Battle of Slater's Knoll

Part of the Pacific theatre of the Second World War

The view forward from Australian positions on Slater's Knoll, Bougainville, 5 April 1945

Date	28 March – 6 April 1945
Location	Bougainville, New Guinea
Result	Decisive Australian victory

Belligerents

Australia

Empire of Japan

Commanders and leaders

John Field
John McKinna

Masatane Kanda
Tsutomu Akinaga

Units involved

7th Brigade

6th Division

Strength

1 brigade

1 division

Casualties and losses

189 killed and wounded

620 killed
1,000 wounded
4 captured

The Battle of Slater's Knoll (28 March – 6 April 1945) was a battle during the Second World War fought between Australian and Japanese forces on Bougainville Island. Part of the Bougainville campaign, the battle occurred as a force of about 3,300 Japanese from the Japanese 6th Division supported by a sizeable concentration of artillery launched a counterattack against the main Australian offensive which had been pushing south towards Buin, concentrating their attacks on Slater's Knoll near the Puriata River. The Australian troops belonged to the 7th Brigade, with the 25th Infantry Battalion being the most heavily engaged, although the 9th Infantry Battalion and the 61st Infantry Battalion also took part in the fighting.

Against Japanese tactics that included massed attacks, the Australians utilised armour and artillery, and in the end these proved telling. Commencing in late March, after the Australian advance had been halted by wet weather, over the course of several days the Japanese launched several probing raids following by heavy attacks against the Australians The final assault on the knoll came on the night of 4/5 April when 129 men from 'B' Company, 25th Infantry Battalion repulsed an attack by a force of about 1,100 Japanese, killing 292. This proved to be the 7th Brigade's final involvement in the campaign as they were relieved by the 15th Brigade shortly afterwards. Overall, 620 Japanese were killed in the battle with another 1,000 estimated to have been wounded, while the Australians suffered 189 casualties.

At the beginning of 1945, the south-eastern part of Bougainville was occupied by the Japanese 6th Division, under the command of Lieutenant General Tsutomu Akinaga. Made up of the 13th and 23rd Infantry Regiments—600 and 700-strong respectively—as well as the 6th Field Artillery Regiment, the 6th Engineer Regiment, the 6th Transport Regiment and the 4th Field Heavy Artillery Regiment, Akinaga's division consisted of 3,300 men.

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