MILNE BAY LANDING

Japanese landing at Milne Bay
August - September 1942

FALL RIVER
Construction on the first strip in the Milne Bay area began on June 28, 1942; it built by the US Army 46th Engineering Regiment and code-named Fall River; it was also known as Gurney or the No.1 Strip. It consisted of a single runway 5340 x 100 ft which was surfaced with Marston steel matting and a B-26 was the first aircraft to land on the finished strip on August 7, 1942. It was re-named Gurney on September 14, 1942 in honour of RAAF S/L C.R. Gurney who was killed when acting as co-pilot on a USAAF B26 which had crashed. Later a second sealed bitumen runway 6000 x 150 ft was added and taxiways and revetments were built off the sides of both runways.

On the night of August 25, 1942, Gurney No.1 strip had only been operational for just over two weeks when the Japanese landed at Milne Bay. Following a naval bombardment at around midnight 1,150 troops and two Type 95 light tanks came ashore at two locations at Waga Waga and further east near Wahahuba. The troops thought they had landed further west at Point King near Rabi and moved west towards Gurney covering almost 3 miles during the first day. An attempt to destroy the two tanks using sticky bombs near the Gama River by the 2/10th Battalion had failed. However both tanks were later found by Australian troops abandoned at Rabi, they only had narrow tracks and had become bogged in the Milne Bay mud. Then on the August 29, the Japanese landed another 768 men.

Bruce Brown
Photo - Bruce Brown.

Bruce ‘Buster’ Brown - Pilot A29-133 ‘Polly’ ‘S’ 75 Squadron RAAF

On August 25, 1942 a large enemy convoy was sighted approaching Milne Bay. Fortunately on about August 26, the Australian AMF and AIF Army forces began arriving consisting of the 7th Brigade and the 14th Infantry Brigade. Rain and low cloud provided cover for the nine Japanese vessels which entered Milne Bay just after midnight on August 26, 1942. The invasion force consisted of two cruisers, three destroyers, two transports and two sub chasers. The troops landed at Waga Waga in the west and Wahahuba in the east.

As empty Japanese barges put out from shore after dropping troops and supplies, they sighted the launches Bronzwing and Elevala. Bronzwing had just picked up some troops from Ahioma and was heading west across Wanaduela Bay. The enemy barges opened fire and the Bronzwing was sunk, with half those on board being killed. The launches Elevada and Dadosee were also sunk a short time later.

The Japanese landed in the Waga Waga-Wahahuba area instead of the Point King-KB Mission area further west.

Beach at Milne Bay on which Japanese troops landed.
Photo - Ack Ack Kenny.

Even though the Japanese realised they had come ashore at the wrong place, they now had no choice but to continue the landing. The barges were reloaded with supplies, and returned to the beach to unload. The stores were stacked just off the beach, on the edge of a coconut plantation, and included 44-gallon drums of fuel, boxes of ammunition and other supplies.

I was duty pilot that night and sleeping in a tent beside the strip when, at 2am the Japanese began a heavy and continuous naval bombardment of the area around Gili Gili. The bombardment lasted about 45 minutes, with those on shore timing the guns as firing regularly at 20-second intervals with a sound like thunder.

The Japanese ships had only unloaded three-quarters of their supplies, but as dawn approached they decided to make a dash up the bay to the safety of the offshore islands, where they would be a more difficult target for our aircraft. They left it too late. Before dawn eight American B17s left Port Moresby to attack the convoy. The merchant ship Nankai Maru was damaged and on fire, but managed to escape.

At dawn the first aircraft to take off from Milne Bay was a Hudson, A16-185, flown by F/L Henry Robertson (6 Squadron) with tail gunner Sgt Fred Carden (32 Squadron) on board. Their job was to carry out a 30-minute reconnaissance flight over the bay and report Japanese positions and troop movements. After coming under continuous fire from Japanese destroyers guarding the convoy, they flew along the coast and returned to base.

'Buster' Brown on wing of A29-133 'S' at Milne Bay.
Photo - Bruce Brown.

I was in the first flight of 75 Squadron Kittyhawks to take off that morning. Led by S/L Les Jackson, we took off to the east at 6.35am and had only climbed a few hundred feet when we saw the Japanese barges pulled into the shore along a small beach.

