09/12/2019
The beachhead battles were the final slog in the long campaign to defeat the Japanese in Papua.
The overland attack towards Port Moresby had begun in July 1942, when Japanese forces established beachheads at Buna, Gona, and Sanananda, three villages along a 25-kilometre stretch of the north coast of Papua.
By mid-September, the Japanese had fought their way along the Kokoda Trail, and, it is said, could see the lights of Port Moresby. But they had outrun their supply line and were soon ordered to withdraw because of losses suffered elsewhere.
Pursued by elements of the 7th and 6th divisions, the Japanese dug in along the north coast, determined to hold the beachheads at all costs. On the 16th of November, Australian troops crossed the Kumusi River, about 65 km from the beachheads. The following battles took place during the tropical wet season, in one of the most malarial regions in the world, amidst waterlogged swamp, dense jungle, and 2-metre tall kunai grass, facing an enemy that was skillful, well prepared, and resolute.
The difficult conditions favored the Japanese force, which had developed a strong network of well-concealed defences. For two bloody months the Australians and Americans threw themselves against the defenders, only dislodging them after a fight that many veterans considered their toughest of the war. The Japanese position at Gona was finally cleared on the morning of the 9th of December.
Read about the Japanese experience at Buna-Gona: https://www.awm.gov.au/wartime/83/article-two
Photo: An Australian mortar crew in action during fighting against Japanese forces in the Gona area. 4 December 1942, George Silk, 013754/21, https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C33172
