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Southern Sector—January to May 1945The 29th Brigade began the main divisional push south in mid December. Itsoon ran into difficulties, however, with Field noting on 2 January that GeneralBridgeford had ‘told me of certain difficulties on the Jaba River sector andtasked me to visit that area with a view to the early relief of 29 Bde’. A week laterhe added:Activities on 29 Bde front do not seem to be making much forward progress…[Brigadier R.F.] Monaghan is edging south to Mawaraka in what looks like a ‘thin redstream’ strung out along the coast. I don’t like the way this is going and fear we shallbe involved in taking over a half baked plot from 29 Bde instead of getting away to aclean start in Phase 2.91Lieutenant General Savige later described the 29th Brigade’s advance as a‘disorderly confusion’ and criticised the tactical handling of the operations andthe general standard of training in the brigade.92 Field’s fears proved founded andBridgeford decided to ‘relieve 29 Bde from ops for further training and to putin 7 Bde to complete current tasks’.93 As Field noted, the 29th Brigade had notpenetrated far inland from the coast and this difficult task now became the focusof his operations.The 61st Battalion’s campaign in the south started significantly earlier than theremainder of the brigade. On 7 January it was placed under direct command ofthe 3rd Division and ordered to move to the vicinity of the Jaba River to providerear area security for the 29th Brigade. A week later Dexter received further ordersto assume the 2/8th Commando Squadron’s area of responsibility south of theJaba. On 18 January the battalion had its first contact on Bougainville, when apatrol encountered two enemy at a range of ten yards and killed one, sufferingone wounded. Thereafter patrol clashes were frequent; during the night of 23–24January a platoon base was probed by an estimated force of forty Japanese. By29 January these various contacts by the 61st Battalion’s patrols had killed twenty91 Field’s diary, 2 and 9 January 1945, AWM 3DRL6937, Item 7.92 Notes by Savige on Chapter 7 of Long’s draft of The Final Campaigns, p. 6, AWM3DRL2529, Item 128; letter from Savige to Sturdee, 21 January 1945, AWM 3DRL2529,Item 84. Brigadier Monaghan was subsequently sacked. Notes by Savige on Chapter 5of Long’s draft of The Final Campaigns, p. 3, AWM 3DRL2529, Item 128.93 Field’s diary, 16 January 1945, AWM 3DRL6937, Item 7.A tale of three battalions — 19