New Guinea Force was a military command unit forAustralian, United States and native troops from theTerritories of Papua andNew Guinea serving in theNew Guinea campaign duringWorld War II. Formed in April 1942, when theAustralian First Army was formed from the AustralianI Corps after it returned from the Middle East, it was responsible for planning and directing all operations within the territory up until October 1944.[1][2] General HeadquartersSouthwest Pacific Area Operational Instruction No.7 of 25 May 1942, issued by Commander-Allied-Forces, GeneralDouglas MacArthur, placed all Australian and US Army, Air Force and Navy Forces in the Port Moresby Area under the control of New Guinea Force.[2] Over the course of its existence, New Guinea Force was commanded by some of theAustralian Army's most notable commanders, includingSydney Rowell, SirEdmund Herring and SirLeslie Morshead.[3]
GeneralSir Thomas Blamey also commanded the force in 1942 while based in Port Moresby.[4]
The 8th Military District, showing the Territory of Papua and the Territory of New Guinea (including the New Hebrides)
At the outbreak of hostilities, Australia did not have forces in place for the defence ofNew Guinea and theNew Hebrides, due to theLeague of Nations mandate under which the former German territories were administered.[5] Small, mostly ad hoc units of lightly trained men were spread across the region.[5] The Australian Government made the decision to move small units to strategic locations to assist the defence. This included elements of the7th Division, consisting mainly of men from the 2/6th Field Company, on the transportOrcades, who were sent toJava, and fought alongside Dutch forces there, but like most other minor garrisons were soon overwhelmed.[6]
Prior to the formation of New Guinea Force, in January 1942, the30th Brigade was deployed to New Guinea arriving on the troopshipRMSAquitania,[7] with the39th and53rd Infantry Battalions, and took command of the49th Infantry Battalion.[8] Initially, all Australian forces in New Guinea had been part of the8th Military District; however, in April 1942, an Army-wide reorganisation was undertaken which saw the establishment of a new command – New Guinea Force – with Major GeneralBasil Morris in command. This force subsequently replaced the 8th Military District as the formation responsible for all Australian forces in the territories of Papua and New Guinea.[9][10]
In August 1942,HQ I Corps was transferred from Queensland to Port Moresby and on 15 August 1942 became known as Headquarters New Guinea Force (HQ NG Force).[11] Corps troops and two brigades of 7th Division subsequently moved in.[12]
Upon arrival, the21st Brigade, under BrigadierArnold Potts, was dispatched to Port Moresby, from where they would help reinforce the 39th Battalion, which were fighting a rearguard action on the Kokoda Track.[13] Around the same time, the18th Brigade, under the command of BrigadierGeorge Wootten, was sent toMilne Bay,[14][15] to reinforce the7th Brigade, which was defending the airfield at the eastern tip ofPapua, supported by the Royal Australian Air Force and US engineers.[16] The fighting which followed came to be known as theBattle of Milne Bay.[17]
Further formations from I Corps were rotated through the New Guinea theatre of operations under the command of New Guinea Force:
In August 1943, the5th Division arrived in New Guinea with the29th Brigade. The 4th Brigade of the 3rd Division was reassigned to the 5th Division and was later replaced within the division by the 29th Brigade.[18]
From January to May 1944, the brigades of the 7th Division returned to Australia.[19][20]
In August 1944, the 3rd Division's brigades were withdrawn back to Australia and assigned to theAustralian II Corps.[21]
While Australian forces were fighting a rearguard action on the Kokoda Track to prevent the Japanese from reaching Port Moresby, the 4th Brigade of the 3rd Division was sent to Milne Bay in April 1942 to assist protect and expand the airfield there, in anticipation of the creation of an amphibious force to defend the coastal approaches to Milne Bay and Port Moresby. Construction of the airstrip commenced on 8 June 1942, with Nos. 76 and 75 Squadrons arriving in late July. In late August, a Japanese amphibious force attacked in an effort to capture the airfield, but miscalculated the number of Allied troops and were eventually pushed back into the sea and forced to retreat the following month. This was the first major defeat of Japanese land forces in the region.[22]
