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On 1 November 1943, the US 3rd Marine Division landed at Torokina on the northern side of Empress Augusta Bay and secured the beachhead. The Marines were relieved by the US XIV Corps on 15 November. In March 1944, a full scale Japanese offensive against the American positions was repulsed but the Americans did not extend their perimeter further and were in the same positions when the Australian II Corps under the command of Lieutenant General Stanley Savige took command in December 1944. In late 1944, the Americans estimated that 12,000 Japanese remained in the islands, the Australians estimated that 25,000 remained but in fact there were 40,000 of whom 8,000 were in the forward area.

Mopping up on Bougainville. A tank goes forward as infantrymen follow in its cover. Each night the Japanese would infiltrate American lines. At dawn, U.S. troops went out looking for them. March, 1944

The two US Divisions on Bougainville were replaced by four Australian brigades, the 7th, 15th and 29th Brigades of the 3rd Australian Division and the 11th Brigade. (The force was designated II Corps) The militia was the pre-war citizen forces which had been called up for full time duty and was separate from the AIF which had been specially raised in 1939 for overseas service. By 1945 many militia soldiers had volunteered for the AIF and when 65% of a unit had volunteered, the unit was entitled to be called an AIF unit. Eight of the 12 battalions in these brigades were Queensland units - all the militia battalions from that State. Although reinforcements were sent to battalions without regard to the state in which they were raised, more than half of the men in each unit still belonged to its home State. The burden of the Bougainville campaign thus fell particularly heavily on Queenslanders.

Numa Numa Trail

The main Japanese force was concentrated in the south of the island but it was in the central sector along the Numa Numa trail that the Australian campaign opened. The Numa Numa trail traversed the island from the Torokina perimeter along a gorge, up an escarpment then along a saddle of the main range to the east coast. The 9th Bn (7th brigade, 3rd Division) relieved the Americans above the escarpment on 22 November 1944 and a week later captured the nearest Japanese position. With both air and artillery support, the next position, arty Hill, was taken on 18 December when the Japanese left 25 dead. The 25th Bn relieved the 9th Bn and took the next feature, Pearl Ridge a few days before the 11th Brigades took over the central sector on 1 January 1945. The Australians could now see the sea on both sides of the island from the newly won positions but were restrained from advancing further and held their positions while heavily patrolling the forward areas. Each of the battalions of the 11th Brigade did a tour of four to six weeks in the central sector - the 26th Bn until 2 February; the 55th/53rd Bn until 15 March; and the 31st/51st Bn until 18 April. The second battalion of the brigade during this time was in the northern sector and the third was resting.

Bougainville, from Time 1943/11

In April 1945, the 23rd Brigade (7th, 8th and 27th Bns), having moved to Bougainville from the outer islands, replaced the 11th Brigade in the central sector. The 27th Bn patrolled deeply but was under orders not to attack in strength. In six weeks, it made 48 patrols and killed 122 Japanese for the loss of 4 killed and 9 wounded. The 7th Bn relieved the 27th Bn in June and was given a more active role. Advancing from Pearl Ridge, the 7th Bn attacked and captured a series of Japanese positions. It took McInnes Hill in August and used strong patrols to probe deeply into Japanese territory.

From Kuraia to Soraken

In January 1945, the 31st/51st (11th Brigade) advanced north from Sipaai and ran into the Japanese on Tsimba Ridge, forward of the Genga River and some five miles south of Soraken. On 6 February in an attack preceded by artillery and mortar barrages the ridge was captured. The last pocket of resistance was not overcome until the next day. 66 Japanese were killed in the fighting and 7 pieces of artillery and 9 machine guns were captured. The Australians moved forward with air and artillery support and captured the ridge overlooking Soraken on 19 February 1945. Two days later, the 31st/51st Bn which had suffered 34 killed and 19 wounded in six weeks of fighting was relieved. During March, the 26th Bn cleared the Japanese from the Soraken Peninsula and nearby island in hard fighting that obtained good observation of Soraken Harbour and Buka Island. In early April 1945, the 26th Bn was relieved by the 55th/53rd Bn. It moved towards Pora Pora with one company advancing along the coast and another along an inland track. It pushed the Japanese back to a line from Ruri Bay to Ratsua Inlet stretching across the neck of the Bonis Peninsula. Late in May 1945 the 26th Bn relieved the 55th/53rd Bn and continued northward but met opposition so stern that the 31st/51st Bn was again brought forward. The Japanese doggedly resisted the Australians who by now were weary and far below strength. On 8 June, a rein-forced company of the 31st/51st, in 6 landing craft, tried to outflank the Japanese by landing behind the lines at Parton but was forced to withdraw after 48 hours, having lost 23 killed and 106 wounded.

