Click on map to enlarge.
As the Japanese advanced south the military belief was that main island of New Guinea would be a barrier to any invasion of Australia, this was disproved when the enemy attacked through the Western end of New Guinea using the island groups of Kei and Aru in the Arafura Sea. Early in 1943 it decided to establish the Moultre Plan to support the RAAF based in the Darwin area by forming a new Wing, No 72 consisting of two Fighter Squadrons. 86 Sqdn (Kittyhawks) and 12 Squadron a Dive bomber squadron based at Merauke, with 84 Sqdn (Boomerangs) based on Horn Island.
General MacArthur's plan to counter attack the Japanese was firstly along the southern coast of DNG this was concidered to the advantage of the enemy and the ELKTON plan was adopted. This plan isolated 72 Wing from the allied advance through New Britain, Rabaul, Bougainville the Admiralty Islands and New Ireland. and with the further withdrawl of the enemy forces the Wing's role became secondary. However in the first instances the actions that the Squadron was involved in were vital to the defence of the Arafura Sea, Torres Strait and the Australian mainland.
The Northern and Western coastal area's were controlled by the Japanese the South East by the Dutch. In the initial weeks of occupation the enemy established air bases where the Royal Dutch Netherands Indies Airline Company (KNILM) operated from these were suitable for some aircraft but, the medium and heavy bombers were easily bogged down, the enemy used their squadrons of medium and heavy flying boats to patrol and attack the areas from Darwin, Broome and the Cape York from bases in the Kei and Aru Islands Tanimbar and Timor. Geographically, DNG is devided by the Cordillera mountain range in the North where the lowest point where these could be crossed by air was 7.000 feet the highest 16,000 feet above sea level this too was hazard to the Japanese Air Forces. The area between the often snow topped range and the Southern coast was in the main swamp and muddy rivers the area surrounding Merauke was for most times swamp with the water table very close to the surface, and most of it not ten feet above sea Level. The native population in the main were Kaia-Kaia who at the time were still openly cannibalist and practiced head hunting were known to eye a member of the allied forces with red hair as a trophy. The land was very inhospitable, very little could be grown and croped the native diet of Sago and what could be taken from the sea. To view highlights from Peter Howards published history follow the link.
Back to: Chapter One.