In late-September, 1942, the Australian forces began pushing the Japanese back toward Buna. The retreat of the Japanese forces quickly became a rout, with many falling to starvation, illness and the environment, as well as Australian attacks.[23]
After a disastrous start by the inexperienced and inadequately trained US 32nd Infantry Division, the advance was restarted by the Australian 7th Division, with Gona falling in December 1942, Buna in January 1943, and Sanananda (between the two larger villages) later that same month.[24][25]
Despite achieving tactical surprise by approaching from an unexpected direction,[26] after a trek over the mountains from Lae, the Japanese attackers were unable to capture Wau, as the Australian defenders had been greatly reinforced by air.[27]
After the successfuldefence of Wau, which was followed up by an advance towardsMubo, a series of actions followed over the course of several months as the Australian3rd Division advanced north-east towards Salamaua,[28] including an amphibiouslanding at Nassau Bay.Keeping up the pressure around Salamaua, in early September they launched anairborne assault on Nadzab (see below), and aseaborne landing near Lae (see below), taking the town with simultaneous drives from the east and north-west. The Salamaua garrison withdrew, and it was captured on 11 September 1943, while Lae fell shortly afterwards on 16 September.
Australian troops at Milne Bay in 1942, shortly after the battle
As per GHQ[notes 2] SWPA[notes 3] Operations Instructions No.15, Section 9, dated 6 August 1942 (reproduced here in full):[2]
9. The mission of the "NEW GUINEA FORCE" is
(a) Protect the operation of Allied Air Forces operating from and through air bases in AUSTRALIAN NEW GUINEA.
(b) Prevent further hostile penetration into AUSTRALIAN NEW GUINEA and in conjunction with the Allied Air Forces, maintain active reconnaissance and deny Japanese use of sea and land areas adjacent to PORT MORESBY, MILNE BAY and the island groups to the north and southeastward of the latter. Prevent at all costs penetration of the Japanese to the southeastward of the crest of the OWEN STANLEY RANGE.
(c) Maintain active patrol operations across the OWEN STANLEY RANGE in the direction of LAE—SALAMAUA and BUNA-GONA. Prepare at the earliest practicable date, assisted by transport and other aviation of the Allied Air Forces, a striking force of at least two battalions eastward of the crest of the OWEN STANLEY RANGE along the route, PORT MORESBY-KOKODA, and capture the KOKODA aerodrome. The eventual objective of this force, upon later orders from this headquarters, in conjunction with other forces is to capture the BUNA-GONA area. Maintain and augment present forces operating from the vicinity of WAU and BULOLO, continue harassing attacks against and be prepared in conjunction with other forces, on later orders from this headquarters, to assist in the capture of LAE and SALAMAUA.
(d) Develop at the earliest practicable date in the vicinity of MILNE BAY an amphibious force, equipped with small boats, for coastwise operations. With the amphibious force and overland detachment, and in conjunction with Allied Air Forces, operate along the northeast coast of NEW GUINEA with the objective of securing the coast line from EAST CAPE to TUFI inclusive and be prepared, in conjunction with other forces upon later orders from this headquarters, to assist in the capture of the BUNA-GONA area.
Over the course of the force's existence, its order of battle changed a number of times as various divisions and brigades were force assigned or reallocated. The following units were attached at various times:
Headquarters – Port Moresby
GHQ Southwest Pacific Area Operational Instruction No.7
^The 49th Battalion was based in Port Moresby from March 1941.[29] It was placed under command of the 30th Brigade in January 1942 before being disbanded due to reduction in strength on 3 July 1943.[30]
^The 3rd Division initially moved to New Guinea composed of the 4th and 15th Brigades. These brigades were sent to Milne Bay and Port Moresby respectively, and Kanga Force (predominantly the 17th Brigade) was placed into the division.
^During this time, Blamey was in command though Herring was nominally commander – when Blamey left in January 1943, Herring officially took control again.
^II Corps replacedI Corps, assuming the NGF name and role while the existing NGF HQ was broken up.
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