10-015 Garand Picture of the day -Buna, Papua New Guinea

[Mark in Rochester]

Patrolling American soldier creeping through the dense jungle during the campaign to take back New Guinea from the occupying Japanese.
Location: Buna, Papua New Guinea
Date taken: 1943
Photographer: George Strock




The Battle of Buna–Gona was a battle in the New Guinea campaign, a major part of the Pacific campaign of World War II. On November 16, 1942, Australian and United States forces attacked the main Japanese beachheads in New Guinea, at Buna, Sanananda and Gona. By January 22, 1943, after prolonged heavy fighting in trying conditions, the Allied forces had overcome the defenders. Casualties were extremely high. Lietenant General Robert L. Eichelberger later compared the casualty ratio to the American Civil War. As a percentage of casualties, killed or wounded in action at Buna exceeded the better known Battle of Guadalcanal.


2,300 killed,
12,000+ injured - Deaths include 1,300 Australian and 1,000 U.S. Illness from contracting tropical diseases exceeded 50 percent of the Allied troops

Information

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