New Guinea Force
| New Guinea Force | |
|---|---|
An Australian soldier, Private George "Dick" Whittington, is aided by Papuan orderly Raphael Oimbari, near Buna on 25 December 1942.
|
|
| Active | 1942–44 |
| Country |
 Australia
|
| Allegiance | Australia / Allied Forces |
| Branch | Australian Army |
| Type | Corps |
| Role | I Corps |
| Part of | First Australian Army |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Sir Thomas Blamey Sir Leslie Morshead Sir Edmund Herring |
New Guinea Force was a military command unit for Australian and native troops from the Territories of Papua and New Guinea serving in the New Guinea campaign during World War II. Formed in April 1942, when the Australian First Army was formed from the Australian I Corps after it returned from the Middle East, it was responsible for planning and directing all operations within the territory up until October 1944. General Headquarters Southwest Pacific Area Operational Instruction No.7 of 25 May 1942, issued by Commander-Allied-Forces, General Douglas MacArthur, placed all Australian and US Army, Air Force and Navy Forces in the Port Moresby Area under the control of New Guinea Force. Over the course of its existence, New Guinea Force was commanded by some of the Australian Army's most notable commanders, including Sydney Rowell, Sir Edmund Herring and Sir Leslie Morshead.
Field Marshal (then General) Sir Thomas Blamey also commanded the force in 1942 while based in Port Moresby.
At the outbreak of hostilities, Australia did not have forces in place for the defence of New Guinea and the New Hebrides, due to the League of Nations mandate under which the former German territories were administered. Small, mostly ad hoc units of lightly trained men were spread across the region. The Australian Government made the decision to move small units to strategic locations to assist the defence. This included elements of the 7th Division, consisting mainly of men from the 2/6th Field Company, on the transport Orcades, who were sent to Java, and fought alongside Dutch forces there, but like most other minor garrisons were soon overwhelmed.
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