The Bougainville campaign was a campaign of World War II that occurred from November 1 1943 to August 21 1945, on and around Bougainville Island in the South Pacific between the Empire of Japan and Allied forces. Bougainville, at that time, was part of the Australian territory of New Guinea, although geographically part of the Solomon Islands chain. The Bougainville campaign was, therefore, part of both the Allied New Guinea and Solomon Islands campaigns. Bougainville was occupied in 1942 by Japanese forces, who constructed naval air bases at Buka in the north and Buin in the south, as well as a naval ship base in the nearby Shortland Islands. The Japanese bases provided security for their major base at Rabaul, New Britain and supported their forces operating at other locations in the Solomon Islands.

As part of the latter stages of Operation Cartwheel, Allied forces intended to establish air bases on Bougainville to assist in the isolation and neutralization of Rabaul. Thus, in November 1943 United States Marine forces landed at Cape Torokina on Bougainville and established a beachhead within which the Allies constructed three airfields. The Marines were later replaced by U.S. Army soldiers in January 1944. The U.S. Army was replaced by Australian Militia troops in October 1944. The campaign ended with the surrender of Japanese forces in August 1945.

Campaign

November 1943 – November 1944

| Allied operations to retake Bougainville from the Japanese 17th Army began with Landings at Cape Torokina by the U.S. Marine 3rd Division on November 1 1943. The Allies intended to establish a beachhead around Cape Torokina, within which an airfield would be built. Allied forces did not plan, at this time, to try to capture the entire island of Bougainville from Japanese forces. An attempt by the Japanese Navy to attack the U.S. landing forces was defeated in the Battle of Empress Augusta Bay, on November 1 and November 2. A subsequent attempt by Japanese land forces to attack the Allied beachhead was defeated in the Battle of Koromokina Lagoon. |} Protracted and often bitter jungle warfare followed, with many casualties resulting from malaria and other tropical diseases. U.S. Marine operations to expand the Allied beachhead resulted in the battles of Piva Trail, Coconut Grove, Piva Forks, and Hellzapoppin Ridge and Hill 600A. The Marines were later replaced by the U.S. Army's Americal Division.

The U.S. Army defended the beachhead against a major Japanese counterattack from March 9–March 17 1944, at Hill 700, Cannon Hill and Hill 260. The counterattack was defeated with heavy losses for the Japanese, who then withdrew the majority of their forces into the deep interior and to the north and south ends of the island.

The Japanese, isolated and cut off from outside assistance, primarily concentrated on survival, including the development of farms throughout the island. The Americans were reinforced by the 93rd Infantry Division, the first African American infantry unit to see action in World War II. The Allies concentrated on constructing three airfields in the beachhead, from which they conducted fighter and bomber operations over Rabaul and other Japanese held islands in the South Pacific area. Air support over Bougainville was provided primarily by the Royal New Zealand Air Force.

November 1944 – August 1945

Between October and December 1944, the U.S. ground forces handed over operations on the island to the main body of the Australian II Corps, a Militia formation. The Australian 3rd Division and the 11th Brigade were on Bougainville, reinforced by the Fiji Infantry Regiment. The Australian 23rd Brigade garrisoned neighbouring islands.

The second phase of the Allied campaign developed into three separate drives: in the north, it was planned that Japanese forces would be forced into the narrow Bonis Peninsula and contained; in the centre the seizure of Pearl Ridge would give the Australians control of the east-west thoroughfares and protection against further counterattacks, while also opening the way for a drive to the east coast; and the main campaign in the south, where the bulk of the Japanese forces were concentrated.

Major battles for the Australians included the Battle of Genga River (in the north) and the Battles of Slater's Knoll and Hongorai River (in the south).

Corporal Sefanaia Sukanaivalu of Fiji was posthumously awarded a Victoria Cross (VC) for his bravery at Mawaraka on June 23 1944. During 1945, Corporal Reg Rattey (at Slater's Knoll) and Private Frank Partridge (at Ratsua) won Australia's last VCs of World War II and the only VCs awarded to militia soldiers.