Bonis Peninsula

The 11th Brigade was relieved at the end of June by the 23rd Brigade which was ordered to contain the Japanese in the Bonis Peninsula and to patrol towards Buka passage. Initially, the 8th and 27th Bns operated on separate sides of the peninsula but deadly Japanese raids ambushed ration parties and cut signal wires behind Australian lines.

These men have earned the bloody reputation of being skillful jungle fighters. They are U.S. Marine Raiders gathered in front of a Jap dugout on Cape Totkina on Bougainville, Solomon Islands, which they helped to take.

On 21 July 1945, the 27th Bn recorded that it had suffered 10 killed and 34 wounded in the previous month although it had made no forward movement. Approval was given on 22 July for the 23rd Brigade to concentrate on a 3,000 metre front around the Buoi plantation. On 23 July, the 8th Bn with air and tank support attacked a ridge that the Japanese had strongly entrenched. Next day, another attack was halted by heavy fire from well camouflaged positions until a wounded 20 year old Private Frank Partridge dashed forward knocking out one bunker and leading the attack against a second. He was awarded the Victoria Cross. The Japanese later abandoned the position.

South Bougainville

The 3rd Australian Division was given the role of destroying the Japanese in south Bougainville. In late November 1944, the 29th Brigade (15th, 42nd and 47th Bns) replaced the Americans north of the Jaba River and began extensive patrols. On 28 December 1944 the brigade was given the task of advancing south along the coast. The Japanese resisted the advance but the Australians steadily gained ground. By mid January 1945, the brigade had advanced 13 miles and secured the coast as far south as Mawarak which was entered without opposition on 17 January. The brigade was relieved on 23 January by the 7th Brigade (9th, 25th and 61st Battalions) which continued the advance towards the Puriata River.

In an underground surgery room, behind the front lines on Bougainville, an American Army doctor operates on a U.S. soldier wounded by a Japanese sniper.

The 9th Bn advanced towards Mosigetta against Japanese tactics of fighting from ambush positions flanked by swamps and dense bush, mining the road, cutting signal wires and night counter attacks. The Australians responded with mortar and artillery fire but if this failed, wide and deep outflanking moves were made. Although losses were not heavy, conditions were extremely uncomfortable and there was a constant sense of danger. The 61st Bn linked up with the 9th Bn at Mosigetta on 17 February 1945 and by 1 March patrols from both battalions and a detachment of the 25th Bn had reached the Puriata River along a wide front.

Slater's Knoll

The 25th Bn crossed the Puriata River on 4 March 1945 and soon ran into heavy Japanese resistance.

The Battalion established its base close to where the Puriata converged with Buin Road at Slater's Knoll. The Japanese were strongly dug in along the Buin Road and fired some 600 shells at Slater's Knoll in March 1945.

A company advancing along Buin Road was surrounded and persistently attacked for three days.

The 25th Bn attacked on a two company front on 19 March and forced the Japanese back from their positions to an extensive system of pill-boxes at a road junction.

On 22 March, after air and artillery bombardments the new position was attacked. During the attack Corporal Reg Rattey, using a bren gun and grenades, knocked out 4 pill-boxes. He was awarded the Victoria Cross; the first won by a member of a militia battalion.

Intelligence indicated that the Japanese would launch a major offensive in April 1945 with the brunt falling on the 25th Bn. The attack was prefaced by a series of raids on the lines of communications and on troops in the rear. The positions of the 25th Bn were probed and attacked from 27 March. The offensive culminated with a major assault against Slater's Knoll on 5 April. In 10 days fighting 620 Japanese were killed and about 1000 were wounded. The 7th Brigade was relieved after 10 weeks in the front lines during which the 25th Bn suffered 10 officers and 179 other ranks killed and wounded.

Brawny, sweating Marines aid Navy Hospital corpsmen in the delicate task of lowering a wounded comrade down a steep cliff on Bougainville Island.

