Milne Bay, Battle of

In World War II, Australian victory over the Japanese on the island of New Guinea in August 1942, the first time Allied troops defeated a Japanese attack.

Milne Bay is on the extreme eastern tip of New Guinea and Japanese intelligence wrongly thought it poorly defended, unaware that it was defended by two Australian infantry brigades, one with experience against the Germans in Africa, and two fighter squadrons of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). A Japanese force landed on 26 August 1942, expecting to be able to move west easily and take Port Moresby. The Allied strength surprised the Japanese: while the RAAF aircraft attacked the Japanese transports and escorts, the troops resisted the ground attack strongly, and the Japanese withdrew on 6 September.