THE ROAD BACK NEW GUINEA

[Music] con [Music] [Music] in early 1942 with the Japanese in control of all the Philippines the US position in the Pacific was Bleak indeed with the fall of corgador in May the Japanese greatly increased the area of their domination below the equator the enemy began making Landings on the northern coast of strategic New Guinea as early as March 1942 for the US the job ahead was an enormous one in Australia American troops arrived in larger numbers as mid1 1942 Drew near to prepare for the moment when the offensive against the enemy could be seized in the Southwest Pacific New Guinea was the major Battlefield where the Japanese and the Allies were finally to come to grips its spine was a rugged mountain range tapering off into thick jungle the Japanese were intent on pushing their Advance even farther south from nearby Island bases Japanese planes moved out in the first of a series of raids on the island continent control of the air in the equatorial Zone off the mainland of Asia had been seized by the Japanese who were able to fly over most of that territory with little fear of opposition Japanese Pilots ventured with impunity to the shores of Australia itself the Australian Port City of Darwin came under attack by Japanese planes some 50 times during 1942 in those early raids the enemy had a relatively easy time of it in late August 1942 mil Bay at the tip of New Guinea became the newest Japanese invasion Target seizure of the mil Bay Area was an important step in Japanese plans to to gain control of all of New Guinea but the invasion was not unopposed Allied planes went to work on the enemy amphibious Force the mil Bay Area was not to be the enemies for the taking the Japanese invasion troops gained a slim foothold but were hit hard by us bombers [Music] American planes concentrated on the enemy's Supply Centers and badly crippled the Japanese Beach head operation for several days the Invaders fought for a firm foothold finally the enemy Invasion Force gave up the battle for the first time in World War II a Japanese offensive had been beaten off the enemy amphibious Force returned to its base Overland and New Guinea Japanese and Allied troops were separated by the formidable Owen Stanley mountains but the Japanese were filtering across that row of jagged ridges Australian troops the principal Allied ground forces in New Guinea for some months were all that stood between the enemy and the rich rubber Plantation Country surrounding PT morby to the Aussies fell the job of driving the enemy back the route lay from Port morby across the precipitous Owen Stanley's to bua on the Northeast Coast The Men Who were to fight their way through that hazardous country along the Cota Trail were the diggers Aussie soldiers of the seventh division for eight gruelling weeks beginning in late September 1942 the seventh division Aussies drove doggedly across the mountains under conditions which would have stopped many a fighting force but the Aussies never let down in spite of the triying conditions the morale of the fighting men was good right down to the privates and Lance corporals pushing along the kakoda trail took some doing the country was tough and we even got used to Crossing swamps if we had had the Ruddy Japs in the open we could have mopped them up quicker than you could have said Jack Robinson but it wasn't that easy in New Guinea most of our blos were in good condition but fair dink the jungle took it out of a man there was always something needed doing even when the jaet wasn't about now and then we stopped for a bit of Tucker and a quick look at a snapshot of that sheer in Sydney and we couldn't let ourselves go to the pack even though we weren't in very civilized country but the stops were short it was always time to push on again through the jungle and on up the trail every time the a twig snapped in front of us or behind us chances were it'd be a [ __ ] and most of the time the Twigs didn't snap the Japs knew this kind of country like a book when we did find him we'd give him a good doing over when you did to write some Japs wouldn't be bothering us again day and night we had to be on the watch often new guine seem to be covered with nothing but kunai grass but sometimes we'd feel we were getting somewhere we knew they were Japs ahead and we had an idea there might be some back of us there was no way of knowing it was up and up till it seemed we'd soon be in the clouds if there were any mountains higher than the Owen Stanley we didn't want to hear about them just when we filled all in something would happen to Buck us up if that was a supply plane we couldn't take a ruddy chance on him missing us but a thin smoke signal in the own and Stanley wasn't always easy to spot in the air yank Pilots were looking for signals just like ours we must have been in a good position and we were pretty lucky too at any rate our signal was spotted by the sharp eyed Yanks we didn't know it at the time but there were Aussies in that plane too and at the right time they did an A1 job thei usually got to us just when we were running a bit [Music] short thanks to the Yanks and some of our own BLS too we wouldn't have to be living off the [Music] jungle there's nothing like running out of grub to set a man to thinking about food before those packets hit the ground we were after them talk about Mana from Heaven sometimes when the yank Pilots couldn't spot any diggers they Dro their load into native Villages along the trail the BS that's what we called them were a little scared at first when our boys got hit they were in good hands in a native Village we were well taken care of by the fuzzy wuzzies most of them never let us down nothing like a fancy dinner in Melbourne perhaps but a feast believe me after climbing the Blasted Trail it was Heaven to pitch into some bully beef and biscuits knew from home was just what the doctor ordered our gear got a bit of swimming up every now and again then we'd shove off again up the sides of the razor backs the top seemed thousands of miles away our cobs the BS gave us a hand as we got near the ridge they were as shooted as mountain goats and much handier to have around up near the top we had to be especially Lively about keeping an eye open for the enemy we were about due for another scrap we smelled trouble so we thought it might be a good plan to have a look see and it turned out to be a good idea some Japs numbers were coming [Music] up our attack on the enemy positions was sometimes an Allied show yank planes would give us air support when we needed it to help knock out a strong point the Yanks poured it on on the ground we tackle the job from a different angle the job was done but we didn't come through unheard moving our wounded back in that going wasn't easy we were doubly glad to have the BS with us when any of our boys had to be taken out the men got the most careful handling possible in that country these wild New Guinea natives were about as gentle when they were carrying our boys as anyone i' ever seen somehow our New Guinea helpers always managed to get the wounded men back to safety no matter how tough that job was at the nearest native Village our casualties would be taken care of toot sweet everybody in the village turned out to do what they could including all the Aussies who happened to be hanging around from then on the wounded were in the hands of the dock who pull the boys through most times in October 1942 US forces pushed along the coast to a point just below bua a liliput Navy made up of pre-war Island Coastal ships snaked through the treacherous reefs the gis made the rest of the trip in Outriggers the New Guinea natives were most Cooperative the gis of the 32nd division made a novel kind of landing and prepared to Drive Overland to link up with the Aussies and lay siegs to bua the necessary supplies which would be needed on that drive were expertly unloaded the campaign to take bua was an expensive one for the Allies unfortunately the necessary us strength in ground forces was was lacking in northeastern New Guinea during November 1942 the US command encouraged by the Japanese withdrawal at mil Bay expected to take bua almost without opposition but the gis who were assigned the task of achieving that seizure were to find the situation quite the opposite from Port morby the US Air Force reinforced the Allied troops in the bua area by fing soldiers in considerable numbers across the mountain plus an occasional store away this was the way to cross the Owen Stanley Peaks [Music] in less than an hour the troops were making a trip which had taken the seventh division AES almost 8 weeks to do on foot some 15,000 troops were transported from Port morby over the Owen Stanley's to the battle area behind bua thanks to the ferry service provided by the US US fth Air Force the battle ofuna was soon to change complexion the jungle didn't slow down these fighting men at the strips behind bua the men and material so vital to the Allied effort were unloaded without delay some 20,000 troops and great quantities of equipment were moved North by air during 13 weeks again the new Kini natives were on hand to assist the bua campaign was now progressing into a larger scale Allied offensive on November 20th Aussies and GIS joined forces and pressed the attack with renewed spirit [Music] for 6 weeks Allied troops invested bua the enemy resisted stubbornly but finally the Japanese defense of the area surrounding that coastal town collapsed Allied Forces took the Japanese who were still alive prisoner and assumed control of bua on January 2nd 1943 the enemy hold on the northeastern coast of New Guinea was loosened in early 1943 the situation in New Guinea began to get brighter with the Eastern section now in Allied hands after bua fell enemy convoys from raal moved Westward bearing reinforcements for their troops at Li Allied planes took the offensive in early March 1943 Allied Pilots took off in quest of a Japanese Convoy of some 16 ships north of Cape glester New Britain the pilot spotted their prey this was the occasion all the aussan American pilots in the air over the bismar sea had been praying for but Allied Pilots didn't have the air all to themselves for 3 Days Allied planes attacked their targets not a single Japanese ship escaped undamaged Allied Pilots had a [Music] picnic in the battle of the bismar sea us and Australian planes sank 12 