The U.S. Marines shown in this colorized photograph from 1944 are scouting the jungle for signs of the Japanese on the island of Emirau. Fortunately, they discovered that the Japanese had not occupied this tiny island in the St. Matthias island group near Papua New Guinea.
Marines scouting the dense jungles of Emirau. (flickr.com colorized by Julius Jaaskelainen Image)
The Marines occupied Emirau and built an airbase there, as well as a base for their PT boats as part of General MacArthur’s plan to encircle the Japanese base at Rabaul. The landing on Emirau marked that final step in MacArthur’s plans to defeat the Japanese in the Pacific Theatre.
MacArthur’s Strategy
General Douglas MacArthur. (think.iafor.org)
The invasion of Emirau, which occurred on March 20, 1944, was part of General MacArthur’s plan to defeat the Japanese military and destroy their bases at Rabual, on New Britain Island and Kavieng on New Ireland Island. Before he could launch attacks on these bases, however, MacArthur needed some infrastructure in place. He needed a base from which to launch his PT boats and bombers, but he needed to be strategic about it.
Operation Cartwheel
Troops engaged in Operation Cartwheel. (historycollection.com)
MacArthur’s plan, dubbed Operation Cartwheel, involved a joint effort from the Allied forces to halt the Japanese in the Pacific Theatre. The plan was to form a figurative noose around the Japanese bases. To do this, MacArthur’s forces occupied the northeast coast of New Guinea, as well as points in the Solomon Islands and various other Pacific Islands. The plan was to circle the Japanese bases of Rabual and Kavieng so that the Allied troops could attack the Japanese from all sides.
An Ideal Island
The base at Emirau. (en.wikipedia.org)
Located at the southernmost point of the St. Matthias Islands, Emirau is only about eight miles long and two miles wide. It does, however, have a few key features. First, there is a small harbor on the northwest side called Hamburg Bay. Second, there is a large plateau in the interior of the island that offers a vantage point of the surrounding seas. Like all the islands in the region, it was covered with dense jungles and experienced heavy rains, high humidity, and soaring temperatures.
No Resistance
Emirau Island was a key Allied base. (history.navy.mil)
When the 4th Marine Division stormed the island of Emirau on March 20, 1944, they encountered no resistance. Only about 300 native islanders called the island home and they did not try to defend their island. A thorough survey of the island confirmed that the Japanese had not occupied it. The island was ideal for MacArthur’s plan of using it for a military base.
Building a Base
The native islanders even pitched in help build the base. (pinterest.com)
The marines quickly started work on building a base on Emirau. By May, the first airfield on the island was complete. A second one soon followed. Emirau housed bombers that were earmarked to attack Kavieng, as well as more distant targets. The harbor was ideally suited for PT boats as well, that would also be used for the offensive.
The Japanese navy was decimated by the Allied bombings of Rabaul. (warfarehistorynetwork.com)
Throughout the Fall of 1943, the Allied forces bombed the Japanese bases at Rabaul and Kavieng, engaging the Japanese in a series of battles and skirmishes. By December, the Allies were exacting a toll on the Japanese. In an effort to keep Rabual from falling, the Japanese sent hundreds of airplanes to Rabual. This effort did not boost the Japanese offensive as expected. In reality, it just put valuable Japanese resources in harm’s way. As many as 300 enemy carrier planes were destroyed in the bombings and more than 100 experienced Japanese pilots were killed. Severely defeated, the stage was set for a swift defeat of the Japanese in the Pacific Theatre in the spring of 1944. The base at Emirau, and members of the U.S. Marines, like the men shown in this colorized photograph, helped to weaken the Japanese and their hold on the Pacific.
The photo at the top of this post was colorized by Julius Jääskeläinen, a Swedish digital creator whose work you can see on his Flickr page. He is also part of the World War Era project.
