Battle of Wau

Wau was remarkable only when one came to know the conditions and circumstances under which it had been built — and destroyed. It and its sister town, Bulolo, were humdrum islands of white inhabitation in an ocean of picturesque wilderness. They had no connection by land with the outside world. Their streets led into no highway, but into the jungle.

They were towns built sole by virtue of man's conquest of the air. Every nail, sheet of iron, weatherboard, spot of paint, pane of glass, crock, wire or sheet of paper was carried in by air at freight rates between 4d and 1/5d per pound. The wrecked trucks that now dotted the highways, rusted out and twisted by fire, were brought in by air. The billiard tables at the hotels were brought in by air. Easy chairs, refrigerators, bathtubs, stoves, dynamos, linoleum, carpets, garden statuary, even great mining dredges, bulldozers and power shovels — all were brought in by air, and this in a decade when most people in Australia were still thinking it adventurous to take a five minute joy ride over an airfield.2

Wau aerodrome was a rough Kunai grass airstrip 3,100 feet (940 m) in length with a 12% slope heading directly for Mount Kaindi. Aircraft could approach from the northeast only, landing uphill and taking off downhill.3 The mountain at the end of the runway prevented second attempts at landing and precluded extension of the strip.4 Pilots had to manoeuvre Dakotas under clouds and through dangerous passes, "dodging a peak here and cloud there", landing at high speeds.5 This required good visibility, but the weather over Owen Stanley Range was characterised by frequent storms, down drafts, and mists which rose from the jungle floor.6

Kanga Force

After the war with Japan began, Wau became an evacuation centre, receiving refugees from Lae and Salamaua. Non-native women and children were evacuated while men of military age were called up for service in the New Guinea Volunteer Rifles, the local militia unit. Initially civilians were evacuated by civilian aircraft but as the Japanese drew closer – bombing Wau on 23 January 1942 – it became too dangerous to fly without fighter escort, which was unavailable. This left some 250 European and Asian men stranded. These refugees made a hazardous journey over the Owen Stanley Range on foot by way of Kudjeru and Tekadu to Bulldog, a disused mining settlement where there was an aerodrome, and thence down the Lakekamu River to the sea.78

With the feasibility of the route thus demonstrated, New Guinea Force decided to establish a line of communications to Wau via Bulldog. A platoon of the 1st Independent Company left Port Moresby in the schooner Royal Endeavour and traversed the route, joining the men of the New Guinea Volunteer Rifles holding the Wau area.9 This was the beginning of what became Kanga Force on 23 April 1942.10 On 22 May 1942, the 21st Troop Carrier Squadron USAAF flew in Commandos of the 2/5th Independent Company to join Kanga Force. The 2/7th Independent Company followed in October 1942.11

Supplies could be flown in to Wau if fighter cover was available. On 5 September 1942, twelve planeloads of supplies were dropped at Kudjeru.12 To economise on scarce transport aircraft air transport was supplanted by an overland route. Supplies shipped to the mouth of the Lakekamu in luggers,13 transported up the river to Bulldog in launches or powered dugout canoes,14 and then carried over the Bulldog Track by native carriers.13

Strategy The Wau-Salamaua-Lae area. Wau is located lower centre on the map.

Kanga Force achieved one notable success, in a raid on Salamaua in June 1942 but "apart from that they had done little to harass the Japanese at their Salamaua and Lae bases."15 They had however managed to threaten to the Japanese without provoking them into an offensive against Wau at a time when the Allies did not have the resources to reinforce Kanga Force, and they had provided valuable information.15 Wau occupied an important place in the strategy of General Sir Thomas Blamey, the Commander Allied land Forces, South West Pacific Area, who was concurrently commanding New Guinea Force from Port Moresby. At the time, the Japanese held air superiority over the Solomon Sea, precluding airborne or seaborne operations against the Japanese base at Lae. General Blamey therefore decided that he would have to capture Lae with a land campaign. The Bulldog Track would be upgraded to a highway capable of carrying trucks, and tanks that could support a division that would advance overland on Lae.16

Lieutenant General Hitoshi Imamura, the commander of the Japanese Eighth Area Army at Rabaul, correctly deduced his opponent's intentions and the strength of Kanga Force and resolved to head off the danger to Lae. He ordered Lieutenant General Hatazō Adachi's Eighteenth Army to secure "important areas to the west of Lae and Salamaua".17 On 29 December 1942 Adachi ordered the 102nd Infantry Regiment and other units under the command to Major General Tooru Okabe, the commander of the infantry group of the 51st Division, to move from Rabaul to Lae and then immediately advance inland to capture Wau.17