enemy ships and effectively put an end to this determined Japanese attempt to strengthen their New Guinea ground forces in September Allied amphibious forces moved up the back of New Guinea in an assault on the area surrounding lii in another leaf frog operation typical of the Allied campaign on New Guinea aies of the ninth division invaded lii to implement the Drive Overland of us and Australian troops moving West from Puna the value of fresh amphibious assaults in an extended campaign on a large island was readily apparent by the time lii was invaded progress was far greater than it would have been if the ground forces had pushed Overland through thick jungle against heavy troop concentration on the lengthly New Guinea Coastline Landings could often be made at points where the enemy was not prepared to resist near lii the ninth division Aussies encountered no opposition in the original Landing once ashore they drove Inland against scattered resistance [Music] the Aussies caught the Defenders of L off [Music] balance on September 5th the Eastern claw of the Australian pencer thrust at lii moved quickly forward the Australian attack group coordinated its drive with a force of American GIS who are fighting a diversionary re action to the South the fight for the huan Gulf area was no easy operation from Port morby American paratroops prepared to fly north to reinforce their brothers and arms fighting in that sector this Airborne assault was personally supervised by the Southwest Pacific Theater Commander himself the paratroopers were to help break the back of enemy resistance at L General MacArthur demanded that the objective be seized at once 1,700 men of the 53rd us paratroop Infantry Regiment were to make the jump parachute Landings in combat were comparatively rare in the Pacific since the terrain was not often conducive to successful jumps but on September 5th 1943 the US Troopers took off one of large scale combat [Music] operation on the success of this jump depended in large measure the effective wrapping up of the lii operation the men were intent on the job ahead scores of c47s transported the paratroops across the Owen Stanley supported by bombers and fighters in a B7 General MacArthur had a ringside seat from which to supervise the entire operation the general grew especially interested as the planes Drew near the jump Point as the vital area was reached the 820s laid down a smoke screen which effectively shut off the planes and the paratroopers in the air from the sight of the enemy [Music] below the men prepared for their first combat jump at 10:22 a.m. the paratroopers went into action the jump at ndab went off as smoothly as it had been planned the men of the 5003d performed like real veterans in all several hundred planes participated in the operation so vital to the success of the L campaign the trip to Earth that precisely the spot planned took the paratroopers exactly 1 minute and 10 seconds the conversion to infantrymen was a matter of very few minutes a few of the men took a little longer the notab jump greatly improved the Allied position Salam fell to the Allies 6 days later and a few days after that Li itself was in Allied possession the enemy had been pretty well cleaned out of the entire area the Allies had another secure position in their Westward course along the northern coast of New Guinea in the fruitless struggle the Japanese had fought a desperate delaying action the AES entered L itself on September 16th the enemy had completely evacuated The Battered coastal town in the 12-day engagement the enemy had lost men and equipment in vain Allied air power had provided the necessary added punch which helped to hasten the Japanese defeat at life the ground gained on New Guinea by virtue of the victory at lii was considerable the Japanese controlled part of New Guinea was still the larger but it was shrinking fast with the LI salamaa Area 1 the Allied troops Consolidated their position and prepared for future assaults against other enemy concentrations in New Guinea the gis and Aussies who had taken the lii area in a truly joint operation moved on to extend the light control on the huan peninsula but for many there were a few days in which to relax before going back into action New Guinea wasn't quite up to the standards of real rest areas but at least the men could take a short breather from the air strips near lii now in Allied hands American and Australian planes continued the attack against the enemy without pause from the new Advanced bases Allied Pilots could pound enemy positions in Western New Guinea without let up the missions against Japanese Army units Supply dumps and shipping were stepped up during November and [Music] December by the end of 1943 the enemy in New Guinea was finally completely on the [Music] defensive us Fifth Air Force bombers carried the fight to the enemy softening up the areas where new Lea frogging invasions were already [Music] planned to the Eastward the Japanese held island of banville was about to occupy the attention of American Marines on November 1st 1943 they invaded that Island in force [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] andice for of in the fre let every feel your