....

Better stop, this could go on forever.

GW

 

It was a fighting withdrawal of mythical proportions, the historians of the future will write about this it is like modern historians write about the Spartans against the Persians at the pass.

man less than 700 "under trained" as the 39th was a good Btn that had some basic trained before leaving, against over several thousand highly experienced and well supplied and ably reinforced Imperial Japanese.

man i am getting peeved again, please everyone if you can read about the battles in Papua New Guinea during 1942 esp you wonderful American members, it'll show you stuff that you may never have heard off.

And in 1951 they gave Blamey a promotion to Field Marshall the only one ever in Aussie army, however his substantive rank remained as General, even Bob Menzies who appointed him in 1939 wouldn't give him the full promotion in 1951.
Now I'm getting emotional again,the so and so should opf been demoted to LT.

Cobber out

 

Whatever the politics of the situation, 9 out of every 10 Japanese that set foot on New Guinea died.

The Japanese wanted to die with honour and the Australians in the main obliged them their wish.

 

For the person who asked about surviviving members of the 39 AMF Btn and also 2/14th AIF Btns in particular,
Stan Bissett in Melbourne.
Lt Allan (Kanga) Moore.
Lt Col Ralph Honner CO 39th and later 2/14th.
These men are getting on in age and have been interviewed over and over and if it wasn't for these men opening up we would all still think that what MacArthur said happened actually happened.

Good luck maybe start by contacting the 39th and 2/14 associations along with the other Btns associations both from the great fighting withdrawal and the great offensive back over the Owen Stanley ranges and then onto the Beach Heads, .

 

Cobber,
You & I should never meet.
Imagine the pasting we would give SWP Headquarters.
We would "go on" for hours, we are both "too" passionate about that campaign.

Cheers

 

For sure For sure, Matey

 

Beyond Kokoda

Hi all,

Did you see the "Documentary" Beyond Kokoda"?

Was discussed here on this forum.

http://ww2chat.com/forums/land-battles/3430-beyond-kokoda.html#post20692

 

Spidge,
I thought I had taped it, didn't work.
It will be on again, hopefully around the 25th.
I so want to watch it.

GW

 

My grandfather, Cecil Herbert Hutchinson, was a member of the 39th. He spoke little of his experiences there. Indeed, I only met him once in my life, when I was 11. We did not know, in 1986, the full story of the battalion. He died in 1993, and our family lost forever his story.
The incompetence of the leaders is disgraceful, their dismissal of the extreme valor of so few facing so many is criminal.
They died as boy, yet sometimes I feel they are better men that I will ever be, even as I approach twice their age. They died for a cause. I merely hope to live for one.

 

Did you eventually see Beyond Kokoda?

I thought that I posted the links.

If not, I will post them again.

Cheers

Geoff

 

It was a pity that you did not have much time together however that is part of life.

I assume that this is your grandfather.

http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/script/veteran_certificate.asp?VeteranID=467696

Cheers

Geoff

 

Yes, that is him. We know his company and platoon in the 2/6, thanks to the photo and the War diary mention. I need to get the campaign maps for the entire area, and then we can plot his entire campaign with the help of the maps, the war diary and the Hay book. I have several of the maps, obtained when I was at the War Memorial in November last.

Unfortunately, we do not have his company or platoon in the 39th. If I had the time and money, I would ask these survivors to write down their platoon mates, and company mates to the best of their memory, as well as any others they recollect. Once they are gone, this vital info is gone forever.