Battle of Wakde

Battle of Wakde
Part of World War II, Pacific War
American troops advancing on a coconut plantation
Date 17–21 May 1944; 80 years ago (1944-05-21) Location Wakde, Dutch New Guinea Result American victory Major staging point and air-base gained
Belligerents
United States  Australia (naval)	Japan
Commanders and leaders
Jens A. Doe	Hachiro Tagami
Strength
~1,500 men 4 Sherman tanks	~800 men
Casualties and losses
40 killed 107 wounded 2 tanks lost	759 killed 4 captured

The Battle of Wakde (Operation Straight Line) was part of the New Guinea campaign of World War II. It was fought between the United States and Japan from 17 May 1944 to 21 May 1944 in Dutch New Guinea (now Papua, in Indonesia). The operation involved an assault on the Japanese-held Wakde island group by a reinforced US infantry battalion, which was transported from a beachhead the Allied troops had established around Arara, on the mainland, the previous day. Following the capture of the island, fighting on the mainland continued until September as Allied troops advanced west towards Sarmi. In the aftermath, the island's airbase was expanded and used to support operations around Biak and in the Marianas.