Imamura was up against a resourceful, resolute and aggressive opponent, who also had access to good intelligence. Allied Ultra codebreakers were reading the Japanese shipping codes, and by 3 January 1943, Allied commanders knew in advance about the force that Adachi was planning to send from Rabaul to Lae,18 although not its ultimate destination.19 Rather than wait and see how events developed, Blamey immediately ordered the 17th Infantry Brigade to move from Milne Bay to Wau on 4 January 1943.20 Its commander, Brigadier Murray Moten was ordered to assume command of Kanga Force and defend Wau.21

Prelude

The commander of Allied Air Forces, Lieutenant General George Kenney, ordered his bomber commander, Brigadier General Kenneth Walker, to carry out a full scale dawn bombing attack on the shipping in Rabaul Harbor before it could depart. Walker demurred; his bombers would have difficulty making their rendezvous if they had to leave Port Moresby at night. He recommended a noon attack instead. Kenney acknowledged Walker's concerns but was insistent; he preferred bombers out of formation to bombers shot down by enemy fighters that were sure to intercept a daylight attack.22 Six B-17s and six B-24s — a maximum effort at the time — attacked Rabaul Harbor at noon on 5 January.23 They encountered heavy flak and continuous fighter attacks by apparently inexperienced Japanese pilots. Forty 500 lb (230 kg) and twenty four 1,000 lb (450 kg) bombs were dropped from 8,500 feet (2,600 m). They claimed hits on nine ships, totalling 50,000 tons. Two B-17s were shot down, including that carrying Walker,24 who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.25

On 6 January 1943, the Japanese convoy carrying Okabe's force set out for Lae from Rabaul. Forewarned by Ultra, USAAF and RAAF aircraft spotted, shadowed and attacked the convoy, which was shielded by low cloud and Japanese fighters. The Allies claimed to have shot down 69 Japanese aircraft for the loss of ten of their own. First Lieutenant Richard Bong, a P-38 Lightning pilot claimed three, becoming an ace.26 A RAAF PBY Catalina of No. 11 Squadron RAAF under the command of Flight Lieutenant David Vernon made a night bombing attack on the convoy which sank the transport Nichiryu Maru.27 Destroyers rescued 739 of the 1,100 troops on board, but the ship took with it all of Okabe's medical supplies. Another transport, the Myoko Maru was so badly damaged at Lae by USAAF B-25 Mitchell bombers that it had to be beached. Nonetheless, the convoy succeeded in reaching Lae on 7 January and landing about 4,000 troops. Between 10 January and 16 January, they moved down the coast to Salamaua in barges.28

The Okabe Detachment assembled at Salamaua and completed its preparations for the attack on Wau.29 On 16 January, the Japanese encountered a platoon of the 2/7th Independent Company under Captain Geoffrey Bowen. A brief action followed in which Bowen was killed, and the Australians retreated back to Skindewai.30 However, instead of pursuing them, Okabe chose to advance on Wau down an old and seldom used track running parallel to the Black Cat Track through difficult country and the two sides lost contact. Okabe thereby disguised the strength and objective of his force, and took the Australians by surprise.28 It was necessary to cross Komiatum Hill, advance to Mubo, and then take the track westward. This route was chosen so as to avoid observation from enemy aircraft in the daytime as they cut their way into the jungle. The mountain range east of Wau was about 1,500 feet (460 m) high and not particularly difficult to cross, but in parts there were no tracks. These had to be prepared without being spotted by the Allied aircraft. As the troops had to carry their food, ammunition and equipment on their backs, the advance was ultimately more difficult and took longer than anticipated. Eventually they reached a peak from which they were able to look down on the Wau-Bulolo Valley. By this time food was running short. The commander of the Okabe Detachment, pointing at the Wau village, gave the order to attack: "We are short of food — let us quickly capture Wau and get food from the enemy!" However, the movement through such dense jungle caused his units to lose touch with each other. The resulting attack would be delivered piecemeal, without sufficient preparations.29

