The Battle at Milne Bay - RAAF Memories Of A Pivotal WWII Battle

The Battle of Milne Bay (from August 25 through to September 7, 1942), was the defence of the eastern New Guinea by Australian and US forces against a Japanese invasion. It would become the first time that Japanese forces had been defeated on land, shattering the myth at the time of Japanese invincibility. The Royal Australian Air Force played a particularly important role in this battle, maintaining air superiority over the region and inflicting serious damage to invading forces.
[Turn on Closed Captions (CC) if you have difficulty understanding the interviewees]
Interviews are taken from Australians At War Film Archive (australiansatwarfilmarchive.u...
Peter Booth-Jones (ID: 421)
Bruce Watson (ID: 42)
Robert Crawford (ID: 112)
Bruce ‘Buster’ Brown (ID: 556)
Arthur ‘Nat’ Gould (ID: 1431)
John Clark (ID: 18)
CONTENTS
00:00 Introduction
02:17 Getting Set Up
04:49 August 4 bombing starts
06:32 August 11 Kittyhawks in Action
12:28 Malaria
16:03 August 23-24, Japanese Pre-invasion bombing
22:25 August 25 Invasion Begins
27:31 August 27-28 Japanese Push West
33:10 RAAF Retreat to Port Moresby
37:22 August 29 Japanese Landing
41:14 August 31 Australian Counterattack
43:16 Postscript
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____________ Disclaimer ____________
Original footage and recreated scenes may not be 100% accurate to the event being described but has been used for dramatic effect. This is because there may not have been original footage of a particular event available, or copyright prevents us from showing it. Our aim is to be as historically true as we can be given the materials available.
Copyright disclaimer under fair dealing sections ss 40/103C, ss 41/103A,ss 42/103B of the Copyright Act which includes research, study, criticism, review, and reporting of news. Copyright remains with the respective owners. These videos are made for educational purposes only.
The Australian Military Aviation History Association is a not-for-profit association with the intent of recording, preserving and promoting Australian military aviation history.

[@raafdocumentaries]

This is a re-upload, after fixing up a few mistakes. KZbin have demonetized this video - no explanation apart from "After manually reviewing your video, we've confirmed that it isn't suitable for all advertisers. As a result, it will continue to run limited or no ads." If anyone can spot the bit that would offend most advertisers I'd love to hear about it.

[@FirstDagger]

8:35 In the caption, change "6.5 cannon" to maybe "six .5 cannon" for better clarity. Same @ 29:11

[@raafdocumentaries]

@@FirstDaggerThanks for seeing that - it's originally auto-generated and I go through and clean it up best I can but sometimes I miss stuff.

[@thelastaustralian7583]

Well done ! The important Point is our incredible History needs to be serious Educated into our fading Culture . LEST WE FORGET

[@isilder]

"However strong Australian and US forces prevented the capture, which would have been ideal corridor for Japan ". A capture is a corridor ? No the bit about the corridor is a fragment belonging to the previous sentence

[@raafdocumentaries]

@@isilder could have been worded better, but I think people get the meaning - ...which (otherwise) would have been an ideal...

[@andrewd7586]

My late father was in Milne Bay & everywhere throughout New Guinea during WW2. Dad was in the 2/1st anti aircraft regiment. He, like a huge number got malaria & he came back home with the bloody thing. All these boys, aside from fighting the Japanese, had to contend with dysentery, the heat, heavy tropical rain, the jungle, lack of sleep, & normal food. They certainly proved to be men above the norm. “Lest We Forget”. 🙏🏻

[@ralphshelley9586]

The writer Manchester said the jungle was so thick you didn't venture 2 feet off trail. You could get a los 45:36 t and die!

[@jaydeutscher]

We won’t mention the endemic diseases and infections beyond malaria, the nightmare of parasites such as swarms of mosquitoes, biting flies and gnats, and leeches, and, of course, as a result of the heat and humidity, the debilitating fungal infections (jungle rot) and trench foot.

[@Sir_Richard_Stewart]

God Bless Him and may God keep him

[@PR0389]

My Dad was also in Milne Bay and various other locations in and around PNG. He was an officer in the jungle at 19 years of age and spent his 21st birthday there. He also contracted Malaria and was diagnosed with "nervous dyspepsia"(PTSD) on his return. God bless them both. Lest we forget.

[@aimaction7393]

ARE YOU AUSTRALIA.?

[@simmogj]

My dad was in Milne Bay, Australian army. He had malaria, dengue fever etc. There's a photo of him when he was home on leave at his wedding in his dress uniform. It looked ten sizes too big. He'd lost so much weight. He was in and out of Concord repatriation hospital for years after the war. I can remember as a kid in the 1950s his recurring malaria attacks. Dad told us stories of the rain and mud, especially the mud. I can remember photos he had of that Japanese tank in the mud, and the freighter in the harbour before it was sunk. He said they also used to sleep in slit trenches to reduce the risk of Japanese planes dropping 'daisy cutters' which would explode across the ground. The trenches were stifling and the men hated rhem.. One night a new officer allowed his men to sleep above ground. My dad had said to his men he didn't care what the other blokes did, his men were sleeping in their slit trenches as was the order. The Japanese planes came sweeping in early the next morning and it was a mess. Men were mince. He just said they went around picking up pieces and went silent. He was assigned to HQ as his health worsened, Mj Gen Clowes was referred to as 'Silent Cyril'. He had nothing but praise for the American service men. He knew how important the alliance was and is. He passed at 93.

