Papua New Guinea - The Great War
Australia’s first military action in Papua New Guinea in 1914 was dictated by two things. The first was the strategic requirement to seize German wireless stations and the second was time. These wireless units were critical to the effective operation of the German East Asiatic Squadron and any delay in capturing these assets increased the risk to British and Australian naval operations and shipping lanes in the Pacific Ocean.
The plan developed utilised a joint navy-army force, to be called the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (ANMEF) of about 2,000 men. It included six companies of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Reserve, an infantry battalion and two machine-gun sections, a signalling section; and medical support. The commander was a Boer War veteran, Colonel William Holmes, however preparations were complicated by the fact that at the same time the much larger First Australian Imperial Force (AIF) was also being assembled for service in France.
The ANMEF had no previous military experience however they were able to seize and destroy the strategic wireless station in German New Guinea to protect merchant shipping in the region. The battle of Bita Paka was fought in New Britain south of Kabakaul on 11 September 1914. Throughout the operations Australian forces were rarely opposed and the entire operation had little influence on the later history of PNG. Australia did suffer its first casualties of the Great War during this campaign.
In 1921 the League of Nations granted Papua New Guinea to Australia to administer as a mandated territory (that is administering it on behalf of the League). This would set the scene for the fighting against invading Japanese forces in 1942.
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