Combat operations on Bougainville ended with the surrender of Japanese forces on August 21 1945.

Notes

References

• Bergerud, Eric M. (1997). Touched with Fire: The Land War in the South Pacific. Penguin.
• Carey, John (2002). A Marine from Boston: A First Person Story of a US Marine in World War II — Boot Camp-Samoa-Guadalcanal-Bougainville. Authorhouse.
• Gailey, Harry A. (1991). Bougainville, 1943–1945: The Forgotten Campaign. Lexington, Kentucky, USA: University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0-8131-9047-9.
• Long, Gavin (1963). Volume VII – The Final Campaigns. Canberra: Australian War Memorial.
• McGee, William L. (2002). The Solomons Campaigns, 1942–1943: From Guadalcanal to Bougainville—Pacific War Turning Point, Volume 2 (Amphibious Operations in the South Pacific in WWII). BMC Publications.
• Monks Jr, John (1968). A Ribbon and a Star. Henry Holt & Co 1945
  Zenga renewed 1979.
• Morison, Samuel Eliot (1958). Breaking the Bismarcks Barrier, vol. 6 of History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. Castle Books.
• Odgers, George (1968). Volume II – Air War Against Japan, 1943–1945. Canberra: Australian War Memorial.
• Peatross, Oscar F.; John P. McCarthy and John Clayborne (editors) (1995). Bless 'em All: The Raider Marines of World War II. Review. ISBN 0965232506.
• Rottman, Gordon L.; Dr. Duncan Anderson (consultant editor) (2005). Japanese Army in World War II: The South Pacific and New Guinea, 1942–43. Oxford and New York: Osprey.
• Zaloga, Steven J. Japanese Tanks 1939-45. Osprey, 2007. ISBN 978-1-84603-091-8.

External links

• In the Shadows: Bougainville. .
• Craven, Wesley Frank; James Lea Cate Vol. IV, The Pacific: Guadalcanal to Saipan, August 1942 to July 1944. The Army Air Forces in World War II. U.S. Office of Air Force History. .
• Chapin, John C. TOP OF THE LADDER: Marine Operations in the Northern Solomons. World War II Commemorative series. Marine Corps History and Museums Division. (1997). . Also available at:
• Fuquea, David C. Bougainville: The Amphibious Assault Enters Maturity. Naval War College Review, Winter 1997, Vol. L, No. 1. (1997). .
• Hoffman, Jon T. Bougainville. FROM MAKIN TO BOUGAINVILLE: Marine Raiders in the Pacific War. Marine Corps Historical Center. (1995). Retrieved on 2006-11-21..
• James, Karl The Final Campaigns: Bougainville 1944–1945. University of Wollongong. (2005). Retrieved on 2006-12-12..
• Lofgren, Stephen J. Northern Solomons. The U.S. Army Campaigns of World War II. .
• Mersky, Peter B. Time of the Aces: Marine Pilots in the Solomons, 1942–1944. Marines in World War II Commemorative Series. History and Museums Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps. (1993). .
• Miller, John, Jr. CARTWHEEL: The Reduction of Rabaul. United States Army in World War II: The War in the Pacific. Office of the Chief of Military History, U.S. Department of the Army. (1959). .
• Rentz, John M. Bougainville and the Northern Solomons. USMC Historical Monograph. Historical Branch, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps. (1946). .
• Shaw, Henry I.; Douglas T. Kane Volume II: Isolation of Rabaul. History of U.S. Marine Corps Operations in World War II. (1963). Retrieved on 2006-10-18..
• Japanese Operations in the Southwest Pacific Area, Volume II - Part I. Reports of General MacArthur. Retrieved on 2006-12-08..- Translation of the official record by the Japanese Demobilization Bureaux detailing the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy's participation in the Southwest Pacific area of the Pacific War.