The men at the front … were perhaps among the most wretched-looking soldiers ever to wear the American uniform. They were gaunt and thin, with deep black circles under their sunken eyes. They were covered in tropical sores…. There was hardly a soldier, among the thousands who went into the jungle, who didn’t come down with some kind of fever at least once.
A Buna veteran describing his US counterparts, quoted by Jon Diamond in his article, 'The Buna Front: A Ghastly Nightmare'. Read his account.
The Allied advance on the Papuan coastal village of Buna began on 19 November 1942 with an attack by US forces. They encountered an enemy with well-defended and camouflaged positions, armed with machine guns and mortars. The Allies had underestimated the strength of the Japanese force, and the attack faltered. The US forces suffered heavy casualties.
The Australian 16th and 25th Brigades had been delayed, and were unable to reach the front before US forces began their attack.
Meanwhile, tropical diseases such as malaria ripped through the ranks and many were evacuated sick. Illness was so rife that Allied commanders pondered which was a worse enemy—the Japanese or the mosquitoes.
Find out how US forces captured Buna.
Gallery
Gallery for `US forces attack Buna`
Photo: United States servicemen at Biamu village
Photo: US forces arriving ahead of the advance on Buna
Photo: Japanese dead on the beach at Buna mission
Photo: American troops embarking on luggers during preliminary Allied movement at the Beachheads
Photo: Two American soldiers dress the wounds of an Australian during the advance on Buna