A lull followed the Japanese offensive. The Japanese were exhausted and the 15th Brigade (24th, 57/60the and 58/59th Bns) was not able to attack until the roads were upgraded so that supplies could be brought forward. On 17 April, 15th Brigade opened its advance with the 24th Bn on the Buin Road and the 57/60th on Commando Road. At first, resistance was light but as the Australians neared the Hongorai River it stiffened with forward infantry coming under frequent artillery fire causing casualties. After three weeks of fighting to gain 7000 yards, the Hongorai River was reached on 7 May. The cost had been 120 killed or wounded; 169 Japanese dead were counted.

From the Hongorai River to the Mivo River

The 15th Brigade patrolled deeply in the middle of May with the main crossing of the Hongorai River beginning on 20 May. The Japanese were forced from the ridge overlooking the river and the main advance resumed on 2 June behind deadly air and artillery bombardments. Patrols were on the Hari River by 5 June but when the main body of the 58/59the advanced along the Buin Road it met heavy fire and the tanks were delayed by boggy ground. Meanwhile, the 57/60th moved along Commando Road and by mid June both battalions were beyond the Hari. The Japanese put up a strong defence in front of the Mobia River which was reached on 25 June. The next objective was the Mivo River which was reached by a series of wide flanking moves carried out with few casualties. However, many minor battles were fought by the 15th Brigade between the major ones and its losses were heavier than any other brigade on Bougainville - 32 officers and 493 men killed or wounded.

Machine gun crew awaits the Japanese attack on Bougainville.

During the 3rd Division advance from the Jaba River to the Mivo River, the 2/8th Commando Squadron protected its flank. Further inland, the AIB, led by Australians but with native guerrillas, created a reign of terror among the well-armed and trained Japanese troops. It is estimated that this force killed over 2,000 Japanese in eight months of operations. The 29th Brigade came back into the front lines and was to cross the Mivo River on 3 July but continuing heavy rain caused a series of postponements. Before the offensive could be launched, active patrolling ceased in all sectors of Bougainville on 11 August. A Japanese envoy entered Australian lines on 18 August but Australian minesweepers at Moila Point were fired upon on 20 August and the Japanese commander waited until the surrender at Rabaul in New Britain on 3 September 1945 before surrendering his Bougainville command.

Specter-like in the dark gloom of the Bougainville jungle, Marine riflemen slog up to the front lines during the bitter campaign for the tropic stronghold.

It is estimated that 65,000 Japanese were on the islands when the Americans attacked in late 1943. A year later when the Australians took control the number had shrunk to 41,000 although this number was twice the Australian strength. During the Australian Bougainville campaign 8,500 Japanese were killed in action or died of wounds and 9,000 died of disease or illness. 23,500 Japanese surrendered to the Australians in September 1945.

During the whole of the Bougainville campaign, 516 Australians were killed or died of wounds and 1,572 were wounded.

Additional Sources:

au.geocities.com/thefortysecondinww2
www.geocities.com/Athens/1878
community.webtv.net/Hahn-50thAP-K9
www.historyplace.com
history.acusd.edu
www.usmint.gov
www.history.navy.mil
www.archives.gov
www.army.mil
www.navsource.org
www.pikourpockets.com

On This Day In History

Birthdates which occurred on October 21:
1772 Samuel Taylor Coleridge England, poet (Rime of the Ancient Mariner)
1790 Alphonse-Marie Louis de Lamartine Macon France, writer (Ren‚)
1833 Alfred Bernhard Nobel Stockholm, created dynamite & Peace Prizes
1908 Alexander Schneider Vilna (Lithuania) Russia, violinist (Budapest String Quartet)
1912 Sir Georg Solti Budapest Hungary, conductor (Fidelio)
1914 Martin Gardner Scientific American math & puzzles columnist
1917 Dizzy Gillespie trumpeter, a creator of modern jazz
1921 Malcolm Arnold Northampton Engld, composer (Bridge over River Kwai)
1925 Joyce Randolph Detroit Mich, actress (Trixie-Honeymooners)
1926 Leonard Rossiter Liverpool England, actor (Britannia Hospital)
1928 Edward "Whitey" Ford hall of fame pitcher (NY Yankees)
1929 Ursula LeGuin American writer (Lathe of Heaven)
1933 Georgia Brown actress (Study in Terror, The Fixer)
1940 Frances FitzGerald NYC, journalist/author (Fire in the Lake)
1940 Manfred Mann rocker (The Mighty Quinn)
1940 Osamu Watanabe Japan, featherweight (Olympic-gold-1964)
1942 Elvin Bishop Okla, rocker (Fooled Around & Fell in Love)
1943 Paula Kelly Jacksonville Fla, dancer/actress (Liz-Night Court)
1945 Kathy Young rocker (Thousand Stars in the Sky)
1950 Ronald E McNair Lake City SC, astr (STS 41B, 51L-Challenger disaster)
1953 Charlotte Caffey singer (GoGos-Our Lips are Sealed)
1956 Carrie Fisher Beverly Hills, actress (Star Wars-Princess Lelia)
1959 George Bell Dom Rep, outfielder (Blue Jays, 1987 AL MVP)
1971 Jade Jagger daughter of Mick Jagger
1976 Jeremy Miller West Covina Calif, actor (Ben-Growing Pains)

