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Japanese.94 Brigadier Field saw Dexter on 26 January and ‘visited 61 Bn localitieson Jaba River road – some excellent work done by pioneers on bridging. Troopsand Dexter in very good form’.95 Two days later, however, the battalion had itssecond refusal during the campaign. When ordered to proceed to a forwardposition, a soldier told his platoon sergeant ‘I have been dodging this day for fouryears and I’m not going to be in it now’.96 He was sentenced to eighty-nine daysfield punishment and loss of pay.Meanwhile, on 23 January, the 9th and 25th Battalions began the relief ofthe 29th Brigade’s units on the coast, south of the Jaba River, and 7th Brigadeassumed command of the southern sector. Bridgeford’s orders to the brigade wereto clear the enemy from south of the Jaba River to the Puriata River. On 26 JanuaryField issued his orders for the first phase of this mission. Dexter’s battalion wasinstructed to clear the inland axis of advance, around Kupon, Mosina and Sisiruaiand cooperate with the 9th Battalion’s advance from Mawaraka along the trackinland to capture Mosigetta. The 25th Battalion was given patrol responsibilitiesalong the Tavera River and tasked with controlling the Gazelle Peninsula and thecoastline to the Puriata River, although it was restricted to employing only onecompany for this latter purpose.97 Field’s diary made it clear that he appreciatedthe difficulties that his troops would face.The country is full of difficulties with so many creeks and river mouths and treacherousswamps. The firm ground is barely more than 100 yards wide all along Empress AugustaBay to Mawaraka and inland patrolling is consequently very hard and slow.9894 61 Infantry Battalion War Diary, 18, 24 and 29 January 1945, January 1945, AWM 52,Item 8/3/96.95 Field’s diary, 26 January 1945, AWM 3DRL6937, Item 7.96 61 Battalion Routine Orders, 28 February 1945, Appendix A to 61 Infantry BattalionWar Diary, February–March 1945, AWM 52, Item 8/3/96. The first refusal occurredon 28 December 1944, but the offender was only fined five pounds. 61 BattalionRoutine Orders, 23 January 1945, 61 Infantry Battalion War Diary, January 1945,AWM 52, Item 8/3/96.97 ‘7 Aust Inf Bde OO No, 8’, 26 January 1945, Appendix B to ‘7 Aust Inf Bde Reporton Operations 26 Oct 44 to 16 May 45’, 7 Infantry Brigade War Diary, August 1945,Appendices, AWM 52, Item 8/2/7.98 Field’s diary, 18 January 1945, AWM 3DRL6937, Item 7.20 — A tale of three battalions
7th Brigade area of operations, south Bougainville, January-May 1945.Source: Long, The Final Campaigns, p.144. Courtesy of the Australian War Memorial.A tale of three battalions — 21
Page 1 and 2: A tale of three battalions:combat m
Page 3 and 4: About the AuthorMajor Gavin Keating
Page 5 and 6: Land Warfare Studies CentreThe Aust
Page 7 and 8: ContentsAbout the Author ..........
Page 9 and 10: IntroductionTo those who have known
Page 11 and 12: limitations of military efficiency
Page 13 and 14: operations in the most expeditious
Page 15 and 16: II Australian Corps area of operati
Page 17 and 18: AIF. Only two of the battalion 2ICs
Page 19 and 20: Swank and Marchland’s study of Al
Page 21 and 22: for giving meaning to the efforts o
Page 23 and 24: Part One7th Brigade’s Campaign on
Page 25 and 26: attle experience’.81 Matthews lat
Page 27: Southern Sector—January to May 19
Page 31 and 32: a series of patrol clashes with sma
Page 33 and 34: his officers and men are saying ope
Page 35 and 36: ‘We have been in contact for seve
Page 37 and 38: BM says 61 Bn in bad state, troops
Page 39 and 40: to endeavour to open the LOC with t
Page 41 and 42: Plate 1: Brigadier J. Field, comman
Page 43 and 44: Plate 5: A jeep train, in support o
Page 45 and 46: The brigadier visited a 61st compan
Page 47 and 48: Part TwoExplanations of Morale and
Page 49 and 50: Table 3: 7th Brigade Incidence of D
Page 51 and 52: It has been argued that Dexter’s
Page 53 and 54: Many adverse reports on officers we
Page 55 and 56: There was also irony in Field’s c
Page 57 and 58: That is 60 men they will never see
Page 59 and 60: just over a week after it commenced
Page 61 and 62: In many ways the 25th Battalion’s
Page 63 and 64: elieved that his instructions to th
Page 65 and 66: ‘A number of refusals to go on pa
Page 67 and 68: higher proportion of forceful leade
Page 69 and 70: ConclusionPrevious studies of the c
Page 71 and 72: and return to Torokina supports thi
Page 73 and 74: BibliographyUnpublished RecordsAust
Page 75 and 76: Denham, Peter, The Blue Diamonds: H
Page 77 and 78: Land Warfare Studies CentrePublicat
Page 79 and 80:
118 Blaxland, John, Information-era
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