Meanwhile, the first group of the 17th Infantry Brigade, the 2/6th Infantry Battalion, embarked for Port Moresby on 9 January 1943. The rest of the battalion followed over the next two nights. The 2/7th Infantry Battalion embarked on the Army transport Taroona on 13 January and the 2/5th on Duntroon the next day.31 The prospects of beating the Japanese to Wau did not look good. At this time there were only 28 Dakotas in New Guinea, in three under strength squadrons, the 6th, 21st and 33rd Troop Carrier Squadrons of the U.S. 374th Troop Carrier Group. These had to be shared with the Buna-Gona front, so each combat area had 14 planes allocated to it, which worked out to 10 aircraft available per day for each.32 A Dakota could carry 27 passengers or 10,000 pounds (4,500 kg) of freight.33 Moving an infantry battalion required 60 plane loads; moving a brigade group required 361 plane loads.34 Between 10 and 19 January, the 2/6th Infantry Battalion was flown in from Port Moresby to reinforce Kanga Force. In the process, there were three crashes. Poor flying weather forced many aircraft to return without landing. Brigadier Moten was twice forced to return to Port Moresby before reaching Wau on the third attempt. Bad weather continued over the following week, limiting air operations and sometimes precluding them entirely. Part of the 2/5th Infantry Battalion arrived on 27 January.35

Battle Battle of Wau

Standing in the way was A Company of the 2/6th Infantry Battalion under Captain W. H. Sherlock. Okabe ordered an all-out attack on Sherlock's position on 28 January. Sherlock was forced from his position and retreated onto a nearby spur. For much of the afternoon, frontal Japanese attacks were repelled by Australian mortar and machine gun fire, and efforts to infiltrate Sherlock's positions were defeated by a bayonet attack led by Sherlock in person. By 18:00, Sherlock's mortar ammunition had run out and his small arms ammunition was running short, while his position was being plastered with mortar rounds and swept by machine gun fire. Sherlock held on through the night and was killed the next day trying to break through the Japanese lines.36 For his actions, Sherlock was posthumously mentioned in despatches.37

The fighting at Buna ended on 23 January, freeing up aircraft to support Wau, and 52 brand-new Dakotas of U.S. 317th Troop Carrier Group had arrived in Australia, their movement from the United States having been expedited in response to urgent requests from General Douglas MacArthur arising from the Buna fighting. After a quick maintenance check, they were flown up to Port Moresby to help the U.S. 374th Troop Carrier Group fly the 17th Infantry Brigade in to Wau. This meant that up to 40 aircraft were now available daily.38 On 29 January 57 planeloads arrived, bringing most of the 2/7th Infantry Battalion and the remainder of the 2/5th. Although subjected to small arms fire as they came in and unloaded, 40 aircraft made 66 trips the next day. Their cargo included two dismantled 25 pounders of the 2/1st Field Regiment with 688 rounds of ammunition. These were landed in the morning and in action in the early afternoon, shelling a concentration of 300 enemy troops between the villages of Wandumi and Kaisenik. The Japanese were also engaged by Beaufighters of No. 30 Squadron RAAF flying close air support. On 31 January 35 aircraft made 71 trips and on 1 February 40 aircraft made 53 trips, bringing reinforcements including the 2/3rd Independent Company that brought the strength of Kanga Force to over 3,000 men. Three Dakotas were lost over the three days.35 Japanese attacks on 30 January succeeded in reaching the corner of the airstrip but were forced to fall back under enormous pressure. By 4 February, Okabe was threatened with encirclement and was forced to order a withdrawal. With all hope of capturing Wau gone, Okabe was ordered to abandon the attempt and withdrew.28 For his "high order of leadership and control" at Wau,39 Moten was awarded a bar to his Distinguished Service Order.40

A Wirraway of No. 4 Squadron RAAF in flames after being blasted and set on fire by a near miss in the Japanese raid at Wau.

