History, esp. the military history of the South West Pacific. Always learning. New Guinea born.
Australia
Joined August 2013
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A repost:
An Englsh emigrant to West Australia, with a large family, became an expert Bren Gunner in Lebanon and Papua.
Awarded the MM for his bravery which saved his Company in the 1941 Syrian-Lebanon Campaign (Operation Exporter), he died fighting on the Kokoda Trail.
@almurray
A thread from 2023 about the Papuan and the New Guinea Infantry Battalions which fought in Papua New Guinea (PNG), 1942-45.
PNG, a nation of 11 million in the SW Pacific, consisted during interwar years of 2 territories: Papua, & New Guinea, each with own colonial govt.
@almurray
#OTD 1943
A photographer visited the Papuan Infantry Battalion at their new self-built training depot at Bisiatabu, near the start of the Kokoda Track in Papua's Owen Stanley Range.
As well as Papua, recruits came from New Guinea, which was occupied by large Japanese forces,
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From a previous post of mine:
Lack of suitable ordnance during the 1942-45 campaigns in remote tropical mountains of New Guinea often necessitated improvisation.
To attain the required elevation to attack high Japanese positions, Australian gunners often improvised.
@almurray
Dennis Burns retweeted
New Guinea is a huge island, second only to Greenland in the world.
From 1942 to 1945, war raged over most of the northern part of the island.
Due to the island’s incredibly rugged terrain and almost complete lack of any infrastructure, military logistics was a nightmare.
🧵
Dennis Burns retweeted
A two-megawatt windmill is made up of 260 tons of steel that required 300 tons or iron ore and 170 tons of coking coal, all mined, transported and produced by hydrocarbons. It hold 700 gallons of oil and hydraulic fluid, and like car these need to be replaced every 9 months.
People might fall for the idea that we can merrily run on sunshine and breezes, alone, but with a few trillion dollars worth of mythical mega-batteries providing backup for a few minutes, it could spin until it falls apart over and over again and never generate as much energy as was invested in building it.
Dennis Burns retweeted
The sale of historic defence sites has nothing to do with “funding the military” and everything to do with Labor’s mission to “decolonize” Australia.
This is an active attempt to destroy heritage sites of Australians and erase a proud and strong culture
Dennis Burns retweeted
Nuclear power represents a sustainable energy future with economic prosperity. Solar and wind power represent grid instability and energy rationing, which is government regulated.
That is why climate alarmists and most so-called “scientists” oppose nuclear. They are hard left, arguably Marxist, and don’t want the free market to sort it out. They want to control energy so they can control you.
July 1943
Lt H. Egan, of the Australian 2/3rd Commandos, is at left with a pipe and holding his Thompson SMG.
He was killed in action a few days later on 21/7/43.
They are manning a Vickers MG in a jungle gunpit on a humid hotly contested ridgetop near Salamaua, New Guinea coast.
July 1943
New Guinea:
New Guineans cross a vine bridge over the Francisco River enroute to front line.
They carried mortar shells, stores and wounded soldiers on their shoulders over some of the toughest terrain in the world.
3 naked Australian engineers are at work in the river.
Dennis Burns retweeted
Some think @matt_barrie is a savant, others know he’s on the pulse
Know this. He is absolutely spot on when he calls out how dangerously close Australia stands at the cliff of economic collapse
Without cheap energy we cannot produce. Manufacturing has been systematically killed
July 14 1943, New Guinea:
Sturdy carriers of the Mekeo people continue their work bringing key supplies forward as engineers of the 11th Australian Infantry Division use hand tools to laboriously carve a road through humid jungle from Bulldog outpost through the mountains to Wau.
New Guinea
1944
Easter Sunday
Yaula, Finisterre Ranges
57/60th Australian Infantry Battalion's chaplain, G. Sambell, conducts a solemn early morning mountaintop service overlooking the base area of the Japanese 78th Regt at Bogadjim village.
Five days later the base was taken.
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New Guinea.
1944
Easter Sunday morning
At dawn on a beach at Saidor, on the humid New Guinea coast, troops of the Australian 8th Infantry Brigade along with troops of the American 32d Infantry Division (Wisconsin & Michigan National Guard) attend a non-denominational service.
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Kiriwina Island
Trobriand Islands
Solomon Sea.
Off the north coast of Papua New Guinea:
On a sultry, humid tropical 1944 Easter Sunday morning, the chaplain of No 30 (Beaufighters) Squadron, Flt Lt Hardie, leads the hymn singing with his accordion.
The oil drum used as an altar.
New Guinea coast
5th April 1944:
Using Army Amenities Service gear, Australian soldiers of 5th Division play cricket on a rough pitch at an advanced base near Finschhafen.
Wicketkeeper is W/O E. Kruger,
Batsman S/Sgt D. Ross,
Fielder distracted by new bat is Sgt J. McPherson.
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Dennis Burns retweeted
If you agree with this opinion in the @dailytelegraph I would appreciate a repost…
Dennis Burns retweeted
INTERVIEW: Trump, Putin: the extraordinarily significant phone call
For all the people claiming to be promoting peace, sit down and shut up about this phone call between Trump and Putin if you have nothing positive to say
Follow #MOATS 421 #Trump #Putin @RealScottRitter #TulsiGabbard
Matilda tanks in New Guinea.
The Matilda II was the only British-made tank to see continual service from 1939 right through until 1945.
Almost 400 Matilda II tanks were used by Australia until the end of WW2.
One reason: They were perfectly sized for transport by landing craft.🧵
Bougainville 1945:
Australian Matildas move into action.
Note the track idler guards, cast from bulletproof armoured steel 2” thick.
The guards were attached via a hinged mounting welded to the track guard.
Two troopers (one in a slouch hat) are armed with trusty Owen guns.
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