The Battle of Milne Bay - The Unknown Turning Point of the Pacific War

A vicious battle fought in the pristine Papuan jungle around the beautiful shores of Milne Bay, this engagement would prove to be a critical turning point in the Pacific War. Milne Bay was the first time that a major Japanese offensive had been decisively defeated, and from this point on in the war the Japanese would never launch another successful major offensive in the South West Pacific. This little known battle may have been one of the Australian Army’s great moments in World War Two, but it was arguably the RAAF’s finest hour; the growing might of allied air power was clear for all to see. Milne Bay was a reckoning for the Japanese: The days of easy victory over the western allies were over.

[@stephenwade8093]

My Father was an RAAF Medic at Milne Bay, he was 18 years and 2 months old when he got there after this battle, he would never talk about it, I have only just received his 5 medals after finding out he had never claimed them.

[@raymondkurtyka754]

God bless your father and all. The men who served in the Pacific my dad served 18months in the navy on a attackt trans port was a decored vet we owe these people so much

[@hthring]

being involved in such a victory with this level of slaughter would have been traumatic

[@gaius_enceladus]

NZer here. Outstanding video! I agree with those who say that the Battle of Milne Bay has not been given the attention that it deserves. The same goes for the Kokoda Trail campaign. Never has the massive courage, grit and fighting spirit of Australians been shown better than on the Kokoda Trail and at Milne Bay.

[@jaylowry]

MacArthur's air commander, General Kenney had nothing but glowing words for the 7th and 9th Australian divisions as the best under MacArthur. He also had a good working relationship with Blamey who provided 1000 troops to protect a new fighter strip at Marilinan, while US Army troops did not want to serve under an Air Corps General. For the Australians it was an opportunity to get US food rations, which was incentive enough.

[@PappyGunn]

Kenney was outstanding and it does not surprise me that he had a temperament to get along with the Australians. McArthur was a dick.

[@richardwillis4516]

Excellent analysis and presentation of a little-known but critical battle. My late father was Second Officer on a US Army Liberty ship which subsequently supplied the airfield at Milne Bay. I remember he spoke of the superb performance of the Australian troops and command in a pivotal situation. Please keep up your great productions!

[@infidel202]

My uncle was in Milne Bay said it was interesting, 🇦🇺

[@kennethsayce8645]

My father George Sayce was a mechanic in the RAAF at milne bay as a kid he did tell me about the planes he worked on and he did fly on some missions he did say the place was muddy @@infidel202

[@JohnEglick-oz6cd]

Where was Milne Bay , and what Allied units / div.s were there ? New Guinea , New Georgia , New Britain , Northern Salomons , Burma ( Myanmar , currently ) get very little attention , but were very critical battles against Japanese forces from expanding Evan further in the Pacific / Asiatic theaters ! Bloody fighting lay ahead in these fetid , hot , disease ingested , from insect , rodent infested jungle forests .

[@JohnEglick-oz6cd]

@@infidel202 The South West Pacific was some bloody fighting that would become the norm of fighting 22 yrs. later in Indo-;China with full USA commitment , @ cost of nearly 60000 kia , which one of my relatives was kia mid- March ,v1968 , tail end of bloody TET ! This occurred in south Vietnamese , Central Highlands near Pleiku nearly just over 10 days b-4;my 11th bday !

[@NealS-fk9tn]

​@@infidel202bi

[@JohnP538]

Possibly the most concise and accurate evaluation of McArthur's short coming I have ever heard. Perhaps too many years had passed since he had led a reconnaissance patrol into no man's land or perhaps a certain amount of far-sightedness is a requirement when you are in overall command. Whatever it was, I would never underestimate an Australian.

[@altair458]

Sort of like Montgomery...yes

[@normansilver905]

The Australian military personnel always stood out as tough, determined and well disciplined too. Their contributions in both World Wars needs to be made known.

[@larrybarnes3920]

It's known.

[@martinwarner1178]

Too true my friend, we love criminals that we cultivated in Australia. Just kidding about criminals.

[@yt.personal.identification]

Underrated, and not often talked about out side Australia...as shown by the quotes in here. Reminding the world of the ANZAC contribution undermines the narrative. Edit spell

[@lachlanmacgregor6895]

Love the Anzacs and fully appreciate their toughness and their resolve. They are very highly regarded as crack troops and damned good to have around. We Scots truly appreciate all the hardships they went through to rid us of the scourge of fascism, (which, sadly, now appears to be on the rise again).

[@arielcuenca5037]

ANZAC 🤘

[@jhoward8780]

Excellent video! MacArthur was always a glory hound and constantly battled with Nimitz with operational priority. He may have been a capable theater commander, but he was a liability when it came to anything else, as evidenced later in Korea. In fact up until WWII, he was best known for using army units and tanks to break up a shanty town of WWI veterans and their families at the beginning of the Great Depression.

[@rustykilt]

Blaney was despised by Aussie troops and those under his command. A hopeless commander and self seeking, arrogant individual.

[@geoffhunter7704]

@@rustykilt The main criticism of Blamey was1) Spent too much time at GHQ Brisbane with MacArthur who was whinging in PM Curtens ears and NOT sticking up enough for his Field Officers on PNG other than that he was a very good overall Land GOC anyway recognising that PM Curten was listening to MacArthur he arranged for" Ming the Merciless" Lt Gen Les Morshead whose fighting a war credentials were impeccable against Mac's and even Eisenhower's experience as AU ADC and being an ex School Teacher knows full well how to discipline recaltriant Schoolboys.Resentful at first Mac soon grew to respect "Ming's" advice it actually was Morshead's Idea for the Allies to land at Samar instead at Luzon they were a formidable team if you look closely on Mac's Return to the Philipines there's Ming there too.They regularly corresponded till Mac's death in 195Ming passing in 1958 of Cancer.Curten ceased meddling in Military Matters after Kokoda concentrating on the War Effort at home.

