The battle honour for the Defence of Wau covers the period from 8 March 1942, when the Japanese landed at Salamaua, to 26 February 1943, when the Japanese had withdrawn from Wau back to Mubo – which is the scope of this book. A number of important lessons can be learned from the unique nature of this year-long campaign.

The early actions of the New Guinea Volunteer Rifles and the 2/5th Independent Company demonstrated how a small force can have a major impact at the strategic level. The Salamaua and Lae raids at the end of June 1942 had a dramatic influence on the course of the campaign, forcing the Japanese command to commit resources that would otherwise have been used in the Kokoda or Guadalcanal campaigns.

Though the NGVR troops had had limited training, those with experience of the terrain were of great value for observation and reconnaissance, and in training the incoming army units in how to operate in the exceptional conditions encountered in New Guinea. The extensive reconnaissance of Salamaua by these NGVR scouts, and their use as guides with the attacking parties, were the primary reasons for the outstanding success of the Salamaua commando raid. The important contribution of the NGVR, and later of the ANGAU operatives, highlighted the value of personnel who understood the terrain, the environment and the people of New Guinea.