Battle of Kaiapit

Battle of Kaiapit
Part of the Markham and Ramu Valley – Finisterre Range campaign, World War II
A line of Dakotas on a grass airstrip. Men wearing slouch hats file off a plane. A jeep drives along the strip. Other men in uniform and civilians look on.
Australian soldiers from the 2/16th Battalion arriving at Kaiapit on 20 September after the area was captured by the 2/6th Independent Company
Date19–20 September 1943
Location
Kaiapit, Territory of New Guinea
06°16′00″S 146°14′52″E / 6.26667°S 146.24778°E / -6.26667; 146.24778 (Kaiapit airstrip)
Result Allied victory
Belligerents
  Imperial Japan
Commanders and leaders
Gordon King Tsuneo Yonekura †
Strength
226 500
Casualties and losses
  • 14 killed
  • 23 wounded
 >214 killed
Papua, New Guinea and the Solomon Islands

The Battle of Kaiapit was an action fought in 1943 between Australian and Japanese forces in New Guinea during the Markham and Ramu Valley – Finisterre Range campaign of World War II. Following the landings at Nadzab and at Lae, the Allies attempted to exploit their success with an advance into the upper Markham Valley, starting with Kaiapit. The Japanese intended to use Kaiapit to threaten the Allied position at Nadzab, and to create a diversion to allow the Japanese garrison at Lae time to escape.

The Australian 2/6th Independent Company flew in to the Markham Valley from Port Moresby in 13 USAAF C-47 Dakotas, making a difficult landing on a rough airstrip. Unaware that a much larger Japanese force was also headed for Kaiapit, the company attacked the village on 19 September to secure the area so that it could be developed into an airfield. The company then held it against a strong counter-attack. During two days of fighting the Australians defeated a larger Japanese force while suffering relatively few losses.

The Australian victory at Kaiapit enabled the Australian 7th Division to be flown in to the upper Markham Valley. It accomplished the 7th Division's primary mission, for the Japanese could no longer threaten Lae or Nadzab, where a major airbase was being developed. The victory also led to the capture of the entire Ramu Valley, which provided new forward fighter airstrips for the air war against the Japanese.