Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Foreword
- List of illustrations
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 Death in the Bismarck Sea
- 2 Opposing forces
- 3 Warfe's tigers
- 4 Supply lines
- 5 Mubo stalemate
- 6 On Lababia Ridge
- 7 On Bobdubi Ridge
- 8 Yanks
- 9 Mubo falls
- 10 ‘A bit of a stoush’
- 11 The forbidden mountain
- 12 Roosevelt Ridge
- 13 Old Vickers
- 14 Komiatum Ridge
- 15 Across the Frisco
- 16 Salamaua falls
- Appendix: Place names
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
10 - ‘A bit of a stoush’
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 December 2013
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Foreword
- List of illustrations
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 Death in the Bismarck Sea
- 2 Opposing forces
- 3 Warfe's tigers
- 4 Supply lines
- 5 Mubo stalemate
- 6 On Lababia Ridge
- 7 On Bobdubi Ridge
- 8 Yanks
- 9 Mubo falls
- 10 ‘A bit of a stoush’
- 11 The forbidden mountain
- 12 Roosevelt Ridge
- 13 Old Vickers
- 14 Komiatum Ridge
- 15 Across the Frisco
- 16 Salamaua falls
- Appendix: Place names
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
While the 58/59th Battalion struggled to achieve its objectives at the northern end of Bobdubi Ridge, Major George Warfe's 2/3rd Independent Company moved against its southern end. Warfe's role in the Doublet plan was to establish a strong blocking position at Goodview Junction ‘to prevent the escape northwards of enemy forces in the Mubo area’. This would be the anvil to complement the 17th Brigade hammer that would strike at Mubo.
Warfe moved down from Missim with two of his three platoons, accompanied by 200 native carriers. The party followed Uliap Creek, then made the steep climb up Bobdubi Ridge to Namling, arriving on 5 July. Meanwhile, B Platoon moved into the Vial's Post area to cover the track up from Observation Hill, which abutted Warfe's right flank. To cut the main Japanese supply route behind Mubo, Warfe would take eighty-five native carriers further forward to carry the considerable supplies required to maintain his blocking position. This included two of Warfe's beloved Vickers guns, a 3-inch mortar, ammunition, rations and medical supplies. C Platoon led off from Namling along the track up on to the ridge and on towards Wells Junction in single file. The carriers followed with accompanying escorts from the engineer section while sixteen men from A Platoon under Lieutenant John Barry brought up the rear. The rest of A Platoon, including the commander, Lieutenant John Lewin, was still on the way from Missim.
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- Information
- To Salamaua , pp. 186 - 208Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2010