Deaths which occurred on October 21:
1422 Charles VI, King of France (1380-1422), dies at 54
1805 Adm Horatio Nelson dies in the Battle of Trafalgar
1831 Nat Turner 19 associates, hung
1966 Gertrude Hoffman actress (Mrs Odetts-My Little Margie), dies at 95
1967 Ejnar Hertzsprung Danish astrophysicist, dies at 94
1984 Francois Truffaut director, dies at 52 of brain cancer
1987 Ying-Chin Ho Taiwan govt official, dies at 88
1992 Jackson Weaver, voice of Smokey the Bear, dies of diabetes
1992 Jim Garrison, Louisiana DA (investigate JFK assassination), dies at 70
1992 Shirley Booth, actress (Hazel), dies at 94
1995 Maxene Andrews, vocalist (Andrews Sister), dies of heart attack at 79

Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1966 EARLL DAVID J.---DALLAS TX.
[NO PARA OBS NO BEEP]
1967 HEMMEL CLARENCE J.---JEFFERSON CITY MO.
1968 FINLEY DICKIE W.---SWEET SPRINGS MO.
1968 KNABB KENNETH K.---WHEATON IL.
1969 COOK GLENN R.---CHARLOTTE NC.
1969 ESPENSHIELD JOHN L.---DELAWARE OH.
[REMAINS RETURNED 05/89]

POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.