[@Conn30Mtenor]

the Americans had tons of excellent kit and most importantly.....ICE CREAM.

[@TheRealNeill]

I served with 76SQN from 1997 to 2003. At headquarters they have lots of memorabilia of squadron history, including stuff related to Milne Bay.

[@davidwestfall4336]

It's great to hear from the heroes down under. I know our guys sure did respect and appreciate all they did - which was enormous.

[@catinthehat906]

Australians were instrumental in inflicting the first defeats on both German and Japanese forces in WW2.

[@JerryFreeman265]

Thanks to all people who put their lives on the line for the greater good. Too bad many Australian politicians today do not appreciate our armed forces. Thanks to all USA forces who saved our bacon in the battle of Midway and the battle of the coral sea.

[@paulfri1569]

Cheers 🥂

[@peterbreis5407]

@@JerryFreeman265 Really? Which politicians don't appreciate the Armed Forces?

[@99FriedEggs]

Really nice thing to say. Respect.

[@richardkeilig4062]

The service of the Aussie and American forces is to be admired and never forgotten. Best, the son of an Australian War Bride. An Aussie and American citizen.

[@walterdanielswalter.r.dani7628]

Great video. I'd heard of the two P-40 squadrons at Milne bay before. Interestingly, my father also flew P-40's in Chennault's 75th fighter squadron in China. The ruggedness of the P-40 saved my father's life after an air battle and resultant belly landing.

[@bamafan-in-OZ]

Growing up in WA in the 70's and 80's we really only heard about Australians at Vietnam, it wasn't until i visited the oil storage tunnels in Darwin many years later that I learned how much Darwin was bombed and how close the Japanese came. Thank you to all those who served and those who keep their stories alive for future generations.

[@frankfischer1281]

The Australians did a magnificent job in fighting the Japanese in the New Guinea/Papua campaign during WW2. The British, up to their chins in German attacks, could only provide Australia with, basically, 2nd rate support, like the P-40 fighter, and no major naval assets. The Americans provided what they could, but the Pacific Theater was a secondary situation for their materiel. However, Gen. Douglas McArthur provided the Australians with first-class assinine decisions and belly-aching to make-up for it. Despite all the drawbacks, the Australian ground and air forces did a tremendous job fiighting the Japanese (and the extremely difficult terrain and weather). Unfortunately, the New Guinea/Papua area of operation has always been the least well-known of all the theaters of WW2.

[@mickthefisherman1562]

My grandfather fought on the Kokoda track with the 2/25th battalion and he took an extreme dislike of McArthur to his grave.

[@Alan.livingston]

Because of Britains predicament it was actually the yanks who provided us with the majority of our aircraft and armour. The poms lost so much of what they had at dunkirk.

[@rinkevichjm]

Thumbs up for this comment “first class ******* decisions”

[@jackdaniel7465]

The British didn't provide P-40's to the Aussies, the United States did, with that being said, I want to say THANK YOU to the wonderful people of Australia for your HUGE and I mean huge contribution to the victory in the Pacific theater during world war 2, you fought like tigers and for that you will never be forgotten, again I want to thank you with all my heart!!!❤️👍🇺🇸

[@rinkevichjm]

@@jackdaniel7465 the British may have swapped the order for something else to get the Ausies P-40s

[@peterrobbins2862]

My grandfather was at milne bay as was a neighbour of ours a we grew up they spoke rarely of it and it had an effect on thm that lasted their entire lives . Most of the people who fought in this came home with multiple tropical diseases the effects of which troubled them for the rest their lives

[@PR0389]

All of that applied to my Dad. Rarely spoke about the war apart from a few typically Aussie black humour anecdotes. I recall being with him as a young boy watching a fireworks display when he casually said "Sounds just like distant artillery fire". Lest we forget.

[@ThePrader]

It is great that this video was posted on KZbin. I wish more people would watch it, especially Americans. We wrongly think we won the war in the Pacific alone. The simple fact is the Australians, and other forces of Great Britain, did much of the heavy lifting. The simple fact is they were a decisive factor and deserve more credit than they have received.

[@JUSTINIAN-SINCE.76]

So awesome to hear you Yankees giving such compliments about the Aussie forces. My grandfather fought up there and he was always mindful to keep silent of the horrors he endured up there. Very very serious he was whenever referring to the Islands.

[@vicbittertoo]

Yep, for sure, it was a great team effort from all, the Aussie coastwatchers did a tough but essential job allowing the Allies to get advance intel :)

[@coreyandnathanielchartier3749]

Please speak for yourself. Americans who are actually informed of the ANZAC contributions to the war have great respect for the accomplishments of the Aussies and Kiwis. Don't confuse 'uniformed' with 'disrespectful' or 'ungrateul'.