The Japanese attempted to cut off the stream of Allied transports by bombing the Wau airstrip, but it was the rainy season and they were confronted by the same weather conditions which hampered the Allies. Aircraft which did set off from Rabaul were not able to sight the Wau airstrip and returned without accomplishing anything.29 Not until 6 February was there an aerial engagement. Eight P-39 Airacobras of the 40th Fighter Squadron were patrolling at 12,000 feet (3,700 m) over Wau, having provided escort for a flight of five Dakotas when they sighted 24 Japanese planes. Captain Thomas H. Winburn led his P-39s in an attack, claiming eleven Zekes and Sallys shot down. Meanwhile, eight P-40s of the 7th Fighter Squadron also on an escort mission sighted 12 aircraft bombing the airstrip at Wau. The transports they were escorting turned back while the fighters engaged the Japanese, claiming seven aircraft shot down.41 At this time, there were four Dakotas on the ground at Wau and another five circling waiting to land. All but one escaped harm. However, a CAC Wirraway that had just landed was destroyed by a bomb. The crew, Flight Sergeant A. Rodburn and Sergeant A. E. Cole, had scrambled from the aircraft only a few seconds earlier and threw themselves flat on the ground. Cole received a minor shrapnel wound in the shoulder.42 Major General Ennis Whitehead's Advanced Echelon (ADVON) headquarters in Port Moresby ordered three squadrons based there to join the battle. P-38 Lightnings of the 39th Fighter Squadron engaged a dozen Japanese fighters over Wau, shooting one down. A few minutes later the 9th Fighter Squadron, which had only recently converted to the P-38, downed another Japanese fighter, while Curtiss P-40s of the 41st Fighter Squadron surprised six Japanese fighters, shooting down three.41 In all, Whitehead's airmen claimed to have shot down 23 Japanese fighters and three bombers. American anti-aircraft gunners claimed another bomber and two fighters.42 For its part in the battle, the 374th Troop Carrier Group was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation.43

Aftermath

From its creation in May 1942 until 15 February 1943, Kanga Force lost 30 officers and 319 men, including 4 officers and 48 men of the 2/6th Infantry Battalion. The Australians counted 753 Japanese dead. Adding 361 lost on the Nichiryu Maru and a few airmen puts the number of Japanese deaths at around 1,200.35

While New Guinea Force wished to pursue the Japanese, logistical difficulties precluded this. The Japanese prepared to make another attempt to capture Wau. This time, the plan was to approach from the north. A road would be built from Markham Point to the Snake River Valley. From there the advance would head down the valley to Wau. The 51st Division was earmarked for the mission, but it suffered heavy losses en route to New Guinea in the Battle of the Bismarck Sea. This impressed the Japanese command with the dangers from Allied air power. A new plan was therefore devised under which a land line of communication would be established running down the Ramu and Markham Valleys.44 In June, Adachi was ordered to prepare to capture Wau.45 Road construction was carried out at great hardship to the troops involved, but the road was still incomplete when the Allied landings at Nadzab and Lae caused work to be suspended.46 For the Allies, Wau became an important jumping off point for the Salamaua-Lae campaign.47