On this day...
2137 -BC- 1st recorded total eclipse of the sun China
0310 St Eusebius ends his reign as Catholic Pope
0335 Constantinople emperor Constantine the Great Rules --laws against Jews
686 Conon begins his reign as Catholic Pope
1096 Sultan Kilidj Arslan of Nicea defeats 1st Crusaders
1520 Magellan entered the strait which bears his name
1529 The Pope names Henry VIII of England Defender of the Faith after defending the seven sacraments against Luther
1600 Tokugawa Ieyasu defeats his enemies in battle and affirms his position as Japan's most powerful warlord.
1797 US Navy frigate Constitution, Old Ironsides, launched in Boston
1805 Battle of Trafalgar, Adm Nelson defeats French & Spanish fleet & dies
1861 Battle of Balls Bluff, Va
1867 Many leaders of the Kiowa, Comanche and Kiowa-Apache sign a peace treaty at Medicine Lodge, Kan. Comanche Chief Quanah Parker refused to accept the treaty terms.
1868 Severe earthquake at 7:53 AM, centered in Hayward, Calif
1869 1st shipment of fresh oysters comes overland from Baltimore
1871 1st US amateur outdoor athletic games (NY)
1879 Thomas Edison perfects the carbonized cotton filament light bulb
1897 Yerkes Observatory of the University of Chicago is dedicated
1905 England Pilgrim Assn beats All NY 11, 7-1 in soccer at Polo Grounds
1915 1st transatlantic radiotelephone message, Arlington, Va to Paris
1917 1st Americans to see action on the front lines of WW I
1918 Margaret Owen sets world typing speed record of 170 wpm for 1 min
1923 Deutsches Museum, Mnchen, 1st Walther Bauersfeld Zeiss Planetarium
1935 Hank Greenberg selected AL MVP unanimously
1944 During WWII, US troops capture Aachen, 1st large German city to fall
1945 Women in France allowed to vote for 1st time
1948 Facsimile high-speed radio transmission demonstrated (Washington DC)
1950 Chinese forces occupy Tibet
1950 Tom Powers of Duke scores 6 touchdowns
1959 Guggenheim Museum, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, opens (NYC)
1960 JFK & Nixon clashed in 4th & final presidential debate (NYC)
1966 144 die as a coal waste landslide engulfs a school in S Wales
1967 Thousands opposing Vietnam War try to storm the Pentagon
1969 Bloodless coup in Somalia (National Day)
1970 777 Unification church couples wed in Korea
1970 Caledonian Airways takes over British United Airways
1971 Nixon nominates Lewis F Powell & William H Rehnquist to US Supreme Court, following resignations of Justices Hugo Black & John Harlan
1973 A's manager Dick Williams quits after A's beat Mets in 70th World Series
1974 1st Islander shut-out opponent-Billy Smith 5-0 vs Caps
1975 Mexico City's 1st major subway accident takes 26 lives
1975 Red Sox Carlton Fisk's 12th inning HR beats Reds 7-6 in game 6 of WS
1975 Venera 9, first craft to orbit the planet Venus launched
1976 American Saul Bellow wins Nobel Prize for Literature
1976 Cin Reds sweep NY Yankees, in 73rd World Series
1976 NY Knicks retire 1st number, # 19, Willis Reed
1977 US recalls William Bowdler, ambassador to South Africa
1979 Greta Waitz wins woman participation in NYC marathon (02:27:33)
1980 1st (& only) time Phillies win the World Series (in 98 years) (World Series #77)
1984 Steve Jones runs Chicago Marathon in world record 2:08:05
1987 Senate debate begins rejecting Robert Bork's Supreme Ct nomination
1988 Boston Celtics beat Yugoslavia 113-85 in Madrid
1988 Ferdinand & Imelda Marcos indicted on racketeering charges
1989 Buck Helm found alive after being buried 4 days, in SF earthquake
1989 Houston becomes 1st major college team to gain 1000 yards in a game
1989 1st black owners (Betram Lee & Peter Bynoe) to own a major sports team, purchasing Denver Nuggets for $65m
1991 24 die in a fire in Oakland Calif
1991 US hostage Jesse Turner released from 5 years in captivity in Beirut
1993 Military coup by Burundi Pres Ndadaye/525,000 Hutu's flee
1997 Elton John's tribute to Diana breaks world record, 318 million dist(Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but some abuse the privilege.)

Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

England : Trafalgar Day (1805)
Hondurous : Army Day (1956)
Hong Kong : Kite Flying Festival
Laos : Full Moon Holiday
Somali/Sudan : Revolution Day (1964)
Alaska : Alaska Day (1867) (Monday)
US : National Day of Prayer (Wednesday)
National Business Women's Week (Day 2)
National Shampoo Week (Day 3)
Gourmet Coffee Week Ends :-(
National Clock Month
Spinal Health Month
National Sarcastics' Awareness Month

Religious Observances
RC : Commemoration of St Hilarion, abbot, ascetic, lover of solitude
RC : Commemoration of St Ursula, virgin, patron of brides

Religious History
1532 German reformer Martin Luther declared: 'For some years now I have read through the Bible twice every year. If you picture the Bible to be a mighty tree and every word a little branch, I have shaken every one of these branches because I wanted to know what it was and what it meant.'
1692 William Penn was deposed as Governor of Pennsylvania. His overtures of gratefulness to James II for permitting religious freedom for dissenters of the Church of England led William and Mary to charge Penn with being a papist.
1751 The first Baptist association in the American South was organized at Charleston, SC. It was formed under the initiative of Oliver Hart, who had left the Philadelphia area to become pastor of the Charleston Baptist Church in 1749.
1808 Birth of American Baptist clergyman Samuel Francis Smith. Credited with writing over 100 hymns, Smith is best remembered as the author of "America" ("My Country, 'Tis of Thee"), written at age 23, while a student at Andover Seminary.
1892 Birth of James L Kelso, American Presbyterian archaeologist. He participated in digs at the biblical sites of Debir, Bethel and Jericho, and authored the text "Ceramic Vocabulary of the O.T."

Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.

Thought for the day :
"We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give."

You might be out of touch with reality if...
you talk for ten minutes to the answering machine and wonder why no one is talking back.

Murphys Law of the day...
If anything simply cannot go wrong...It will anyway!

Amazing fact #s 78,025/78,026...
Sylvia Plath was a famous poet who killed herself at age 31 by sticking her head in an oven.
Sylvia Plath's husband, Ted Hughes, was married three times, and two of the women he married committed suicide.