Although the barges were the major target, we also aimed to destroy the accumulation of stores, fuel and ammunition that were stacked just off the edge of the beach. We did not carry bombs: the ammunition loading was one tracer, one ball, one incendiary, one armour-piercing and one explosive, which meant that whatever we hit was either damaged or destroyed.

Our method of attack was simple on this first flight of the morning. We began in line-astern formation, each aircraft coming in from over the bay and diving at the beach. With our firing run at a selected target completed we did a left-hand turn over the bay and left again to bring us back for another attack. When we landed at about 7.20am we had each fired off 1500 rounds of ammunition. At 7.35am a flight of five aircraft led by F/L John Piper took off and attacked the Japanese positions, returning at 8.20am after exhausting their ammunition, as the day wore on the method of attack changed.

At 10.20am F/Sgt Bob Crawford led a flight of eight aircraft to attack the KB Mission area. After taking off they had barely gained height before they were diving to attack, each aircraft dropping bombs from 250 feet and firing 1400 rounds of ammunition before landing. By late afternoon the Army were using Verey lights to mark the position of Japanese troops and stores dumps hidden in the jungle.

While we could not see our targets, the exploding fuel and ammunition after our attacks showed we had hit our mark. During this first day 35000 rounds of ammunition was fired off by 75 and 76 Squadron aircraft, all within 5 miles of their airstrip. We developed perfect coordination by strafing just ahead of the army frontline in a steady barrage of fire power from the six .5 Browning’s in each Kittyhawk.

The army indicated its front line by firing Verey pistols and as the army initially withdrew and later advanced, we continually strafed a minimum of two hundred yards ahead of the soldiers. The width of fire did not have to be great as the high range of mountains and the sea only left a few hundred yards to be covered. The enemy were not only attacked on the ground but also the Japanese snipers who had concealed themselves in the tops of coconut trees.

Many pilots had their aircraft holed by small automatic and rifle fire and the short distance to return to our strip saved a number of pilots from going down in enemy territory or in the sea. The strafing attacks continued each day from dawn until dusk by 75 and 76 Squadrons. King’s School old boys were well represented by my-self, Geoff ‘Wombat’ Wilkinson and John ‘Cocky’ Le Gay Brereton in 75 Squadron, also Pat Tainton and John Rutherford in 76 Squadron.

Furthest point of Japanese advance at Milne Bay, August 31, 1942.
Photo - Don Kirkwood.

On August 31, at around 3am the Japanese launched three Banzai charges at No. 3 strip which was still under construction. Each attack was repelled by Australian troops and at 9am the next morning a counter attack was launched by the 2/12th Battalion who pushed the Japanese back along the coast.

They were joined on September 3, by the 2/9th Battalion and the combined force faced significant strong opposition on September 4, with Cpl John French of the 2/9th awarded a VC after being killed when single handed he took out the three machine gun nests which were halting the Australian advance. On September 5, the Japanese High Command ordered their troops to withdraw and on September 6, Australian troops reached the main Japanese camp.

Just after dark on that same night the Japanese cruiser Tatsuta shelled the Gili Gili wharves sinking the MV Anshun while other ships were able to pick up a total of 1,318 men, leaving behind 625 dead or missing.

The Battle of Milne Bay was the first time that Japanese troops were defeated in a land battle and it was Australian troops who had done it. Milne Bay had shown the world that the seemingly unstoppable advance of Japanese forces through Asia and the South West Pacific could be stopped. They were not invincible.

There was general respect for the Salvation Army chap at Milne Bay not only for his cheerful and helpful attitude in that lousy, muddy, and humid environment, but because when the Japanese looked like breaking through at the Turnbull strip, he was one of the first to help them in relocating their grog supplies.

Pilots of 75 Squadron said the three hole toilet at Milne Bay was the best in the South West Pacific area.
Photo - Bruce Brown.

The Battle of Milne Bay was over; it had lasted from August 25, to September 7, 1942. The Australian defeat of Japanese troops brought to an end their plan to use the Milne Bay as a forward base for their aircraft and troops to attack Port Moresby.

Laurie Crouch - Fitter/Armourer.

In September three of our aircraft were ordered to move across to Milne Bay codenamed Fall River to help the Hudson’s and Beaufort’s find and attack some enemy warships that were lurking about in that area. Lenny Vial, George Sayer and Teddy Jones went on that deployment. Teddy woke me in the middle of the night to go down to the strip with him on the Harley Davidson motor-bike to make sure that the armament side of things was OK. The two undamaged aircraft came back to Bohle River within a day or two.