[@davidcollier1207]

Good to have watched this documentary after reading the thorough and authoritative account of the Battle of Milne Bay by Michael Veitch. It is a "must read" for anyone interested and should be compulsory reading for all Australians. Thanks and respect to our great allies during WW2, the Americans. There engineering might and know how built the airstrips, made them operational with Marston Matting and American Engineers still at Milne Bay fought shoulder to shoulder with our own troops. Oh, don't forget that the mighty Kittyhawk was an American built machine and provided to us by the USA.

[@Sir_Richard_Stewart]

YES. Absolutely. Instead of the garbage they do read

[@PR0389]

Yes, I've read a number of the Michael Veitch books on the area. "Turning Point"is one of them.Beautifully written in an unpretentious style. As you say, they should be compulsory reading especially for our young people.

[@frankus54]

Imagine taking off with malaria and dysentery with s*** running into your boots to combat Zeros and loads of AA. That's motivation. They did it because there were there and there was no-one else. That's the kind of spirit want wins battles. That's a military tradition that doesn't die easily.

[@user-ds5ce2bu9j]

Fantastic video my uncle W Horton was in Sigs at that time. He never spoke to much about the war in general, but at times when we were beach fishing off city beach in Perth, he would mention to me little stories that where most-interesting and always true. God bless your soul uncle Wally JB

[@PR0389]

God bless him. My Dad was exactly the same. A few anecdotes were all I could drag out of him which were mainly of the typically Aussie black humour style. Lest we forget.

[@jackdaniel7465]

Absolutely love this video and listening to these Aussie hero's tell their stories, Much love to the wonderful people of Australia!!❤️🇺🇸👍

[@babuzzard6470]

❤makes me proud to be an Australian, thanks for,your service, lest we forget.

[@kizzjd9578]

My family is from milne bay (normandby island) the us used to park up and hide their ships behind the island at the mouth of the sw side of the island and covered the deck with tree branches etc. Japan knew there was a ship somewhere but couldnt find it.

[@MooneyOvation2]

Later in the war S/Ldr Peter Booth-Jones was shot down in Borneo and narrowly avoided capture by the Japanese. Here is his report: Narrative by Peter Booth-Jones concerning a plane crash and subsequent rescue. On the sixth of July 1945 whilst on an armed reconnaissance flight at Kudat, North Borneo, I attacked a gun emplacement and suffered the misfortune of being shot down by ground fire. I was leading a flight of four aircraft, strafing various targets, fuel dumps, motor transport and anything that moved when I heard a ping. I thought it was probably a bullet through the wing and was not greatly concerned, until I opened the throttle to climb for height and found no power and no oil pressure. I proceeded to turn off the engine, drop the belly tank and hit the harness release ready to bail out. Then I realised I was too low, refastened the harness and looked for somewhere to land - nothing but trees so had no option but to ride it in. Gliding down, no engine, things were very quiet and I really felt this was it. I attempted a stall landing on the treetops to minimise forward speed and ploughed on through. I ended up in a mangrove swamp, hit the ground with a thump but was otherwise unhurt. I destroyed the black box and buried my Squadron Leader's epaulettes. This swamp was extremely dense, but the water appeared to be moving in one direction. I decided to go in that direction. After crawling over tree roots for some hours hauling my dinghy pack, I ended up in what looked like a creek, followed this until it grew bigger and was able to inflate my dinghy. Following the creek brought me to quite a wide river, crossed this and paddled some way down till in the distance I saw a native village on the riverbank. Time was early afternoon, so decided to hide until dark and crawled back into the swamp, opened my escape pack and had something to eat. When I felt it was dark enough, I launched the dinghy and climbed in only to find that on the river it was still light, so decided to stay at the edge under the mangrove branches. Just as well, because I heard the swish swish of a boat being rowed up the centre of the river, pulled the mangrove branches down and hoped I would not be seen. Some half hour later the boat returned. Not sure who they were, but I presume they were Japanese looking for me. By now it was quite dark, so I felt it was safe to travel down the river. I paddled down into the harbour, passed a large ship with no lights on, and proceeded towards the shoreline. By now it was early morning, exhaustion, shock-reaction must have set in because I awoke to bright daylight in another swamp. Fortunately only 20 or so yards in, as the incoming tide must have carried the dinghy in. I found a small beach close by, and decided to hole up there for the day, I hid the dinghy and did not venture too far into the open. The weather at Labuan stopped flying that morning, so it was not until early afternoon that two aircraft appeared looking for me. I had a signaling mirror but it took over an hour to attract the attention of one of the aircraft to where I was. Thinking the airsea rescue plane was on its way, I put to sea and paddled out into the harbour, not realising that one of the searching aircraft had to go halfway to Labuan to make radio contact. Dusk was fast approaching, and here I was out in the harbour in full view of the main Japanese base. Very fortunately for me, the airsea rescue plane arrived just on dusk, and their landing run finished some fifty yards from where I was. They had not seen me until I yelled. They were actually planning to come ashore by dinghy to where I had last been seen. Peter Booth Jones, Squadron Leader 76 Squadron. Footnote: Peter’s squadron delayed sending the telegram notifying of his “missing in action” to his new wife in the hope it would not be necessary, however eventually it was sent. Fortunately, they were able to send a further telegram notifying of his rescue and both telegrams arrived in Sydney almost at the same time. Peter Booth-Jones was my uncle and a very humble and humane man . He spoke very little of his role in the war so it was great to hear his reminiscences. Also of note is Bruce Brown’s Kittyhawk “Polly” is on display at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. Polly was the nickname for Bruce’s wife Olga.

