70th Anniversary of the Battle of Milne BayPrint Page

A plaque commemorates the 70th Anniversary of the Battle of Milne Bay.

The Battle of Milne Bay (25 August – 7 September 1942), was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II. Japanese naval troops, known as Kaigun Rikusentai (Special Naval Landing Forces), attacked the Allied airfields at Milne Bay that had been established on the eastern tip of New Guinea.

Due to poor intelligence work, the Japanese miscalculated the size of the predominantly Australian garrison and, believing that the airfields were only defended by two or three companies, initially landed a force roughly equivalent in size to one battalion on 25 August 1942. The Allies, forewarned by intelligence from Ultra, had heavily reinforced the garrison. The battle is considered to be the first in the Pacific campaign in which Allied troops decisively defeated Japanese land forces.

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