Milne Force was a garrison

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 ...

force formed in July 1942 during the

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 ...

which controlled allied naval, land and air units in the region of

Milne Bay Milne Bay is a large bay in Milne Bay Province, south-eastern Papua New Guinea. More than long and over wide, Milne Bay is a sheltered deep-water harbor accessible via Ward Hunt Strait. It is surrounded by the heavily wooded Stirling Range (Papu ...

, in the

Territory of Papua The Territory of Papua comprised the southeastern quarter of the island of New Guinea from 1883 to 1975. In 1883, the Government of Queensland annexed this territory for the British Empire. The United Kingdom Government refused to ratify the ...

. The force was responsible for constructing airstrips, roads, camps and defensive positions. Milne Force successfully withheld a Japanese invasion which landed on 25 August during the

Battle of Milne Bay The Battle of Milne Bay (25 August – 7 September 1942), also known as Operation RE or the Battle of Rabi (ラビの戦い) by the Japanese, was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II. Japanese naval infantry, known as ''Kaigun ...

and forced the invasion force to retreat on 5 September. On 1 October 1942, Milne Force was redesignated the 11th Division.

Commanders

Brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

John Field John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second Ep ...

(11 July – 23 August 1942) * Major General

Cyril Clowes Lieutenant General Cyril Albert Clowes, (11 March 1892 – 19 May 1968) was an Australian soldier. He won the first land victory against the Japanese in the Second World War, at the Battle of Milne Bay, New Guinea. Like many other senior offic ...

(23 August – 1 October 1942)

Units

* 7th Brigade ** 9th Battalion ** 25th Battalion ** 61st Battalion * 18th Brigade ** 2/9th Battalion ** 2/10th Battalion ** 2/12th Battalion * 2/5th Field Regiment *4th Battery, 101st Anti-tank Regiment *6th Heavy Anti-aircraft Battery *9th Light Anti-aircraft Battery *24th Field Company *

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 ...

** No. 32 Squadron (

Lockheed Hudson The Lockheed Hudson is a light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built by the American Lockheed Aircraft Corporation. It was initially put into service by the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and ...

) ** No. 75 Squadron (

P-40 Kittyhawk The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighter-bomber that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry ...

) ** No. 76 Squadron (P-40 Kittyhawk) *

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

forces **709th US Airborne Anti-aircraft Battery **101st US Coast Artillery Battalion **2nd Battalion, 43rd US Engineer Regiment **E Company, 46th US Engineer Regiment

References

Milne Bay units, August–September 1942
South West Pacific theatre of World War II Papua New Guinea in World War II Military units and formations of Australia in World War II Ad hoc units and formations of Australia Military units and formations established in 1942 Military units and formations disestablished in 1942 {{Australia-mil-stub