[@andrewd7586]

My late father & 3 uncles were at Milne Bay. One uncle was a former Rat Of Tobruk. Lest We Forget…😢🇦🇺

[@robertbishop5357]

God bless their service and sacrifice.

[@thomasfarrell5396]

My father and all but 1 of my uncles worked in engineering factories on the Clyde. The 1 uncle was RAF ground crew on Western Approaches and in his own words "would not have know a war was on". My uncle John designed the mounting for the 40 mm bofors for UK warships. "See that gun! It would have fallen overboard if not for me!". Apparently it needed a few extra bolts in the right place because of the steel used in UK warship's gun platforms. Hard to say what would have happened if they had had to do this sort of shit. They went to rememberance parades but only as civvies and laughed about being the forgotten, except they all agreed that they did fuck all except a bit of unpaid overtime. Anyway a great video with a lot of detail normally missing from this type of video and starting to show what Ausiie troops were capable of.

[@andrewd7586]

@@thomasfarrell5396 They did the job that had to be done! They all contributed to the war effort! Be proud! On a lighter note, just yesterday I watched on tv a program “1000 years of Scotland”! The Clyde featured heavily due to the immense ship building over more than a 100+ years? 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 👍🏻💪🏻🍻

[@roguespearsf]

I've come to realize that every person who comes and brags about what their "relatives" have done turn out to be chronic underachievers who are just projecting the fact they've never done anything of note. How embarrassing to live like that

[@andrewd7586]

@@roguespearsf 100% agree! Thanks for sharing your perspective on what it’s really like to be in such a position as yourself. You genuinely have my deepest sympathies!

[@criser9459]

Brilliant. My Grandfather fought in Malaya, escaped Singapore and fought in Milne bay. He always boasted to be the first to get his ass kicked..and the first to kick theirs. Keep up the good work.

[@hodaka1000]

@@nicheva417 Singapore ?

[@hodaka1000]

My father was a member of the 2/19th Battalion and was injured at Singapore and became a POW he was sent to Sandakan North Borneo he survived the First Death March to Ranau and escaped to become one of the six survivors from a total of more than two thousand four hundred Australian and British originally at Sandakan He testified at the War Crimes Tribunals at Rabaul and Tokyo He past away in 1997 but still speaks today in a specially dedicated area of the National War Memorial Canberra

[@criser9459]

@@hodaka1000 my GF was 2/19 as well. Tread the same dirt together.

[@hodaka1000]

@@criser9459 Excellent, they were excellent I've just left another comment at the top of the page check it out

[@hodaka1000]

@@nicheva417 KL ?

[@stevecoleman2250]

The battle of Milne Bay has never been given the attention it deserves, great doco.

[@roguespearsf]

Because it's one of those things that really wasn't as big a deal to anyone but Australians lol, when you don't have a lot of military accomplishments, they tend to brush some up for morale

[@majcorbin]

What three words Best describe our current USA Government & Administration? [1] FUBAR [2] SNAFU [3] BOHICA

[@bushyfromoz8834]

@@roguespearsf then why is the Battle of the Coral Sea held in such reverence by the Americans? If Milne Bay falls, Kokoda campaign fails and Port Moresby becomes another Japanese outpost, regardless of what happened in the Coral Sea?

[@NobleKorhedron]

That's the dinkum oil alright, @STEVE COLEMAN.

[@NobleKorhedron]

@@majcorbin: WTF is BOHICA...?

[@jamesburke1978]

Thanks for putting this on the Tube! My father served in the Pacific alongside Australians in New Guinea and The Philippines. He really liked the Aussies. I’m a retired Marine Corps fighter pilot who is still a friend with Truckie Carr who I met at VFA 125 in Lemoore California. My father-in-law flew corsairs in 1944 off of Okinawa shooting down kamikaze’s. I have really engaged in learning the history of the Pacific war over the last three years. The Milne Bay Battle as you mentioned was occurring simultaneously during the Guadalcanal campaign. The Japanese found out very quickly with similar results when engaged by the first Marine division. Just as your commander had been a WWI veteran Gen. Vandergrift also a WWI veteran as were many of his staff set up interlaced machine gun positions and registered artillery in the fields of fire. The Marines had anti-tank capability though and the results were devastating to the Japanese. Over 800 of the 960 that were initially landed at Guadalcanal were killed. You might want to remove your comment about the Wake Island defenders though. The Marines put up a good fight that sent the initial invasion force away in the Japanese first attempt including syncing one destroyer and damaging several other ships. Wake did not fall until massive air attacks and a significantly larger invasion force landed later.

[@corvanphoenix]

I'm Australian & I can assure you we have nothing but the highest respect for the USMC. Wake was not winnable in my opinion.

[@keithsteele5580]

Australian soldiers were the first to win a defeat of the Japanese, in any theatre of war, WW2, against the Japanese, I'm so proud to be an Aussie, we a little country, were the first 😊😊 😊😊. Add mightily, we had lots of help from our greatest friend America, we will never forget Douglas & America, but we did it , our way. No one will ever take over Australia with such a big brother, like America, lest we forget, what a top country.🇦🇺🇺🇲🇭🇲🇺🇲🇦🇺🇺🇲😍😍😍😊😊😊

[@cpcattin]

To those of us who enjoy learning about these amazing challenges our parents and grandparents are impressed with the gritty, and heroic performances made by the Aussie military. Those men were made of tough stuff.

[@billbutler335]

Bear in mind, McArthur's nickname among a majority of American combat troops was dugout Doug. He preferred to command from the rear in protected positions. He believed he knew best, not the people actually doing the fighting. And I am an American, we had our share of leaders that looked good on paper but reality was something else.

[@greenflagracing7067]

You should worry about becoming better read on American military history. McArthur was commander Army Forces in the Far East. He was called "dugout" during the Japanese invasion of the Philippines invasion, where "behind the lines" meant Corregidor when the fighting was still on Bataan. Later he was Supreme Commander, Southwest Pacific Area. Unlike whatever first person shooter you learn history from, theater commanders (like Nimitz) did not lead from the front.

