Battle of Wakde
1944 battle in New Guinea during World War II / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Battle of Wakde (Operation Straight Line) was part of the New Guinea campaign of World War II. It was fought between the United States and Japan from 17 May 1944 to 21 May 1944 in Dutch New Guinea (now Papua, in Indonesia). The operation involved an assault on the Japanese-held Wakde island group by a reinforced US infantry battalion, which was transported from a beachhead the Allied troops had established around Arara, on the mainland, the previous day. Following the capture of the island, fighting on the mainland continued until September as Allied troops advanced west towards Sarmi. In the aftermath, the island's airbase was expanded and used to support operations around Biak and in the Marianas.
Battle of Wakde | |||||||
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Part of World War II, Pacific War | |||||||
American troops advancing on a coconut plantation | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
United States Australia (naval) | Japan | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Jens A. Doe | Hachiro Tagami | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
~1,500 men 4 Sherman tanks | ~800 men | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
40 killed 107 wounded 2 tanks lost |
759 killed 4 captured | ||||||