Invasion of Lae-Salamaua

Part of the Pacific Theater of World War II

TBD Devastator aircraft from USS Yorktown prepare to attack Japanese shipping in the Huon Gulf on 10 March 1942. Below the aircraft two Japanese ships are making smoke in an attempt to conceal themselves from the impending air attack.

Date	8–13 March 1942
Location	Salamaua-Lae area, Morobe Province, Territory of New Guinea
Result	Japanese forces successfully occupied Salamaua-Lae

Belligerents

Australia

United States

Japan

Commanders and leaders

Wilson Brown

Shigeyoshi Inoue

Strength

2 aircraft carrier
104 aircraft

4 heavy cruiser
2 light cruiser
8 destroyers
1 minesweeper
1 minelayer
4 transport ships

Casualties and losses

1 aircraft destroyed
2 aircraft damage
2 killed

3 transport ships sunk
1 minesweeper sunk
1 light cruiser
2 destroyers
1 minelayer
1 seaplane tender
1 transport damaged
130 killed

The Invasion of Lae-Salamaua, called Operation SR by the Japanese, was an operation by Imperial Japanese forces to occupy the Salamaua-Lae area in the Territory of New Guinea 8–13 March 1942 during the Pacific campaign of World War II. The Japanese invaded and occupied the location in order to construct an airfield and establish a base to cover and support the advance of Japanese forces into the eastern New Guinea and Coral Sea areas. The small Australian garrison in the area withdrew as the Japanese landed and did not contest the invasion.

In response to the Japanese landings, a United States Navy aircraft carrier task force including the carriers Yorktown and Lexington struck the invading Japanese naval forces with carrier aircraft on 10 March. Supporting the carrier aircraft were eight B-17 bombers of the 435th Bombardment Squadron of the 19th Bombardment Group from Garbutt Field, Townsville, Australia and eight Royal Australian Air Force Hudson bombers of No. 32 Squadron from Port Moresby, New Guinea. The raid sank three transports and damaged several other ships.

In spite of the damage sustained during the air raid, Japanese forces successfully occupied Lae and Salamaua and began the construction of a base and airfield. Air units based at the airfield later supported an air superiority campaign against Allied forces at Port Moresby. In July 1942 after the Japanese abandoned plans to invade Port Moresby from the sea, the base at Lae-Salamaua supported the ultimately unsuccessful Japanese land offensive towards Port Moresby along the Kokoda Track.

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Wikipedia