[@raafdocumentaries]

Thanks so much Peter for that recounting of your uncle in Borneo - there are so many interesting stories to tell - looking forward to the day when we can do this full time to tell many more of these amazing stories!! Thanks for supporting the channel.

[@rkc62]

Nice work - appreciate the attention to detail. And it is *still* fascinating to hear the details from these warriors that is missing from a conventional documentary.

[@andrewt3952]

Great doco. Thanks very much. What a great bunch of blokes. True Aussie legends that were part of saving us all from what could have been. I live near Horn Island, qld, and often think of what must of happened back in the day. Lest we forget!👍🍻🎯🇦🇺

[@isunshine12345]

Thoroughly enjoyed this doco. I never heard much about Milne Bay or the kitty hawkes until this doco. Thanks for sharing. I encourage others to watch

[@vaughnmojado8637]

I’ve never seen anything from the Australian perspective. That was quite informative. I’m looking forward for more.

[@chadrowe8452]

I learned a bit from hypohisterical history a channel I would recommend if you are interested in more. Keep in mind Australia already had some it's best forces in north Africa so much of these troops in early pacific were newly trained. They had these militia battalions called territorial or something and these guys fought as infantry with maybe 8 weeks training like straight outta boot and then a week later your fighting in new guinea. Edit is look at the timeline with what America was doing... Not nothing

[@michaelpage7691]

My father was a pilot in the 100 squadron. Funnily enough he only started to tell stories about his exploits not long before he died. I can see how these brave men came back with traumas of what occurred. Now known as PTSD. Incredible men who saved Australia. 👏🇦🇺

[@radugeorgeoprea1949]

Yes, Guadalcanal and the (New Guinea) theater of operations, Milne Bay, the Kokoda Track and the others that followed, were the first victories against the mighty Japanese army. It was all possible due to the defeat of the Japanese Navy at Midway, where the aircraft carriers were neutralized, and the 1st Marine Division at Guadalcanal which attracted huge Japanese forces, too huge for Japan! The 2 types of operations were simultaneous, so that since Japan did not have the material and human resources necessary for both victories, they led to both defeats. If at least one aircraft carrier had participated in Milne Bay, from those lost at Midway for example, together with the escort group, the outcome would have been different, probably Port Moresby would also have fallen, because it would have been caught between 2 (probably) unbeatable forces . Congratulations for the work done, the heroes deserve even more!

[@davidcollier1207]

Thoughtful observations. Thankyou USA.

[@workingdogcentre]

I'm 78 years old and was born and raised in NewGuinea. My Dad served in Milne Bay and Buna. The "mesh" they keep talking about was called "Marsden Matting" and we were still using this marvellous invention up until the 1970's. You could do the most incredible things with it. As I grew up there were hundreds of old runways all around my country and most of them were made with Marsden Matting. At this time the area of Buna and Milne Bay were in the province of Papua. Papuans speak Motu, whereas we speak Tok Pisin.

[@andrewblake2254]

There is a detailed account of the land battle of Milne bay on YT for those who are interested.

[@ramroddrone5449]

Great video my father 103523 Australian Army Signaler was in the middle of that battle

[@ralphshelley9586]

Crazy wars and now we're allies! Let's keep it that way!

[@Sir_Richard_Stewart]

@32:46 That is Captain Killer Caldwell's Plane. Australian Ace

[@andyjay9346]

Wonderful bunch of Australian heroes.

[@notreallydavid]

UK here. I lack a hat to take off to the Oz and US service personnel who fought so resolutely in this grim setting - but if I had a hat of any description, off it would go. Absorbing video Regards to all from Trent Bridge Town

[@scroungasworkshop4663]

A brilliant video and thanks for posting it. Most of the world has forgotten that this battle was the first time the Japanese had been defeated. We were so lucky to have those American aircraft to give that vital air support which was probably what turned the tide plus the Japanese servilely underestimating the strength of their enemy.

[@billyhouse1943]

Thank you….. from central Texas USA

[@davidcollier1207]

Great cooperation between USA and Australia. We are forever thankful and full of gratitude for American help in our time of need. From North East Victoria, Australia.

[@lesskinner8588]

The steel mesh was Marston Mat, we saw this at Dodbdura airstrip on the north coast when we had a few weeks up there looking around the old battlefields. Dobodura was a US bomber and fighter airfield, very large area.

[@brucesherborne408]

Wonderful display of courage and perseverance in such difficult conditions. Thank you to all who served and played their part in pushing back the Japanese.

[@graemejohnson4388]

My wife’s Father and three of my uncles were At Milne bay and the Kokoda track. We owe them so much.

[@gsx7r]

Coming up on ANZAC day it makes me very proud to be an Australian. Have always heard great things about our boys across many theatres of war. Glad I found your channel, always wanted to be a military pilot, unfortunately was declared medically unfit when I tried to enlist. Can’t fly if you can’t breathe I guess! (Athsma) was pretty disappointed to get all the way to the medical and get knocked back, anyway, get to see it through other people’s eyes these days. Great story, one I hadn’t heard before.