Notes ^ Bradley 2008, p. 1 ^ White 1945, p. 144 ^ Wau Air Field Data Sheet, 1 October 1943, NAA (ACT): A9716/1 1453. ^ Kelly 2006, p. 24 ^ Watson 1946, p. 71 ^ Watson 1948, pp. 416–417 ^ McCarthy 1959, pp. 56–58 ^ Reinhold 1946, pp. 1–2 ^ Reinhold 1946, p. 3 ^ New Guinea Force Operation Instruction No. 7, 23 April 1942, AWM54 578/6/1. ^ Watson 1958, pp. 477–478 ^ Kelly 2006, p. 418 ^ a b Bradley 2008, p. 14 ^ White 1945, pp. 114 ^ a b McCarthy 1959, p. 544 ^ Dexter 1961, pp. 269–271 ^ a b Willoughby 1966, pp. 189–190 ^ Kreis 1996, p. 265 ^ Drea 1992, pp. 63–66 ^ "War Diary, 17th Infantry Brigade, 4 January 1943, AWM52 8/2/17". http://www.awm.gov.au/diaries/ww2/folder.asp?folder=438. Retrieved 1 March 2009. ^ McCarthy 1959, p. 545 ^ Kenney 1949, pp. 175–176 ^ Byrd 1997, p. 118 ^ Watson 1950, p. 138–139 ^ "Medal of Honor Recipients World War II (T-Z)". http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/wwII-t-z.html. Retrieved 20 February 2009. ^ Watson 1950, p. 136 ^ Gillison 1962, pp. 674–675 ^ a b c Willoughby 1966, p. 190 ^ a b c Yoshihara, Kane. "Southern Cross: Account of the Eastern New Guinea Campaign". http://ajrp.awm.gov.au/ajrp/AJRP2.nsf/pages/NT0000A7FE?openDocument. Retrieved 26 February 2009. ^ Bradley 2008, p. 108 ^ "War Diary, 17th Infantry Brigade, 4–12 January 1943, AWM52 8/2/17". http://www.awm.gov.au/diaries/ww2/folder.asp?folder=438. Retrieved 1 March 2009. ^ Kelly 2006, p. 420 ^ Kelly 2003, p. 57 ^ "Notes for C-in-C Discussion with Gen MacArthur", 15 July 1943, AWM54 213/3/20 ^ a b c McCarthy 1959, pp. 545–558 ^ Jungle Victory 1943, pp. 18–23 ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 36297, p. 5577, 23 December 1943. Retrieved on 16 February 2009. ^ Kelly 2006, pp. 420–421 ^ "Recommendation for Murray John Moten to be awarded a Bar to Distinguished Service Order". http://www.awm.gov.au/cms_images/awm192/00319/003190546.pdf. Retrieved 16 February 2009. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 36018, p. 2208, 23 May 1943. Retrieved on 16 February 2009. ^ a b Watson 1946, pp. 78–79 ^ a b Gillison 1962, p. 685 ^ Imparato 1998, p. 21 ^ Report of I Aust Corps on the Operations in New Guinea from 22 January 1943 to 8 October 1943, AWM54 519/6/32 ^ Dexter 1961, p. 231 ^ Kazuhara 2004, pp. 121–123 ^ Bradley 2008, pp. 244–245 References Jungle Victory: An Official Story of the Australian Soldier in the Wau-Salamaua Campaign January 1943 – September 1943. Australian Army. 1943. Bradley, Phillip (2008). The Battle for Wau: New Guinea's Frontline 1942-1943. Melbourne: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521896818. Dexter, David (1961) (PDF). The New Guinea Offensives. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. http://www.awm.gov.au/histories/chapter.asp?volume=22. Retrieved 25 December 2008. Dexter, David (1961) (PDF). The New Guinea Offensives. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. http://www.awm.gov.au/histories/chapter.asp?volume=22. Retrieved 2008-12-25. Drea, Edward J. (1992). MacArthur's ULTRA: Codebreaking and the War Against Japan, 1942-1945. Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas. ISBN 0700605045. Gillison, Douglas (1962). Volume I – Royal Australian Air Force, 1939–1942. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. http://www.awm.gov.au/histories/chapter.asp?volume=26. Retrieved 10 February 2009. Imparato, Edward T. (1998). 374th Troop Carrier Group 1942–1945. Paducah, Kentucky: Turner Publishing. ISBN 1563114356. Kazuhara, Kazumi (2004). "The Nakai Contingency Unit and the Battles of Kankirei Range". in Dennis, Peter; Grey, Jeffrey. The Foundations of Victory: The Pacific War 1943-1944. Canberra. Kelly, Robert H. (2003). Allied Air Transport Operations South West Pacific area in WWII, Volume 1: Development of air transport 1903–1943. Buderim, Queensland: Robert H. Kelly. ISBN 064645837X. Kelly, Robert H. (2006). Allied Air Transport Operations South West Pacific area in WWII, Volume 2: 1943 - Year of Expansion and Consolidation. Buderim, Queensland: Robert H. Kelly. ISBN 064645837X. Kreis, John F., ed (1996). Piercing the Fog: Intelligence and Army Air Forces Operations in World War II. Bolling Air Force Base: Air Force History and Museums Program. McCarthy, Dudley (1959). South-West Pacific Area — First Year. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. http://www.awm.gov.au/histories/chapter.asp?volume=21. Retrieved 10 February 2009. Reinhold, W. J. (1946). The Bulldog-Wau Road. Brisbane: University of Queensland. Watson, Richard L. (1946). "US Air Force Historical Study No. 113 - The Fifth Air Force in the Huon Peninsula Campaign". http://afhra.maxwell.af.mil/numbered_studies/467697.pdf. Retrieved 15 February 2009. Watson, Richard L. (1958). Wesley Frank Craven and James Lea Cate. ed. Plans and Early Operations (January 1939 to August 1942) Vol. I. The Army Air Forces in World War II. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. White, Osmar (1945). Green Armour. Australian War Classics. Camberwell, Victoria: Penguin. ISBN 0140147063. Willoughby, Charles A., ed (1966). Japanese Operations in the Southwest Pacific Area Volume II - Part I. Washington DC: United States Government Printing Office. http://www.army.mil/cmh/books/wwii/MacArthur%20Reports/MacArthur%20V2%20P1/macarthurv2.htm. Retrieved 10 February 2009. Yoshihara, Kane. "Southern Cross: Account of the Eastern New Guinea Campaign". http://ajrp.awm.gov.au/ajrp/AJRP2.nsf/pages/NT0000A7FE?openDocument. Retrieved 26 February 2009.

Battle of Wau

Related

Webs | Wiki | Videos | Images | Posts | Auctions | Books | News | MindMap about Battle of Wau