A Tough Nut to Crack

General MacArthur, furious at the perceived inability of his commanders to crack the Japanese fortified positions surrounding Buna, relieved his top field commanders and placed General Eichelberger in command. MacArthur’s last words to Eichelberger were, “Capture Buna or don’t come back alive!” General Wooten, the Australian Area …

1943-01-01

G19

General MacArthur, furious at the perceived inability of his commanders to crack the Japanese fortified positions surrounding Buna, relieved his top field commanders and placed General Eichelberger in command. MacArthur’s last words to Eichelberger were, “Capture Buna or don’t come back alive!” General Wooten, the Australian Area Commander, was awaiting fresh troops from the AIF 18th Brigade and armor support from Milne Bay before resuming the attack on January 1st. Eichelberger, in an attempt at grabbing the glory, threw two companies at the Japanese. They almost immediately stalled and were unable to support the Australian attack scheduled for the next morning.

Giropa Point, Papua New Guinea

The Battle of Buna–Gona was part of the New Guinea campaign in the Pacific Theatre during World War II. It followed the conclusion of the Kokoda Track campaign and lasted from 16 November 1942 until 22 January 1943. The battle was fought by Australian and United States forces against the Japanese beachheads at Buna, Sanananda and Gona. From these, the Japanese had launched an overland attack on Port Moresby. In light of developments in the Solomon Islands campaign, Japanese forces approaching Port Moresby were ordered to withdraw to and secure these bases on the northern coast. Australian forces maintained contact as the Japanese conducted a well-ordered rearguard action. The Allied objective was to eject the Japanese forces from these positions and deny them their further use. The Japanese forces were skillful, well prepared and resolute in their defence. They had developed a strong network of well-concealed defences.

Australian

Japanese

Scenario Type = Standard