[@ColinFreeman-kh9us]

Great story of bravery, the Arashi was the Destroyer that led the Dauntless Dive bombers to the Japanese carrier fleet at Midway which was eventually sunk.

[@VictorLaMonde]

The P40 suffered at high altitude due to it's allison engine not having a two stage supercharger. This put it at a distinct disadvantage in the European theatre where much of the aerial combat took place above 20K feet and this is where it earned a poor reputation from the RAF. It was a completely different story in the Pacific, far east and African theatres where high altitude combat was not the norm and endurance and reliability were valued. Not only Aussie's but also British and American pilots grew to love the P40 and exploited it's so called flaws to advantage. For a comprehensive history of the P40, this 2 part series by Rex's Hangar is recommended. kzbin.info/www/bejne/sKrUfXZmndR8hrcsi=-VMj_7I42yNKW2k9 My Uncle Don fought in New Guinea, survived and was stationed in Hiroshima during the allied occupation period. He never ever talked about his experiences.

[@robhomemovies12]

Heroes.

[@jackdaniel7465]

The Japanese learned a very hard lesson, that the Aussie soldiers are tenacious jungle fighters.🇺🇸👍

[@BobSmith-dk8nw]

Very well done. Marston Mat en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marston_Mat was used every where during WWII. It was a quick way to make a good solid surface for roads, runways and any place else. I can remember boarding a ship 30 years ago where you could see the edges of Marston Mat underneath the asphalt that had been laid over it. And yes - the P-40's and F4F's held the Japanese when they were at their peak. When more advanced aircraft became available - a lot of the top Japanese pilots had already been killed by guys flying P-40's and F4F's. .

[@PeterOConnell-pq6io]

Amazing how the Japanese never seemed to understand they had awoken a number of 'sleeping giants', all filled with a terrible resolve.

[@Iamkcs2c]

Considering that quote is (apocryphally) attributed to Yamamoto maybe they _did_ understand ... but did not exist in a system that could respond appropriately. XD Also there was pressure on Japan to attack asap both from the oil situation and from the coming growth of the USN as the ships authorized in 1940 under the two-ocean act were commissioned. 1942, despite Midway, was not that bad for the IJN (the US ran out of fleet carriers for about 2 weeks in October. 1943 was always going to be disastrous for Japan based on hulls that were already under construction.

[@PeterOConnell-pq6io]

@@Iamkcs2cAgree Yamamoto never said anything of the sort, but, more than most, he seemed to appreciate the danger. Japan had a choice between withdrawal fom China or economic strangulation. They'd invested too much in former to withdraw, thought their enemies lacked sufficient 'moral fiber' to resist, and "if you kicked their doors", the whole ediface of Western imperialism in Asia would cave in. But, they never seemed to admit to themselves that years after they had already kicked in their doors, the edifice was not only still standing, but stronger. Things seldom work out well once you start lying to yourself..

[@kostasvrionis781]

Μόνο ο Ναύαρχος Γιαμαμοτο το ειχε καταλάβει..

[@Iamkcs2c]

@@PeterOConnell-pq6io Agree with everything you said, but want to point out the irony that the conditions imposed by the US post WWII (constitutionally mandated pacifism, a kind of corporate democracy, an economy that depended on the skill and industriousness of its people rather than raw materials ...) turned out great for Japan and was a path they (hypothetically, in a parallel universe without all the assassinations) could have followed in 1935 ... and avoided the war entirely. Crazy how badly they misjudged what was needed for Japan to be rich and consequential.

[@larrytischler570]

The Japanese learned but slowly. At first they thought they really were invincible, and after the Doolittle raid on their home islands they actually rethought their strategic position and attacked Midway, they wanted another ring of islands as an outer defense. That included cutting off Australia by building the airbase on Guadalcanal, which Adm. Nimitz quickly saw as a critical threat to continue the was in the Western Pacific. By capturing that base and holding it The IJN was unable to adequately reinforce and supply New Guinea and eventually even call off their efforts to retake Guadalcanal. All that was due to superb fighting of Aussies on New Guinea, US Marines on Guadalcanal, and combined Naval Operations that had higher casualties than either land based fighting area. High altitude bombing was effective enough to stop the Japanese.

[@jeffhahn2478]

Great doco. Thanks for making it. Enormous efforts put in by the brace and under resourced Aussies and their allies.

[@thelandofnod123]

Just………….brilliant.

[@TrueSonOfOdin]

Excellent program. I had wondered what 75 Squadron did after Port Moresby (and losing John Jackson). Free print-and-play little "Postcard Coral Sea" game on my webpage.

[@nathancommins8718]

Complete & absolute respect for all of those who stepped up in adversity in service to Australia. Lest We Forget 🇦🇺 This was very well put together 👍

[@DMcOz_Down_Under]

Fascinating. Thanks for creating. Grateful thanks to all the fine men who served in such atrocious conditions in the defence of us.

[@306champion]

I love to watch these videos. My father in-law was at Milne Bay on artillery.

[@frankfischer1281]

Even to the time of filming this video, all the members 75 Squadron down-played the diffulties of flying and fighting while sick due to dissentary, or malaria. But it doesn't take a Sherlock Homes to know how debilitating th'nse diseases are. The New Guineau campaign doesn't gbt as much attention as other Pacific Theater actions, but one can tell by the way these men talked that it was every bit as nasty as any other combat zone. Kudos to the men of 75 Squadron.

