Battle of the Treasury Islands

Battle of the Treasury Islands
Part of the Pacific Theatre of the Second World War
Landing ships under fire, Treasury Island (3rd NZ Division), 27 October 1943 painted by Russell Clark
Russell Clark's painting Landing ships under fire, Treasury Island (3rd NZ Division), 27 October 1943
Date27 October[1]–12 November 1943[2]
Location
Treasury Islands in the Solomon Islands
Result Allied strategic victory[3]
Belligerents
 New Zealand
 United States		  Japan
Commanders and leaders
Dominion of New Zealand Robert A. Row
United States George Fort		 Unknown
Strength
6,574 men[nb 1]
6 destroyers[1]
32 aircraft[1]		 231+ men[nb 2]
49 planes[5]
Casualties and losses
52 dead
174 wounded[nb 3]
1 destroyer damaged		 223 dead
8 POW[nb 4]
12 planes

The Battle of the Treasury Islands was a Second World War battle that took place between 27 October[1] and 12 November 1943[2] on the Treasury Islands group, part of the Solomon Islands. The battle formed part of the wider Pacific War and involved New Zealand and US forces fighting against Japanese troops. The majority of the ground forces were provided by the New Zealand 3rd Division.

The Allied invasion of the Japanese-held island group intended to secure Mono and Stirling Islands so that a radar station could be constructed on the former and the latter be used as a staging area for an assault on Bougainville. The attack on the Treasury Islands would serve the long term Allied strategy of isolating Bougainville and Rabaul and the elimination of the Japanese garrison in the area.

  1. ^ a b c d Gillespie, p. 149.
  2. ^ a b c d e Gillespie 1952, p. 158.
  3. ^ Chant 1986, p. 66.
  4. ^ Gillespie 1952, p. 145.
  5. ^ Gillespie 1952, p. 154.


Cite error: There are <ref group=nb> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=nb}} template (see the help page).