[@tonyromano6220]

I never understood how McArthur stayed in command.

[@maxpayne2574]

McArthur fought in France in WW1. McArthur's strategy of bypassing Japanese strongholds and cutting off their supply lines saved many lives.

[@thehappymarmot]

@@maxpayne2574 McArthur was a piece of shit. He hid in Brisbane demanding our troops full frontal attack superior Japanese troops at Kokoda. He had no idea of terrain or conditions but thought he knew better than Potts or Vasey. His delusions of grandeur ended in Korea.

[@capt.stubing5604]

It is indeed very easy to sit back, many years later, and second guess decisions made at the time. Commanding such large areas of operation were bound to lead to mistakes in judgment and the ire of subordinates. But their burdens of responsibility were awesome. None were perfect, but be glad you don’t have to decide to knowingly send your countrymen and allies to their certain death. By the way, Roosevelt had to order McAuthur out of the Philippines in 1942.

[@donaldparlettjr3295]

As an American doing living history I do USAAF I love doing SW Pacific. It's so under covered in what it did. It was really done on a shoestring budget when you look at some of the huge operations but they were huge in what they accomplished. A well done on showing and telling of this. I totally agree with you about MacArthur

[@willam1992]

I do living history for 55th 53rd battalion late war Pacific

[@plumpbunny]

My father fought as a Major at Milne Bay - he always chose to march with 'Milne Force' on Anzac Day. Thanks for putting this history together - really helped me understand what he was caught up in (I was scanning all the pictures for him in the background).

[@robertsperti5926]

My grandfather fought at Milne Bay also.have you read the book Young man's war, history of the 37/52 AIF

[@hypohystericalhistory8133]

You should search the AWM archives for a picture of him; theres about 1000 milne bay photos there.

[@robertsperti5926]

@@hypohystericalhistory8133 cheers mate I will.ive got his original photos from the war.in the book I mentioned he had alot of input into it. Also fantastic videos you do.gives perspective of the battles and how they unfolded.its one thing to read about it but another to see a satilite map

[@ComaDave]

I was looking for my Dad, too.

[@fergandclaudiamachutchison1957]

My dad was there, 2/12 he spent his war pushing the Japanese out out of new Guinea Milne bay ,buna, Gona sananda lots of small unit actions.

[@batguano6]

A past student of my high school, Corporal Jack French was posthumously awarded for the Victoria Cross for his actions at Milne Bay. His mother was guest of honour at the cadet passing out parade each year.

[@TJLovering]

There is a memorial to him in Milne Bay and in the 1970s the coconut palms of KB mission were still riddled with bullet wounds.

[@badpossum440]

when i was at school '60s French was famous & his action was taught.

[@xisotopex]

I love hearing about the Australian side of the war. I have been to the Sandakan area and other parts of Malaysia and there are Australian war graves kept up by the locals, and some of them still appreciate the Australians effort.

[@TomSmith-lf8tr]

Outstanding. Every Wednesday my golf group at Metropolitan includes a 95 yo who served in WW2. Last week he wondered aloud whether the Australians really stopped them or whether they suffered from over reach. I’ll discuss this video with him. My late father also served in PNG. I remember him mentioning MIlne Bay. Now I know why it mattered.

[@sophrapsune]

They are not mutually exclusive reasons. The art of war is one of logistics, and engineering the enemy’s overreach is inevitably part of defeating any offensive.

[@laurencetilley9194]

The battle of Milne Bay, also known as the Battle for Australia. The reason MacArthur had no battle experience was he was first to run from any battle ie the Philippines. A Penthouse in Melbourne was the location from were he made out he ran the New Guinea campaign. The lethal cross fire, mortar tactics, and creeping Artillery barrages were the brain-child of Australian General Sir John Monash during WW1 in France, he was a brilliant battle tactician. "Every inch was paid for in blood", but the Aussies were outstanding and victorious.Major General Cyril Clowes who is 'credited' with leading the men of Milne Bay to victory was in fact at his HQ in Brisbane. Lest We Forget. Thanks for this great research and upload.

[@Baskerville22]

I think it takes a coward, like yourself, to make the allegation that General MacArthur was a coward. MacArthur was ordered by President Roosevelt to leave the Philippines as he was indispensable to the US plans to defeat Japan. This soldier you call a coward won the Congressional Medal of Honour in WW2 and several other decorations for valor in that conflict. Altogether, MacArthur was awarded 3 Distinguished Service Crosses, 5 Army Distinguished Service Medals, 7 Silver Stars, the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, the Croix de Guerre, the DFC, and he was awarded 2 Purple Hearts. AND you, you disgusting coward, sitting safe behind your cowardly key board, say he was "the first to run from any battle". What ignorance, what stupidity, what cravenness.

[@laurencetilley9194]

@@Baskerville22 I didn't call him a coward, YOU DID. He was presented with many awards during the Mexico conflict and the WW. Known to his men as “Dugout Doug” for leading from behind the lines in World War II, He was despised by almost all his fellow officers and politicians alike. He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honour for his for 'Conspicuous Leadership' in preparing the Philippine Islands to resist Japanese conquest in 1942 WW2. After which he escaped to Australia with his family. The presentation was also to spite the Japanese High command. Not as you say WW1. He never fought on any front line during WW2. My comment was based on his disparaging remarks regarding Australian soldiers in New Guinea, in particular Milne Bay, Kokoda. He hadn't even been to New Guinea and knew FA about what was going on. He never directly commanded any Australian force during WW2. You should read his autobiography "Reminiscences" and American Caesar by William Manchester.

[@Baskerville22]

@@laurencetilley9194 Your comments show a juvenile ignorance of warfare and history generally. You have no facts, just a grab-bag of childish, comic-book images and bigotries. The most hilariously absurd notion you appear to have is that MacArthur should have been leading his troops from the front, no doubt in a bayonet charge or on horseback. As I said - childish and ignorant.