[@johnforrester9120]

Brilliant

[@johnhoney7903]

That was a great docco, really well presented, footage and interviews. My grandfather served in the RAAF ´up north´ and my uncle was in the AIF in the ME and SWP... well done.

[@fenlander7114]

Fair dinkum heroes, Lest We Forget.

[@yingmingtan5619]

Ameica got a good supply of quinin, should be ok👍

[@johnmckernan3470]

Thank You so much for your opening statement that it would be the first time that the Japanese had suffered a defeat. It is a little known fact that it was ... predominantly Australians that completed this victory, with credit to some American forces. McAuthur and Blamey did not really give credit where credit was due.

[@nickdanger3802]

First defeat on land.

[@Lajs657]

God save Australian people. Greetings from Brazil.

[@redtobertshateshandles]

There's a very rough sporting field dozed out of the bush in Austinmer NSW named Clowes Park. A pretty fitting tribute imo.

[@dennis2376]

A job well done. Thank you to those that served.

[@joebullwinkle5099]

Yes, we should never forget that. It was the Australians that were the first Allied forces to successfully repel a Japanese invasion force in WW II, which up to that time had never been successful.

[@ChrisJensen-se9rj]

Uh..the first attempt to storm Wake Island was a collosal failure. But Wake succumbed due to lack of reinforcement. American defenders on that Bataan Peninsula drive back and attempted Japanese landing on the peninsula, but Bataan, too, suffered from lack of reinforcement and support. Both of these defeats were long before Milne Bay. So, claiming that "the Australians were the first to defeat the Japanese" really is just bullshit.

[@joebullwinkle5099]

@@ChrisJensen-se9rj The Japanese made many attempts at overwhelming the Australian forces at Milne Bay and ALL of them were repulsed, to the point were the Japanese gave up and left. Given that the examples you provide ended up successful for the Japanese invasion force and US forces capitulated and went into captivity, who’s drinking their own sewage here!

[@ChrisJensen-se9rj]

​​​​@@joebullwinkle5099no mate. When you are properly supported, as Milne Bay was, you get results at something other than a tactical level. Wake Island had no such luxury. Properly supported and reinforced, potentially it could have been different. Bataan and the Philippines generally had not a single transportation or cargo vessel dispatched in their direction. The landings at Milne Bay were something of a " one shot" attempt. Not so with Guadalcanal. So, really, Milne Bay was, logistically speaking, an attempt at a surprise move that failed, principally due to lack of any follow up moves. All this "pap" about "being the first to defeat the Japanese" is typical Australian overstatement of the importance of their military operations. Rather like we do for much of our military history. As an American poster pointed out to me once, try and list Australian military victories that achieved anything other than tactical. I believe the stand of the 9th Division at Tobruk is , quite possibly, the only time we have ever achieved results that altered the strategic situation. As that American said, "It'll be a pretty short list." The Australian Army is under the impression that they have " the best army in the world." But our record doesn't substantiate that at al

[@ChrisJensen-se9rj]

Hah! Many attempts with just under 2000 troops? Minor skirmish. Strategically insignificant

[@ChrisJensen-se9rj]

@@joebullwinkle5099 Joe, they had just under 2000 troops. And little or no logistics. In the wider scheme of things in New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, it was nothing more than an opportunistic raid, with neither the numbers nor the backup to achieve anything but occupying what amounted to an outpost, handy for nothing else but a refueling or emergency landing strip. Milne Bay wasn't " pivotal" to anything. Even Horii's troops were sent forward over the Owen Stanley range without much in the way of stores, reserves, or support. And when that went pair shaped the retreat was a nightmare, cannibalism and wounded abandoned along the trail, many thrown out of their units and left to fend for themselves

[@iawy8264]

Awesome ❤

[@chadrowe8452]

Hello what does he mean at about 10 minutes in when he said flying in Russia was better than milne bay? Did 75 squadron fly in Russia or did that pilot fight in Finland?

[@raafdocumentaries]

For a time he was with 134 Squadron RAF with another 3 Australians - flying off an aircraft carrier up near the North Pole. Not sure of the full story - would have to research it.

[@chadrowe8452]

@@raafdocumentaries TY for reply. Interesting possibilities

[@cheesenoodles8316]

Excellent. Australians....tuff as nails

[@iffracem]

It's amazing when you consider how complicated to use, and finicky, aircraft were at that time. No computers or electronics to assist the pilot, Just making the engine(s) work to close to their best was all up to the the pilot, needing to adjust throttle, mixture, pitch etc. All the while navigating, plotting tactics and alternatives, worried about the well being of any crew in the machine, then aiming, strafing, bombing, engaging in air combat, no AWACS to help, keeping tabs on fuel and ammo, navigating home, sometimes nursing an already difficult machine home if damaged. They will always have my absolute respect and admiration. As an aside, I wonder how good the P40 would have been if it had been fitted with a Merlin, for higher altitude work. After all the P51 became the machine it was when the Allison was replaced with the Continental license built Merlin. Did the P40 need to have a high altitude machine? That was an important feature for Europe, not sure about the Pacific theatre, @13:49.. welcome to my world mate ;-) Having a tent, cot and mossie net was a luxury as a soldier, even in the late '70's through to late '90's when I served. Mansions and a "batman", even field officers never saw that. No wonder we called the RAAF "Blue Orchids" ( a protected species) ... (jokes.. all in fun)

[@jeffbrown3743]

God bless these legends .....We are all indebted to them.....much Respect.

