- Kanga Force
Kanga Force was a
Australian Army unit, formed on23 April 1942 duringWorld War II .A platoon of the 1st Independent Company was sent from
Port Moresby to reinforce theNew Guinea Volunteer Rifles (NGVR), protecting theWau –Bulolo area and was initially tasked with reconnaissance of theImperial Japanese bases atLae andSalamaua . Kanga Force was commanded byMajor Norman Lawrence Fleay .Supplies to
Kanga Force were either flown in, depending on aircraft availability, or shipped to the mouth of theLakekamu River in small craft, transported up the river to Bulldog in canoes and then carried over theBulldog Track by native porters.In May 1942,
General MacArthur requested that ground raids be initiated against Lae and Salamaua to destroy enemy installations and, if possible, to occupy the airfields. The2/5th Independent Company were flown in from Port Moresby by theU.S. 21st Troop Carrier Squadron intoWau Airfield on22 May 1942.On the
29 June 1942, two raids were undertaken at Heath's Plantation and Salamaua. The raid on Heath's Plantation at Lae, was carried out by 58 troops, but watchdogs warned the enemy of the raid. In the raid, the leader, MajorT P Keen was killed and two men were wounded. The raid on Salamaua by 71 troops of the 2/5th and the NGVR killed at leat 100 Japanese troops and only suffered three men slightly wounded.Reconnaissance reports indicated that the Japanese were starting to reinforce Lae and Salamaua. The allies were concerned about the defense of the important air installation at Wau and to secure the crest of the Owen Stanleys in that area.
The
2/7th Independent Company was flown into Wau in October 1942 to reinforce Wau. Anticipating an attack by the Japanese,General Thomas Blamey ordered the17th Brigade fromMilne Bay to reinforce Wau. On16 January 1943 the Japanese launched an offensive against Wau, known as theBattle of Wau .Kanga Force was disbanded and reformed as 3rd Division, which left Wau to begin the
Salamaua-Lae campaign on22 April 1943 and drove the Japanese from Salamaua.References
*Cite book |last=Brune |first=Peter |title=A Bastard of a Place : The Australians in Papua |publisher=Allen & Unwin |year=2003 |isbn=1-74114-403-5
* [http://www.pngvr.com/history_battle.html New Guinea Volunteer Rifles website]
* [http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-conflicts-periods/ww2/pages-2aif-cmf/ngvr2.htm Digger History website]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.