[@laurencetilley9194]

@@Baskerville22 You have a big mouth and a little brain. You hide behind your keyboard and insult people and you have the nerve to call me a coward. You are pathetic, get a life.

[@ericgrace9995]

Thankyou. I have subscribed . To go from the Libyan Desert to the jungles and mangrove swamps of New Guinea ... Bloody hell...bloody good soldiers !

[@hodaka1000]

The best

[@LV_CRAZY]

Your assessments are completely correct. These two battles, at Milne Bay and Guadalcanal was the turning points of the Pacific War. Well done.

[@Benguin2]

My Grandfather was in the 2/8 Aust. Fd. Ambulance. Served in North Africa in 1941 - 42 at Tobruk - El Alamein. Then went to the Southwest Pacific in 1943 around that area at Lae. Then "Island hopping" to Finschhafen and finishing in Borneo in 1946. That right still there in 46. He didn't like to talk about it but being a young kid I was always wanted to know more. Thanks for the video. I'm alwas looking for documentrys from the Australians in the Pacific theater to know more but there just aren't that many around. Not even many news reels from that time because it was all censored.

[@peterhansen2347]

Thank you for putting this together and all the research behind it. My father was a Sargent in the 2/9th Battalion mortar platoon. I understood that after the 61st successfully defended the flanking move the 2/9th moved through them and cleared out the jungle to the beach, with many losses. He told us how the treatment of the Australian wounded at Milne Bay set the agenda for the rest of the war.

[@sagnal]

As a former member of 10 Bn and later 10/27 Bn RSAR, I am gratified to see a detailed description of the Battles of Milne Bay. I have read some of the history before, but never understood the topographic aspects and the disposition of troops on the ground. Your presentation explained the battle chronology really well. As has been mentioned by some others, my only concern is the use of the terminology of 10 Bn 2nd AIF. To me and others I will always consider it as the 2/10 Bn. It is particularly interesting that in the battle there were two 9th Battalions deployed at Milne Bay. The 9 Bn AMF and the 2/9th Bn AIF. I can't recall another battle where both the AMF and AIF battalions operated together in such proximity. Field Marshal Viscount Slim of Burma mentions in his book "Defeat into Victory" "… In August and September of 1942 Australian troops had at Milne Bay in New Guinea inflicted on the Japanese their first undoubted defeat on land. If the Australias in conditions very like ours had done it so could we. Some of us may forget that of all the allies it was Australian soldiers who first broke the spell of invincibility of the Japanese Army those of us who were in Burma have cause to remember." (Slim was Governor General of Australia at the time he was writing the book!) Great work here I really enjoyed it

[@simac5144]

I was a reservist in 10/27 Bn in the 80s/90s. Great to see the battalion get a mention. Lest we forget.

[@TheSteve8rox]

Thanks for a carefully articulated and graphically presented historical of the South West Pacific jungle fighters exploits. High quality effort ! Well done,. Aussies Good on'ya. from Toronto, Canada.

[@TheJoeysmom]

Recent subscriber, and I have to tell you that I found your two videos on the New Guinea Campaign to be very well done and highly informative. We Americans very rarely hear about Australia's contribution to the Pacific War, and to be honest, until I met a veteran of the campaign, I had no idea that it had even happened. He described fighting in the jungle and mountains, and as a US Marine at the time, I was very interested in dragging out every bit of information that I could from him. Things took a dark turn when he described how his unit found remains of Australian forces, who had been cut off and killed, and then apparently cannibalized by the Japanese. I was horrified, since I had never heard about anything like that (this was back in the late 1980's). He didn't want to really talk about that anymore, and so we talked about his time in Egypt. I never forgot him though. Thank you for doing these. Looking forward to more of your content.

[@nedkelly9688]

One reason you Americans didn't know of how much Anzacs did in WW2 was because of McArthur's absolute horrible attitude towards them. And why Battle of Brisbane happened. Where Americans and Aussies fought on the streets of Brisbane. Over 5000 and few Aussies were shot dead. That story was all so kept quiet as much as they could.

[@lloydrmc]

I'm American, and this is the first I've ever heard of a P39. Plus the rest of the video so far is simply terrific. Bravo.

[@bremnersghost948]

Corporal French's VC Citation really is an understatement of His Actions. This Battle deserves far more Recognition.

[@Tophet1]

Briliant Doco. For those of us that learn visually that explained Milne Bay perfectly. Please don't stop.

[@Sshooter444]

Well done! This battle is virtually unknown here in the US, as are most actions in this theater besides Guadalcanal

[@maddyg3208]

If you're interested, there's a YT video called, "The first fighters in New Guinea, 1942-1944". It includes US servicemen in northern Australia and Milne Bay

[@tonyburzio4107]

If it makes you feel better, the average young American can't find Japan on a map.

[@robertbishop5357]

@@tonyburzio4107 because they are too busy being educated by traitorous college professors who are hard core Communists.

[@chrisbrent7487]

@@robertbishop5357 I'm pretty sure most Soviet students had better understandings of geography than most in the US. It is more that many in the US think that the US is the world.

[@rodevans602]

@@robertbishop5357 Really!? 🐴🍎🍎

[@christianoakley1686]

Simply Excellent. I am glad you chose to relay the importance of the Milne Bay Operation in both its Strategic Importance,....but just as importantly the defeat of a enemy that had barely known defeat. Milne bay is one of the Battles that, sadly, is not remembered in Australia as it should. Your video will help to alleviate that.

[@allanlambert3802]

This is the most information I have recieved in 1 hit about this theatre of war!!! Thankyou!!!

[@oceanhome2023]

Yes mega upvotes !!!!!

[@stevecharman8420]

This is the definitive account of the Battle of Milne Bay. Well done!

[@lachlanwelsh5880]

All Australians should watch this. Proud of my grandpa one of the ground crew that armed the Australian planes! Thanks so much! I learnt so much, while being riveted to the story being told. 🍻cheers

[@billsteen1092]

Thank you for this excellent presentation. I had not heard of the Milne Bay battle, being raised in the middle of the U.S. I sincerely appreciate the work you have done to help me learn of the exploits and sacrifices of many.