[@mattmatty4670]

Cool thanks mate

[@bruceboyer8187]

Thank you for referencing Gen Sydney Rowell. I live on Rowell Ave. Chatsworth Lake Manor CA. As I can best determine the streer is named adter Gen Rowell.

[@jaygee5693]

While I admire and respect his combat service, his memory is playing tricks regarding the P-40E armament 8:30 There were no cannon, but the six M2 0.50 inch calibre Browning machine guns were devastating enough for most targets.

[@vincentjappi456]

P-40s didn't have turbo compressed motors and were hardly a match for the Zeros. But the Zeros came from far away.

[@willrobinson4089]

My grandfather fought in Milne bay.

[@mrcyberfish1]

💪💪💪💪💪 Australia 💪💪💪💪💪

[@notreallydavid]

Australians - is there an annual ADF commemoration of Milne Bay? Are there any ADF facilities with Milne Bay in their name?

[@PR0389]

Not that I know of. Only ANZAC Day which is not specific.

[@captainaxle438]

P-40 had better speed, durability and firepower. The reason for the flying tiger's success against the Japanese aircraft. The most underrated propeller fighter ever made and probably the best. Top 3 scoring usa fighter tallies....... P-51, P-47, and P-40 take that! Most produced? P-51, P47, P-40! Still in production at wars end

[@nickdanger3802]

Clive Robertson Caldwell RAAF Highest scoring Allied ace in North Africa, all in P40's.

[@peterm3964]

Flight sergeant CPMills Number 1 squadron RAAF. WIRELESS OPERATOR Upper turret gunner . Delivering supplies to troops Dobadura field . “ We brought fresh troops and supplies in , and evacuated wounded back to Base . The dead can wait “

[@janrobertbos]

...we OWE them...

[@ronvanwegen]

Good onya !

[@user-ho9yp1le9u]

at 1min 26 sec narrator states "capture of port moresby would have been an ideal corridor for Japanese forces to invade northern Australia(mainland). should have said if Japanese leadership had decided to do this ( which they DIDN'T.

[@raafdocumentaries]

I still stand by the statement - it would have set them up well and given them an ideal corridor - regardless of their leaderships decision to hold the line there or to move onto the mainland.

[@user-ho9yp1le9u]

@@raafdocumentaries thank you for replying. your statement is quite ok. just would have been better if the clarification had been included.

[@seanlander9321]

The Jap leaders hadn’t made up their minds about invading Australia or not, but Papua New Guinea was part of Australia anyway. Their high command twice offered to end the war against Australia if it declared neutrality, that’s how much they were worried about Australia and the resources it could assemble with America.

[@coreywarde6030]

Thought I had seen it lol

[@shoominati23]

It's Mill-knee to my understanding

[@terrymarshall3377]

It is a long going false statement that this was the first time Japanese forces suffered a land defeat. The first time this happened was The Battle of the Points. This battle was fought between January 23 and February 8th 1942. This victory was achieved by American Sailors and Airman and Philippine Army Scouts. The sailors and airmen we not trained in ground combat but the Scouts were at the top of the game.

[@lachlancannard]

Whilst it was an excellent delaying action, the Japanese of course went on to capture Luzon.

[@Thelivewire64]

30SQN Strike Swiftly!

[@brucepedersen4032]

Kokoda Trail terrain was terrible, the hardest. Where as walking, driving, and landing planes on frozen ground was routine. from a yank

[@FishandHunt]

Lest we forget 🇦🇺

[@johnwelch6490]

Where were the Allied Submarines?

[@downunderrob]

Wagga Wagga? That must have the Farmers! 😂

[@raafdocumentaries]

I'm not even sure if it's pronounced the same, 'Waga Waga', but Wagawaga is also a language and people group :-) Interesting , hey?

[@brettlane6908]

Not taking anything away for the value of a RAAF pilot, but I’m sorry, I can’t muster any sympathy for RAAFies complaining about their ‘terrible conditions’ of have SIX in a tent!!!!! When just down the way there’s a grunt living in a hole in the ground!!!!

[@Zb-uo2bl]

My dad made a great choice due to malaria....he went to Alaska to Homestead😅 so I was born in the Territory! No, we did not vote for Statehood😅

[@True-history-24]

First major defeat of the Japanese in ww2. Basically the turning point of ww2 . After which Japanese faced multiple defeat.

[@flarvin8945]

Battle of Midway in the beginning of June, happened before the battle of Milne bay. Plus the allies already invaded Guadalcanal, their first major offensive against the Japanese. While major morale boost, it was not the turning point of wwii.

