The Battle of Milne Bay was hailed at the time as the first significant defeat of a Japanese force on land in the Second World War and an important morale booster for the Allies. Despite an oppressive combination of extreme humidity, voracious insects, and the tropical disease both combined to create, Milne Bay remained an important Allied staging area until victories in New Guinea made other more suitable areas available from September 1943 onwards. Back to Blog Grid. Before they left Milne Bay in March 1943, soldiers of the 61st Battalion nailed two signs to a …

On 25-26 August they landed at Milne Bay on the extreme eastern tip of Papua, about 370 kilometres from Port Moresby. Although under great logistical stress with the fighting on the Kokoda Trail, Allied forces were ready for them. Despite these difficulties, the Bay’s geographic location ‘… held a strategic advantage that counterbalanced the negatives’. The Battle of Milne Bay – then and 75 years on . It is surrounded on three sides by 5,000 ft mountains; it is swamp-ridden and a haven for malaria. Whatever general conclusions can be drawn about the significance of the Battle of Milne Bay, those who fought it on the ground had a strong sense of what they had achieved. Battle for Milne Bay. The loss of a key launching site for sea and air support also proved costly for Japan’s advance along the Kokoda Track and within a month the tide in Papua New Guinea was turning in Australia’s favour. Military History 2/10BN, 61BN, 75SQN, 76SQN, Kittyhawk, Milne Bay, PNG, RAAF, WW2 0 Comments.

Unlike the protracted Kokoda campaign, the Battle of Milne Bay ended in just over ten days. Ian and Anne Rae “Here we were, anti-aircraft gunners with batmen, cooks drivers and others with a rifle each (we hoped), rain pouring down, nothing between us and the beach where the Japs were possibly going to land. Milne Bay is located on the far eastern tip of the island of New Guinea. 04 Sep 4 September, 2019. 4 SEP 1942: World War II and the Japanese evacuation of Milne Bay, New Guinea begins. Battle for Milne Bay. The regular infantry was behind us.” (CJE Rae) Cecil Rae (VX 48132), was a chronicler and story teller. It was the historic turning point in the Pacific War, the Battle of Milne Bay — the first major victory by any Allied force over Japanese land forces. Milne Bay is remembered as the first defeat of the Japanese on land during the Pacific War.