Bena Force was an ad hoc

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia. It is a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army ...

formation that existed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Established in early 1943 to defend the Bena Bena–Mount Hagen plateau south of the

Ramu River The Ramu River is a major river in northern Papua New Guinea. The headwaters of the river are formed in the Kratke Range from where it then travels about northwest to the Bismarck Sea. Along the Ramu's course, it receives numerous tributaries ...

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

and to prevent it from being occupied by the

Imperial Japanese The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From 1910 to 19 ...

. The force undertook defensive tasks and maintenance of the airfields, tracks and roads in the area, and undertook reconnaissance and long range patrols.

History

On 23 January 1943, under instructions from

New Guinea Force New Guinea Force was a military command unit for Australian, United States and native troops from the Territories of Papua and New Guinea serving in the New Guinea campaign during World War II. Formed in April 1942, when the Australian First Ar ...

, the 6th Division dispatched a small force, known as Bena Force, from

Port Moresby (; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New ...

by air in six Douglas C-47s to the

airfield An aerodrome, airfield, or airstrip is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for public or private use. Aerodromes in ...

Bena Bena Benabena, also known as Bena Bena, is a stretch of valley that extends to the east of Goroka town in the west and borders with the Upper Ramu area of Madang Province to the north, Ungaii District to its south and Henganofi District to its east. The ...

. The force consisted of 57 men of the 2/7th Battalion led by

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

Rooke. Under the command of Kanga Force, the force's objectives were to secure Bena Bena airfield against enemy attack, deny the Japanese freedom of movement in the Bena Bena Valley, and to harass and delay any Japanese movement in the area between Bena Bena and Ramu River. Bena Force was also made responsible for the small

Australian New Guinea Administrative Unit The Australian New Guinea Administrative Unit (ANGAU) was a civil administration of Territory of Papua and the Mandated Territory of New Guinea formed on 21 March 1942 during World War II. The civil administration of both Papua and the Mand ...

(ANGAU) detachment under

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

John Black, a detachment of the

Royal Australian Air Force The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal Air force, aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-Gener ...

(RAAF) Rescue and Communication Flight and a special operations unit operating out of Bena Bena. The depleted 2/7th Independent Company, under the command of Major Thomas MacAdie, was flown to Bena Bena on 29 May 1943 to augment the force after the Japanese launched strong air attacks on Bena Bena. This brought the garrison up to a total of almost 400 men. During June and July, observation posts were established in the region, patrols were sent out and infrastructure was built with the help of labour supplied by the ANGAU. Later, during August and September, as attacks increased on the garrison, the 2/2nd Independent Company arrived to reinforce Bena Force and patrols were sent out through the Ramu Valley in order to observe the main approaches to Bena Bena.Dexter 1961, pp. 243–244.

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History

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