Finisterre Range campaign

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Finisterre Range campaign Part of World War II, Pacific War Members of "C" Company, Australian 2/9th Battalion, digging in at a newly-occupied part of Shaggy Ridge on January 23, 1944 Date September 19, 1943 - April 24, 1944 Location Finisterre range, Territory of New Guinea Result Allied victory Belligerents Australia United States Empire of Japan Commanders George Vasey Masutaro Nakai Strength  ?  ? Casualties and losses  ?  ?

Finisterre Range campaign Ramu Valley – Kaiapit – Johns' Knoll & Trevor's Ridge – The Pimple – Cam's Saddle – Faria Ridge – Prothero I & II – McCaughey's Knoll – Kankiryo

v • d • e New Guinea campaign Rabaul (land battle) – Rabaul (1942 air raids) – Mo – Coral Sea – Kokoda Track – Milne Bay – Buna-Gona – Wau – Bismarck Sea – Salamaua-Lae – Cartwheel – Wewak raid – Finisterres – Huon Peninsula – Bougainville – Rabaul (1943 air raids) – New Britain – Admiralties – Western New Guinea

The Finisterre Range campaign, also known as the Ramu Valley-Finisterre Range campaign, was a series of actions in the New Guinea campaign of World War II. Several actions in the campaign are sometimes known collectively as the Battle of Shaggy Ridge.

The campaign began with an Allied offensive in the Ramu Valley, from September 19, 1943, and concluded when Allied troops entered Madang on April 24, 1944. During the campaign Australian and United States forces assaulted Japanese positions in the Finisterre Range of New Guinea.The central geographical and strategic feature of the campaign was the imposing Shaggy Ridge, running north-south in the Finisterres.

Contents 1 Forces 2 Operation Cutthroat 3 References 4 Image gallery

[edit] Forces

The Japanese formation in the campaign was the Nakai Detachment, under Maj. Gen. Masutaro Nakai, a brigade-sized formation detached from the Japanese 20th Division. It faced the Australian 7th Division, under Maj. Gen. George Vasey.

[edit] Operation Cutthroat

The major Australian offensives on Shaggy Ridge — codenamed Operation Cutthroat — were launched by the 18th Brigade on January 19. The plan called for the brigade's three battalions to converge on Kankiryo Saddle from three different directions:

• the 2/12th Battalion was to advance from Canning's Saddle, east of Shaggy Ridge, and attack two well-defended knolls on the northern end of Shaggy Ridge, known as Prothero I and II

• the 2/9th Battalion would attack northwards along Shaggy Ridge itself, to take McCaughey's Knoll (by way of Green Sniper's Pimple)

• the 2/10th Battalion would advance along Faria Ridge, which lay to the east of Shaggy Ridge and joined it at Kankiryo Saddle.

[edit] References

• Phillip Bradley, 2005, On Shaggy Ridge: The Australian 7th Division in the Ramu Valley; From Kaiapit to the Finisterre Ranges, Oxford University Press (ISBN 0-195-553-594).
• Dexter, David (1961). Volume VI – The New Guinea Offensives, Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. Retrieved on 2006-12-16. 

[edit] Image gallery

Shaggy Ridge, New Guinea. December 27, 1943. Troops of the 2/16th Australian Infantry Battalion, watch aircraft bombarding The Pimple prior to their attack on Japanese positions there.

January 22, 1944. Members of "B" Company, Australian 2/12th Battalion, who helped silence a Japanese mountain gun on one of the hills known as Prothero I & II. (Left to right) "Skinny" McQueen, Ron Lord, Eric Willey and Alan F Hackett. (Photographer: Colin Halmarick.)

Members of "A" Company, Australian 2/9th Battalion digging in at Green Sniper's Pimple, on Shaggy Ridge after Japanese forces had been driven back.