Join us to commemorate the Battle of Milne Bay, which ended September 7, 1942.
We will be running it at 11:59 pm Eastern Time US (after today's air racing), and we ran it once today already at 9 pm Melbourne time. It was a lot of fun!
In August, 1942, the Japanese launched an invasion of allied-held Milne Bay, first softening it up with air attacks, then invading with elite Japanese marines -- the Kaigun Rikusentai. It was part of the Japanese plan to capture New Guinea and to use it as a launching point for attacks upon and eventual invasion of Australia.
To this point in the war, the Japanese had been nearly invincible in battle, dealing many crushing defeats to their enemies. Here, fighting to hold the stepping stone to their country, fighting with troops, P-40's, and Hudson bombers against Japanese forces that included Type 95 Ha-Go tanks, the Australians were the ones to prevail.
"Some of us may forget that of all the Allies it was the Australian soldiers who first broke the spell of the invincibility of the Japanese Army; those of us who were in Burma have cause to remember." -- Field Marshal Sir William Slim