George Dusting - Fitter IIE.

One morning in early September I was woken at 4.30am to help get three Beaufighters off to do some operational work at Milne Bay.

Ralph Nelson - Navigator.

In the first week of September, 30 Squadron got orders to send three Beaufighters to Fall River as Milne Bay was then known. Len Vial and Les Hanks were in A19-13 while Ted Jones and Harry Suthons were in A19-49, with George Sayer and Bob Shaw in A19-53. Lenny ran off the strip on landing and crashed into a parked Hudson.

War 1 - On September 7, 1942 at 0830Z three Beaufighters took off from Gurney to attack enemy shipping specifically a destroyer and a cruiser 20 miles NE Normanby Island. With 12 Kittyhawks as top cover the Beaufighters were to strafe ship’s decks, each using 4 drums of 20 mm ammunition and 6 Beaufort’s were to drop torpedoes. The following aircraft and crews were involved A19-49 Jones/Suthons, A19-53 Sayers/Shaw A19-13 Vial/Hanks. The mission was unsuccessful with no ships sighted.

Kym Bonython - Pilot A9-75.

Later in the day the ships were sighted again and once more a combined force was assembled to launch an attack. The six Beaufort’s from 100 Squadron each carried a torpedo and were piloted by W/C JR Balmer A9-46, F/O Mercer A9-87, F/O RS Green A9-30, F/L Douglas A9-54, F/O Stumm A9-60, while I was the pilot of A9-75. Only two Beaufighters took part as A19-13 was lost at the beginning of the second mission when it hit a parked Hudson while taking off.

Nose on view of A19-13 after take off accident, note the mud which covers the steel matting.
Photo - Bill Garing.

Side view of A19-13, neither Vial nor Hanks were injured in this accident.
Photo - Bill Garing.

Eight Kittyhawks from 76 Squadron were also involved they were led by S/L Truscott in A29-120, with Sgt Louden A29-80, F/O Kerville A29-140, Sgt Carroll A29-150, F/L Meehan A29-144, Sgt Watts A29-96, P/O Rutherford A29-146 and P/O Baker A29-147. The attack began at about 4.55pm with the Beaufighters attacking first from 500 feet each firing 200 rounds of 20 mm and 4000 rounds of .303 they saw hits on the bridge area of the ships and were met by very heavy but inaccurate A/A fire. The Kittyhawks led by ‘Bluey’ Truscott then attacked from 3000 feet opening fire at 800 yards and breaking away at 250 yards after each firing 5000-6000 rounds of .50 at the ships.

While the Beaufighters and Kittyhawks were strafing the ships the Beaufort’s were approaching to carry out their torpedo attack. We all turned towards the ships together so it was like a fan with torpedoes running to intercept the ships. We were deliberately all over the shop so the Japs had many different targets coming at them at once from almost as many different directions. We were approaching at wave top level with the main guns opening fire on us from about 4 miles with a shell every 15 seconds then as we got closer pom poms and light machine guns also opened fire. I attacked the larger of the two ships which was leading. When we were about 1500 yards from the ships we climbed to 150 feet and released our Mk 13 Mod 1 torpedo with its 400lb warhead.

Immediately the torpedo had been launched we began a left turn at the same time taking violent evasive action. Up and down, hard left and then hard right on the rudder to make ourselves a more difficult target. By the time we were part way through our turn the Jap ship was getting very close. However none of our aircraft were damaged and in turn none of our torpedoes found their mark.

Harry Suthons - Navigator A19-49.

I watched the Beaufort’s come in and drop their torpedoes which then ran off in all directions except towards the ships they were aimed at. By this time the ships were also taking evasive action with the cruiser turning sharply to the left while the destroyer turned sharply to the right, both then circled at high speed.

Many pilots recorded how slippery and dangerous the steel matting at Milne Bay was during take off and landing and this was the first time Beaufighter crews had encountered this surface. Len Vial found he had left an access door open when he was taking off that afternoon so he returned and landed safely on the strip. However after closing the door he failed to line up straight down the strip for take off and as he attempted to turn the aircraft during take off he slewed diagonally across the runway and collided with a Hudson bomber from 6 Squadron which was parked on the side of the strip.

For the Beaufighters of 30 Squadron, Milne Bay was their first operation against enemy forces. The significance of operating from Wards Strip and the impact of using the Beaufighter against shipping and as a ground strafer soon became very obvious.