[@Horus2Osiris]

Great work. I've never seen that level of detail regarding the Battle of Milne Bay before your video. (52 year old student of world history) Most impressive! Thank you, and thank you Australia, my other family, I'll fight beside you, my mates, any day of the week!

[@JimCTSCLO]

Correct. In America we tend to be centric in our view of WWII. Milne Bay was indeed a turning point in the Pacific and those who fought were true heroes.

[@jackvos8047]

It doesn't help that MacArthur was full of shit when it came to reporting the facts. He called things like Milne bay an American victory due to having like a single American support unit like engineers.

[@JimCTSCLO]

@@jackvos8047 I don't think he called it that way but, he was FOS.

[@jackvos8047]

@@JimCTSCLO true, he actually called them allied victories even though it was, for all intensive purposes, Australian Victories.

[@JimCTSCLO]

@@jackvos8047 Agreed. Aussie with very little help from others.

[@billiardsandsnookervideosn8319]

Japans march south started after Pearl Harbour, the long march back to Japan started at Milne Bay. It was the first time a Japanese landing had been turned back into the sea, after they failed to take the Milne bay airfields they never came back but tried to get to Port Moresby via Kokoda. Great video, its a fight well won that has been long forgotten. N

[@aussietaipan8700]

Thanks for presenting this. My father was there, he was an instruments and weapons tech for the RAAF supporting the P40's

[@ComaDave]

Excellent work, mate. My father was 19 and a Bren gunner with the 2/9th. It was his first action and he ended up right in the thick of it on September 3/4. He had nothing but admiration for Cyril Clowes; whereas MacArthur and Blamey were "Big C***" and "Little C***". He visited Clowes in hospital in Melbourne, just before he shipped out to Vietnam when I was four...heading off to serve as Liaison to US MAC-V. That was his third war; having also fought in Korea. He died in September 1999 aged 76.

[@stevenbridge]

Thanks for this enlightening and detailed video of an action that we Canadians have heard little of. We are well aware of how brave and tough the Australians are but I didn't know about this particular action. Respect from an ex-Seaforth Highlander. PS I wanted to see what the terrain looked like so I went to Google maps but there were no street views of the area but there was a photograph. The 360 degree photo showed the memorial for the 1942 action at Milne Bay, very apt.

[@steviedfromtheflyovercount4739]

Fighting in the jungle, at night. Brave men on both sides.

[@XxBloggs]

I think it’s worth remembering that Clowes had the company’s of the 61st forward for intelligence purposes. They served as a tripwire. He also didn’t want to push too far forward in order to protect against a potential flanking attack from the north. See “A Bastard of a Place” Brune.

[@terrenceodgers5866]

A good book!

[@leifbambridge7647]

It's the best. Fully exposes Blamey and McArthur. Explains why my father hated them both. (76 squadron) Raaf

[@vaughanhealy8558]

I just finished reading that book last week, big reccomend!

[@AussieCarsRule]

Love your work mate. Battles like Kokoda, Milne Bay and even the Coral Sea deserve much more primacy in our national psyche than imperial ventures like Gallipoli.

[@hypohystericalhistory8133]

Yeah, I doubt these will get many views, but Australia's pacific war is a story that really hasn’t been told very well, especially stuff like the 1943 offensives. Even Australians dont really care about the Pacific after Kokoda. I kind of feel a duty, as a historian, to do videos like this, even if it isnt the smartest idea for the channel.

[@AussieCarsRule]

@@hypohystericalhistory8133 please don't stop. This is a history that needs to be told, and guys like Paul Keating (of kissing the ground at Kokoda fame www.smh.com.au/opinion/humility-and-that-reverent-kiss-a-hard-act-to-follow-20020817-gdfjto.html ) are very much in favour of this. I'd love to see an interview/collaboration with him, he's had a lot to say about it in the past (albeit with political journalists like Kerry O'brien, not historians) and I'm sure he'd be keen to do so again.

[@dj-two-timing-timmy]

@@hypohystericalhistory8133 I think they do care, they just don’t really know as no one recounts anything about these other battles. Everyone thinks all we did was Kokoda. I think it’s great you are telling these lesser known battles from our history.

[@gregmac8268]

@@hypohystericalhistory8133 A lot like Aussie's in Vietnam, they forget about everything after Long Tan, Like the Battle of Suoi Chau Pha and Tet (Operation Coburg) where the odds were similar and the results as devestating.

[@scottsummers819]

@@hypohystericalhistory8133 I care, I am currently reading Peter Fitzsimmons Kokoda book and this video segues well with that. His other books on WW1 are awesome too, read Monash's Masterpiece if you haven't it's a book you just can't put down (and well worth a video too) The thing that surprises me is that the Australian Gov't put up with MacArthurs arm chair general idiocy, I thought we would have learnt not to put up with that the hard way from the Grandstanding British Generals from WW1, who cared not one jot for the men on the ground.

[@JohnJ469]

Thanks for the video. Something I got from my uncle who was with the militia there. He said one of the biggest surprises was that they weren't prepared for the size of the Japanese Marines. Cartoons and propaganda depicted the Japanese as small men wearing thick lensed glasses. He reckoned that none of the Japanese Marines were under 6 foot and all were solid fighters. Another thing that doesn't get mentioned that the old diggers told me was that the Japanese had a tendency to round up natives for use as human shields before their "Banzai" attacks. It was a reason for the great hatred for many of those soldiers, because it forced *us* to machine gun women and children. Those memories never left them.

[@krissteel4074]

My Grandfather who fought in WW2 all through PNG and the SW Pacific told me similar tales about the Japanese Marines being greatly feared for good reason. They're big, well motivated, immense discipline and fight like devils so those landing forces really packed a punch well above comparable Japanese army forces. Plus when dug in the IJN gave them mountains of ammo, machineguns and supplies so it is no small feat to survive contact with them at the time.