[@nedkelly9688]

@@flarvin8945 Mate another clueless Yank i assume.. ohh Midway battle was a naval battle and yes helped damage the Japanese but did not stop them sending troops to Papua New Guinea or Timor or Indonesia. Milne Bay was first stopping of Japanese advancing in WW2 and was turning point as was first real defeat where they had to retreat. Milne Bay 25th August - 7th Sept 1942. Guadal Canal August 7th 1942-- Feb 1943.. so how does 6 months of battle become first stopping of Japanese when Milne Bay was few weeks. Papau New Guinea had over 200,000 Japanese while lil Guadal only had 30k Japanese.. was barely a dent in the Japanese compared. New Guinea campaign broke Japanese backs in South Pacific not the fake propaganda of Yanks of lil Guadal. Guadal is 2000km from Australia and Papua is 90km from coast to coast.. Guadal was a waste really.

[@flarvin8945]

@@nedkelly9688 Do you speak English as your native language? Because the OP stated "First major defeat of the Japanese in WW2." Nothing about naval battles not being included. Guadalcanal campaign, first allied major offensive began before the Battle of Milne bay. Making Milne bay not the turning point. In fact, Guadalcanal pulled away Japanese assets that were allotted for their attack on Milne bay, mainly aircraft. The battle of Milne bay only involved less than 2000 Japanese ground troops, the Japanese lost no capitel ships nor a significant amount on troops or aircraft. Plus the battle of alligator creek which happened 4 days earlier, killed more Japanese. The battle of Milne bay was a major morale boost for the allies, but not the "first major defeat of the Japanese in ww2."

[@nedkelly9688]

@@flarvin8945 You obviously do not understand military operations. or can not read. and me speaking english has no meaning to me reading it as is what is needed to read comments lol. I do not care what OP said, it is the BS you spill. And still Guadal did not finish until 6 months later and still was no turning point in the war ever as Milne Bay proved Japanese could be defeated and pushed back before Guadal was even considered a win lol.. After Milne Japs were pushed back from several battles on Papua including Kokoda Buna Gona also finished before Guadal. So in total if you are counting Japanese numbers being defeated Papua had most and was almost cleared out before Guadal was finished lol. Weird how you know nothing of WW2.. YEA YOU DIDN'T REALISE PAPAU HAD SEVERAL BATTLES ALL GOING AROUND SAME TIME WHILE ONLY YOU YANKS FOCUSED ON ONE TINY SPOT OF GUADAL HAHA.. Kokoda was before Quadal also. Battle of Wau.. So mostly Aussies pushed back Japanese in around 4 or 5 battles and troop counts higher then Japs in Guadal before Quadal was even over lol.. Know truth or stop commenting.. Do know General MacArthur was really pushing the Aussies on Papua as wanted to beat the Marines in Solomon's.. he wanted Papua cleared before marines cleared Solomon's..

[@nedkelly9688]

@@flarvin8945 Milne Bay 2000 Japs. Kokoda 13500. Buna Gona 12500 wau 12000.. yea so Guadal wasn't the biggest lol.. Also if research properly how was Guadal turning point.. even states once Japanese gave up on Guadal they focused on Port Moresby sending more troops to Papau.. so you did not turn anything but turned more Japanese towards Australia lol.. Once the Japanese had decided to give up on Guadalcanal, the capture of Port Moresby loomed even larger in their strategic thinking. You really need to research New Guinea campaign and see how Guadal had no effect on the Japanese Atleast Milne Bay showed Japanese and allies that Japan could be defeated on the ground.. not navy of Midway..

[@HenriHattar]

MAinly Australian and it was NOT really a landbased conflict as it was a japanese invasion by sea that eventually got pushed back into the sea, so yes it did happen on land BUT it is about the invasion force being pushed back into THEsea.

[@stevesvoboda9816]

I know they're speaking English but I find the accents & dialect of some pilots very hard to follow. I want to understand what they're saying. 😢

[@raafdocumentaries]

You have to turn on CC (closed captions)

[@stevesvoboda9816]

@@raafdocumentaries oh thank you. Did not know they had that. Now my deaf ass can hear again. Lol

[@errolmitchell6339]

🇭🇲🇭🇲🇭🇲🇦🇺🇦🇺🍺🍺🍺🍺👍

[@ChrisJensen-se9rj]

I would hardly call a landing by just under 2000 Japanese troops anything other than a local skirmish, let alone a victory of ant strategic significance. Compared to the extent of the Japanese commitment in China, 2000 troops is small potatoes

[@ChrisJensen-se9rj]

Pivotal? In the wider scheme of the campaigns in New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, it really was nothing more than a minor skirmish

[@sueneilson896]

Pivotal because it was the first defeat of Japanese land forces of the war and stopped them gaining airfields in that extremely strategic position. The Japs invaded Milne Bay for very good reasons, but were given a thorough lesson by the Aussies with excellent support from the US engineers .

[@chopperking007]

Then we made them rich buying their cars...

[@ChrisJensen-se9rj]

An ideal base to invade Australia? The didn't have the logistics to try for New Guinea and the Solomons at the same time. Let alone " invading Australia". Australian military services overestimate to a great degree their influence on the course of the Pacific War, or the Solomon s campaign

[@marvin69blastem61]

My local pool is called Milne Bay.

[@robertedwards1416]

Toowoomba's pool is called Milne Bay.

[@marvin69blastem61]

@@robertedwards1416 Yes that's what I said won't need the history lesson. Cheers