The incredible Australian raid on the Japanese held airfield of Salamaua, New Guinea.

In 1942, Imperial Japanese forces captured the strategic airfield af Salamaua on the north coast of New guinea, south of the main reginal town of Lae.

Salamaua was a in a gold mining region and it's airfield played a major role in this pre war industry.

With the capture of Salamaua, the Japanese were able to launch air attacks on New Guinea's capital, Port Moresby and other strategic allied targets.

Australian military leadership decided a raid to damage the Japanese forces abilities to use the airfield would be made and the job for this daunting task would be given to the 2/5th Australian Independent Company, (similar to Commando units), and the New Guinea Volunteer Rifles, a force made up of, for the most part, Australian's who had been living and working in New Guinea at the outbreak of WW2.

Salamaua had a garrison of roughly 10,000. This operation was not going to be easy.

Read about this incredible raid in Brett Wright's book, Lines of Escape.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjg1XqHC9Ds

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