[@NavyCWO]

My Father (American) was in the Army in New Guinea. He said they would pay the natives a dollar for every pair of Japanese ears brought in. He also said it was a good thing that Japanese ears were different from western ears as he didn't think the natives cared my for either bunch.

[@anthonykelly5352]

An excellent presentation on every level, on a battle that should be remembered. The same units that stopped Rommel also kicked the best the IJN had to offer, right off the field of battle. Then, as usual, it was obfuscated by political ego and a man who should have been rewarded for a brilliant and well executed rout of the enemy from what could have been a disaster for the Allies if mismanaged, was sidelined and ignored for the remainder of the war. Something Blamey was known to often do to those who might be able to challenge him for his job someday. It would make a good movie though.

[@aymonfoxc1442]

Not just Blamey but Macarthur as well. He was an ignorant man with no real grasp of the conditions and experience of fighting in jungle theatres. The thing that matched his arrogance was his hubris and that's why he always tried to undermine officers who did what was necessary to win, rather than blindly following his orders (even if they'd lead to certain death and defeat, for that could surely only be a sign of a lack of will and character). Much like Churchill in Britain, he genuinely bought into all of the wartime propaganda about him being a great and unmatched strategist / leader. In fact, he personally fostered it more and more as the war (and the post-war years) went on before eventually believing he would inevitably become President and planning to not only take the presidency but to use nuclear weapons in Korea and China without the permission of the actual President of the time. He thought that the ‘inevitable victory’ that this would foster, would be the perfect way to kick-start his campaign toward taking office but the problem was, he had had only managed to smuggle two or three atomic bombs to Japan and much like the US, the Soviet Union was promising its own nuclear shield. He planned to bomb Pyongyang, Beijing and Shanghai if memory serves me correctly. [Edit: Grammar]

[@Groovy_Bruce]

@@aymonfoxc1442 landing at Inchon shows some pretty serious strategic savvy… But yes, like a lot of leaders of men, he had quite the ego. Though I’m not sure I fault him for his views of nuclear weapons at that time. And it turns out he was pretty spot on about the Chinese in the long run. Though that’s something my country massively fumbled during world war 2 and immediately after. We completely screwed over Shek and created a monster, along with your nation and the rest of the west, through short sighted economic policy. But hey, who cares, right?

[@aymonfoxc1442]

@@Groovy_Bruce Macarthur certainly had his moments, especially in broader strategic planning but I think he also benefited from a lot of subordinates going against his will. After all, why not just claim credit for others successes when the most famous guy has the greatest public profile and the loudest voice. It’s kind of like the winner writes history thing. The US Navy however, also showed brilliance in strategic planning under Admiral Nimitz and certainly saved a lot of lives in their pathway to bringing victory as quickly as possible. The thing with MacArthur's atomic bombing plan is, that it very certainly would not have defeated China but instead almost guaranteed WW3 and Macarthur would have happily started it for anticipated political gain or just a fool hardy under assessment of Chinese resolve. If anything, it could have brought China (along with its resources and manpower) under the command of the Soviet Union which would have made a peaceful collapse of the Soviet Union almost impossible to bring about through economic coercion. I think the rise of a more authoritarian China (both domestically and on the global stage) was always inevitable once all the special trade dispensations had been granted to it after 'opening to the West' but blind faith in the good in all humans was the popular political trend back then. The supposed expectation was that free trade and increasing wealth would bring democracy to China - as if wealth and democracy are exclusive properties of each other. A Chinese Minister once said something along the lines of "socialism means equality, not equal poverty". Not that China actually has equality but you get the gist. Mao basically commanded from his deathbed that capitalism should be used to defeat the West but hey, let's all just hope that the good in most of humanity prevails over a handful nut-job politicians with ambitions of colonialism and a friendly peace takes hold of the 21st century. After all, we all know that lazy politicians will continue trading practically as normal right? How else would governments that are too lazy to plan their own pathway to economic growth ever prosper? C’est la vie. [Edit: Grammar and typos]

[@jockwebb3435]

An old man in my home town who was an aircraft fitter in PNG thought Blamy a "pocket pissing prick". The treatment of Clowes, Rowell and later Potts at Kokoda was a disgrace. MacArthur loved to boast of his activities in places he had never been and had no grasp of what he was asking men to do or the terrain involved.

[@aymonfoxc1442]

@@jockwebb3435 Here here sir and thank goodness for all those who made the war effort possible.

[@steverhysjenks]

Love this and seeing more of the Pacific and Oz activities in WW2. Being in the Uk while we are aware of the Pacific campaign and classic key battles there is a bias on Europe so vids like this are really eye opening.

[@michaelshore2300]

Not really any one with any interest in WWII knows about them.

[@michaelmcneil4168]

@@michaelshore2300 The difficulty of logidtics meant cameras and film hada pronlem from the getgo. Plus all the troops stationed there were wiped off the map at the start of the war.

[@jasonwomack4064]

Even here in the states, there's a lack of emphasis on the Pacific theater. A great deal of it is a total mystery to most people, even among those more interested in WWII history. Anything from the Aussie perspective is always a good find. And for a Brit/European view, Mark Felton is probably the gold standard on KZbin.

[@steverhysjenks]

@@jasonwomack4064 already subribed to Mark Felton. Really like his content and obscure stories he highlights.

[@HelloNurse678]

Australian here, my grandpa fought for the British in Burma and for years I could hardly find any information on his battalion the Suffolk regiment. I could find a lot of information on the Suffolk regiment in Normandy but hardly anything of the regiment in Burma. One day I was doing some stretching when I looked at the bookcase at my parents and saw the Regimental history of the Suffolk Regiment. I quickly jumped up and looked at the index and saw the Suffolk Regiment in Burma flipped to the chapter then within 3 pages saw a picture of my grandpa in a group shot with other officers. The amazing thing was it even had sketches in it and on one of the sketches it pinpointed exactly on the battlefield where my grandpa got wounded with a grenade. Amazing stuff.

