Landing on Emirau

Coordinates: 1°41′6″S 150°0′0″E / 1.68500°S 150.00000°E / -1.68500; 150.00000
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Landing on Emirau
Part of
F4U Corsairs on Emirau Island in position along a taxiway to the new airport which was operational less than two months after the landing
Date20–27 March 1944
Location
Emirau Island, Territory of New Guinea
1°41′6″S 150°0′0″E / 1.68500°S 150.00000°E / -1.68500; 150.00000
Result Unopposed
Belligerents
 United States  Japan
Commanders and leaders
Lawrence F. Reifsnider
United States Alfred H. Noble
United States William L. McKittrick
Strength
4,000
Casualties and losses
1 injured

The Landing on Emirau was the last of the series of operations that made up

Emirau on 20 March 1944. The island was not occupied by the Japanese and there was no fighting. It was developed into an airbase which formed the final link in the chain of bases surrounding Rabaul. The isolation of Rabaul permitted MacArthur to turn his attention westward and commence his drive along the north coast of New Guinea toward the Philippines
.

Background

Strategy

In February 1943, General MacArthur had presented the US

Washington DC for consultation, objected to this proposal to retain forces in the South West Pacific theatre after the capture of Kavieng, as it would disrupt his plans for upcoming operations in the Pacific Ocean theatre. The Joint War Plans Committee discussed these alternatives, and recommended to the Joint Chiefs that Hollandia be seized on 15 April, but that the Kavieng operation be canceled.[3]

MacArthur's Chief of Staff,

Theodore S. Wilkinson, to occupy Emirau on 20 March.[6]

Geography

Bismarck Archipelago

Emirau (or Emira) is an island in the Bismarck Archipelago in the south eastern portion of the

St. Matthias Islands, located 25 miles (40 km) from Mussau Island, the other principal island in the St. Matthias group, and 90 miles (140 km) from Kavieng. Emirau is about 8 miles (13 km) long and 2 miles (3.2 km) wide, hilly, and heavily wooded. Inland is a 90-acre (36 ha) plateau. The climate is tropical, with high humidity and heavy rainfall. There is a small harbor, Hamburg Bay, on the north west coast. About 300 natives lived on the island;[7] but all available intelligence indicated that the Japanese had not occupied the islands in any appreciable strength. Emirau was considered suitable for development as an airbase and base for PT boats. A photo reconnaissance mission on 16 March revealed no indication whatsoever of enemy activity or installations.[8]

Preparations

Landing on Emirau

Halsey's message reached Wilkinson on

Lawrence F. Reifsnider was appointed to command the amphibious operation. Brigadier General Alfred H. Noble, the Assistant Division Commander of the 3d Marine Division would command the expeditionary troops. Noble, who was also slated to become island commander, was given a small staff created from I Amphibious Corps and 3rd Marine Division personnel. An air command was organized for Emirau under Colonel William L. McKittrick from the larger one intended for the Kavieng operation.[10]

No opposition was expected on Emirau, but strong naval and air support was provided. A covering force under Rear Admiral Robert M. Griffin, consisting of the battleships New Mexico, Mississippi, Idaho and Tennessee, accompanied by the escort carriers Manila Bay and Natoma Bay, and 15 destroyers, carried out part of the original Kavieng plan—the bombardment of Kavieng and the surrounding area. In all, some 1,079 rounds of 14-inch and 12,281 rounds of 5-inch ammunition were fired.[11] Unfortunately, the bombardment gave Rear Admiral Ryukichi Tamura the impression that the expected invasion by Allied forces was imminent and he gave the order to kill all the European prisoners in Kavieng. At least 25 of them were executed in the Kavieng Wharf Massacre, which later led to six of the perpetrators being sentenced for war crimes in 1947. Sentenced to death by hanging, Tamura was executed at Stanley Prison on 16 March 1948.[12]

Operations

The assault force left in two echelons. The Marines of the two assault battalions, the

2nd Battalions, 4th Marines, traveled on nine high speed transports (APDs) while the remainder of the force were on the dock landing ships (LSDs) Epping Forest, Gunston Hall and Lindenwald, and the attack transport (APA) Callaway. One LSD carried the 66 LVTs for crossing Emirau's fringing reef, one carried three LCTs, two of them loaded with tanks, and the third carried three LCTs with radar sets and anti-aircraft guns.[8]

Supplies and equipment being brought ashore from landing craft to support the US Marine landing force. LVTs ferrying supplies ashore in the distance while a chain of men stretches from a landing craft to the shore to manhandle supplies to the beach.