[@mark_22222]

Fantastic production. Had me on the edge of my seat during and wanting more at the end. Please make me battle analysis type videos, they are really great.

[@NotLazySelectivelyMotivated]

Australians are tough as they come I’m glad we’ve always been on the same side

[@sgrisafi]

Thanks for posting Being from America I always learned from our side what we did . I knew we weren't alone in the war in the pacific. It was great to learn what our allies did.

[@stevenlowe3026]

This was the first land defeat suffered by the Japanese in World War II. It would be good to see a similar programme on the Buna and Gona campaign.

[@stuartdilts2729]

If you haven't seen it yet, this channel has a bunch of videos on the entire Papua and New Guinea campaign.

[@stevenlowe3026]

@@stuartdilts2729 Yes. Brilliant stuff, about campaigns I'd previously known nothing about.

[@moe_1886]

Great work Hypo. Brilliant doco Mate, I would never have known about this battle otherwise. Cheers Mate!

[@machtschnell7452]

Thank you for this precise narrative. My father fought in New Guinea with the US Army 41st Division. Although I do not believe my father was involved in this area, I know that soon after he was in Pt. Moresby and from their involved with expelling the Japanese from PNG. I also knew he and his comrades R&R in Australia. He was highly decorated for his actions and had a high regard for the Australians with whom he fought. I only wish I had spoken with him more and in depth about his inactions here. Although he was a career military man eventually retiring as a Lt. Colonel in the USAF, like many of his fellow survivors of this terrible war, he did not care to relive the loss and horror to celebrate the necessary victories.

[@niczanelli]

Yet another very well done video. Keep them coming.

[@joedunlea3755]

Great work, this is really well put together! Thanks Mate!

[@jumpferjoy1st]

Thanks for the brilliant account of this little known battle. Appreciate what you have done.

[@daniellebcooper7160]

Excellent documentary. Great use of pictures to give an idea of the terrain, as well as diagrams of troop movements. A big thumbs up.

[@MRFlackAttack1]

Fantastic video. Never heard about this battle in such detail before. Subscribed just now and I hope to see more in the future.

[@lowellmccormick6991]

Thanks for documenting this part of history so well.

[@gordonpeden6234]

Thank you for your detailed description of Aussie involvement in the PNG during WWII. I find the detailed maps very helpful. Keep up the excellent worrk.

[@paullee3660]

Excellent video, I am English, but I have heard about the toughness of the Australian troops, fighting in horrific conditions, with dysentery and so on. I look forward to seeing some more of the Australian fighting in WW2.

[@GaudiaCertaminisGaming]

I'm honestly surprised that any Brit ‘wouldn’t' know about the toughness of Aussie troops. They’re famous for it.

[@paullee3660]

@@GaudiaCertaminisGaming of course, but Not many people know the full horrific extent of the disease they faced and still kept fighting. That information isn’t all over the place and even they read about it, most people would still have no way of really comprehending what that was like.

[@davidtapp3950]

Thank you for this beautifully prepared and presented documentary. A credit to all involved!

[@markswayn2628]

Another outstanding contribution. Great and well detailed summary of this important action.

[@sixstringedthing]

You legend, 'D' was my preferred pick! :) Looking forward to settling down with a coffee and watching this, thanks.

[@mitchellhawkes22]

Milne Bay. A great moment in the history of the South Pacific War. Shrouded in the mist and smoke of battle and history. If more were known about it, it would be credited as an obvious early turning point in the effectiveness of Allied arms against the Japanese aggression. This lightning action was as decisive as the long-drawn-out affairs of Kokoda Trail or even Guadalcanal. This absolute victory by the Allies -- the main body of fighters being Australians -- was completely decisive for the future of the region. Some of the Australian forces were dogged veterans of the hard battles fought for Britain in North Africa. Milne Bay could have turned out as just another Japanese surprise land grab, but it did not. The Japanese were stunned, drubbed, and forced to flee to save themselves from being wiped out.

[@46outfit]

Thank's for this excellent doco, Jack French was my mothers uncle. there was a small museum in Toowoomba QLD called the Milne Bay museum which I think is closed, there is a memorial to Jack in Crows Nest, a short distance from Toowoomba where he lived!

[@hypohystericalhistory8133]

No way, what a family heritage

[@jackthorton10]

Thank him for his service 😊

[@nd_501st2]

Although I voted for 'Option B' in the comments of your last video, I am pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this video! Great job, and it's nice to see your channel growing!

[@Designer22]

So refreshing to hear detailed stories about Aussie war history for a change and as told by an Aussie as well. I have heard of Milne Bay and seen the banners in the Anzac Day marches but now I know what happened there. Excellent video and use of accurate photos, the cruiser Tenryu for example. I look forward to your next video.

[@andrewwhite3538]

Excellent work, you have provided an outstanding overview of the battle of highlighted the strengths and flaws of all forces involved. Again great work.

[@tomas.8711]

Impressive documentary film of an important battle. Detailed, accurate, and fairly analyzed. You should have a TV program! Your narration is professionally delivered in a measured, modulated Australian voice. I know many who watch it.

[@johnmarlin7269]

Great presentation; I especially appreciate the little snippets from diaries, field orders, and whatnot. I'm learning a lot about some aspects of WWII that I hadn't really learned before. Thanks for that.

[@paulhicks3595]

Very well told. I’ve read a lot about Milne Bay but your neat, clear, concise description has given me a much better understanding. Thanks.

[@subterfusion4005]

Heres to the Coastwatchers! Brave men who saved many lives.

[@scottstewart5784]

I remember seeing the old black and white movie with I think Carey Grant playing a Coast Watcher - a romantic comedy - as a kid, and being mesmerized.

[@ljbled7037]

I always love your presentations! One of the best historians on the internet

[@Turtlewitnohome]

Thanks for the video, superb as usual! Love the content and long format. Keep it up mate.

[@garyhankinson5695]

Great research as usual. Always looking forward to your videos. Cheers!

[@TheOswaman]

Your videos about the ADF and Australian history in general are informative and very interesting, it is nice to see someone make such excellent videos on a subject which, to me atleast, is relatively foreign. So please, keep on keeping on! In the future maybe you could also add some of your sources to the description.

[@theHentySkeptic]

Rabaul will, again be a key in coming years. Milne Bay should be at least as famous as Tobruk. Early 1942 was the darkness before freedom began to dawn across the globe again.

[@nicolasrose3968]

Too right !

[@justinbarrington-higgs6156]

@michael boultinghouse go into any Indonesian museum and see what actual Southeast Asians think of their Japanese "liberation" you twat

[@josephking6515]

@michael boultinghouse Maybe you should ask the people of the Japanese _liberated_ countries just how liberated they felt after the Japanese army arrived.

[@awf6554]

@michael boultinghouse China. LOL Watch its military implode if it ever meets real opposition. Like it's done throughout history. The people will turn on the government and the whole house of cards will collapse. Again.

[@mikejacobson14]

That's quite the heroic story about our Aussie brothers! Thanks!

[@douglasorton9135]

Thoroughly enjoying your videos on this theater of the war. Can't wait for further content. Excellent work.

[@Neaptide184]

Pretty fair estimate of the American Caesar. A man of great strengths and great weaknesses. The Australians were by temperament almost the exact opposite. Very good battle analysis.

[@peterjames9610]

Awesome, again, thank you.

[@robincupp6087]

This was an excellent presentation about a battle I had never heard of before! Thanks!

[@jamesg2382]

Another great video. Really informative. Thank you

[@aj5716]

sweeeet. Enjoy the alert tone when your vid's upload man. Commenting before viewing as i know it will be good. keep it up legend. hope you are monetized now and making some coin

[@peterhanlon8324]

This was a brilliant account of a campaign I had little knowledge about. Life and death struggles in which the Australians badly needed anti-tank weapons. It is alright saying the tanks ran over an the foxholes but experiencing it would have been horrendous. Let us hope such resolve would be present today.

[@davedrewett2196]

Very well put together and informative. Well done.

[@simonkevnorris]

I had heard of this battle but did not know much about it. The video was informative and well worth the watch. Liked and subscribed.

[@kevinquinn7645]

With the RAAF Centenary, I don't think enough credit is given to the performance of 75 & 76 Sqns at Milne Bay. The New Guinea Force Commander, Lt Gen Rowell, credits the actions of both squadrons on the first day as being decisive in the battle. This arguably makes this action, in helping turn the war in the Pacific, more strategically significant than any other RAAF action in WWII. On top of this 76 SQN was led by a dual VFL premiership winner.

[@plumpbunny]

My father who fought there always talked with GREAT admiration and gratitude about what those planes did to help the soldiers on the ground. Critical.

[@Equality7-2521]

"dual VFL premiership winner" , as long as it was not Collingwood, that would be enough to make you switch sides.

[@issacmaw3344]

Love this mate. Seriously underrated part of the war in the pacific.

[@john-hl5tq]

For some strange reason, your comment reminded me of an old half-forgotten song.... kzbin.info/www/bejne/pIiUkomrfK2Irc0

[@n4lra1]

Great job in narrating a fact filled description of this important, but often overlooked battle. Thank You!

[@stevethomas7273]

Thanks for explaining it so clearly with map pics,that's the best summary of the battle.Keep them coming👍Kapyong would be good.

[@jonathanbiggar4973]

Great work mate, well put together doco that gives a lot of insight to what happened in relation to the ground and locations , I have read a fair amount on this battle and been to the 25ths museum in Toowoomba a few times ,your research on the battle and ability to help show us in detail a hard,deadly and bloody battle Australia won is second to none. Lest we forget

[@jb6668]

Awesome stuff as usual. I look forward to seeing the other bookend covering The Battle of Buna - Gona at some point.

[@nicolasrose3968]

If you haven't already I recommend the book Kokoda by Paul Hamm , a well researched effort , he uncompromisingly sheds light on the truth of the campaign .

[@gmannoname1492]

I've lost count how many times I've watched this Video & the others in the playlist, I think you do good work.

[@sailorpete136]

The best researched, produced and presented report of the Battle of Milne Bay.

[@sjasloan]

Bravo. Great research. I knew so little about Milne Bay but my Dad who served in New Guinea knew about it.

[@Crissy_the_wonder]

Really interesting video, and a great Australian victory. According to wikipedia - MacArthur and Thomas Blamey determined that rather than being commended and rewarded for the victory, Clowes should be relieved of his command and sidelined for the duration of the war, for showing insufficient "vigour" - A shame as he was a professional officer by accounts

[@ericgrace9995]

Do you think McArthur would want to share credit for a victory ?Whatever his qualities, the guy did have one hell of an ego.

[@brucenadeau2172]

he had 6 battalions yet only use 3 for most battle

[@petersouthernboy6327]

MacArthur was absolutely *despised* by Eisenhower, Nimitz, King, and just every other senior American officer. His Public Relations staff created his public persona and halo with the press.

[@academyofnaturaljustice8939]

Any enemy of democracy can change Wikipedia history. So it is not reliable at all. MacArthur was not only the enemy of Axis, but off communism also. Which also made him a political target back home in America, still playing out today. Fact is Clowes not only knew exactly how to defend Milne bay but also muster his forces to defeat the Japanese in land battle for the very first time.

[@LV_CRAZY]

@@academyofnaturaljustice8939 MacArthur had his moments of brilliance but obviously had many well documented flaws. In an era of America becoming a global superpower he was a man going against the tide of progressivism of the time. He was an autocrat in an age of democracy. I'm sure he was dead set against the independence of the Philippines, but that was decided by a popular vote spurred on by the Philippine independence movement and America trade unions and their decidedly leftist orientation of the day. It was the zenith of influence of the ordinary American workers.

[@steveperkins3215]

Another excellent video. Thank you.

[@hthring]

wow , just wow. so manmy layers to this, you go into great detail.