The attack group arrived in the transport area at 06:05 on 20 March. The LVTs were launched, and the assault troops transferred to the amphibious tractors using the APDs' boats, supplemented by those from Callaway while Vought F4U Corsairs of VMF-218 flew overhead to make a last-minute check of the island for any signs of the Japanese. The assault waves touched down on schedule. The reserve 3rd Battalion's boats grounded on the reef soon afterwards, and its marines waded ashore through knee deep water. The only problem encountered was with launching the LCTs carrying the tanks. The LSD's flooding mechanism failed and the LCTs had to be dragged out by a fleet tug.[13] While the detachment sent to occupy Elomusao Island was approaching the beach, some supposed opposition caused the amphibious tractors and then a destroyer to open fire, and a man was wounded by a shell fragment. However, the natives informed the marines that the Japanese had left Emirau two months before and only a small detachment remained on Mussau Island.[14] Supplies began landing at around 1100, first from the APDs and then from Callaway. Some 3,727 troops and 844 tons of cargo were ashore by nightfall when the ships sailed.[13] Within a month, some 18,000 men and 44,000 tons of supplies had been landed.[6]

Intelligence reports indicated that there were Japanese fuel and ration dumps on Mussau, and a radio station on a nearby island, so on 23 March these areas were shelled by destroyers. On the 27th, a destroyer intercepted a large canoe carrying Japanese troops about 40 miles (64 km) south of Mussau. The Japanese soldiers replied with their rifles and machine guns, and the destroyer returned fire, destroying the canoe and killing the occupants. Thus ended the only fighting in the St. Matthias Group.[13]

Base development

Construction activities were taken in hand by the US Navy

drydock and slipway, and roads. The 61st constructed housing, ammunition storage facilities, a runway, and some of the buildings at the PT boat base. It also handled sawmill operations. The 63rd assisted at the sawmill and worked on the roads, camps, harbor facilities, warehouses, magazines and avgas dumps. The 77th built taxiways, hardstands, aviation workshops and the avgas tank farm. The 88th worked on runways, roads, radar stations and a causeway at the eastern end of the island.[15]

measurement tons (910 m3) of cargo per day. Connecting the various facilities was 40 miles (64 km) of coral-surfaced all-weather road. All this work was completed by August and Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit (CBMU) 502 assumed responsibility for maintenance work. All the construction battalions departed by December.[15]

Garrison

The 4th Marines were relieved as the garrison of Emirau by the

RNZAF.[21] On 20 March 1945, General MacArthur authorized a reduction in the garrison size to one company of the 8th Infantry Battalion. In June 1945, it too was withdrawn.[22] CBMU 502 departed for Manus that month.[23] The RNZAF maintained a bomber-reconnaissance squadron at Emirau until July 1945, and a fighter squadron until August, when all forces were withdrawn from the island.[24]

Notes

  1. ^ Hayes, History of the Joint Chiefs, pp. 312–313
  2. ^ Drea, MacArthur's ULTRA, pp. 104–105
  3. ^ Hayes, History of the Joint Chiefs, pp. 554–556
  4. ^ Hayes, History of the Joint Chiefs, pp. 558–559
  5. ^ Shaw and Kane, Isolation of Rabaul, p. 518
  6. ^ a b Miller, CARTWHEEL: The Reduction of Rabaul, p. 380
  7. ^ Building the Navy's Bases, p. 303
  8. ^ a b Shaw and Kane, Isolation of Rabaul, p. 521
  9. ^ Rottman, U.S. Marine Corps World War II Order of Battle, p. 318
  10. ^ Shaw and Kane, Isolation of Rabaul, p. 519
  11. ^ Morison, Breaking the Bismarcks Barrier, p. 423
  12. ^ Dunbar, The Kavieng Massacre
  13. ^ a b c Shaw and Kane, Isolation of Rabaul, p. 522
  14. ^ G-3 Journal, GHQ AFPAC 9 April 1944, "Emirau Operation — Operations of the Emirau Landing Force", NAA(Vic): B6121/3 99A
  15. ^ a b Building the Navy's bases, pp. 303–304
  16. ^ Shaw and Kane, Isolation of Rabaul, p. 523
  17. ^ Lee, The Employment of Negro Troops, p. 524
  18. ^ Long, The Final Campaigns, p. 93
  19. ^ War Diary, 23rd Infantry Brigade, 30 September 1944, AWM52 8/2/3
  20. ^ Powell, The Third Force, pp. 132–133
  21. ^ Shaw and Kane, Isolation of Rabaul, p. 533
  22. ^ Long, The Final Campaigns, p. 201
  23. ^ U.S. Navy, Building the Navy's Bases, p. 304
  24. ^ Ross, Operations from Emirau Archived 1 February 2023 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 18 January 2009

References

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