CHAPTER 1 4 MAPRIK AND WEWAK TAKE N IX weeks had passed since the 17th Brigade had been given the tas k S of taking Maprik. After the hard fighting of February and Marc h against a resolute enemy determined to exact a price for every Australian move into their food-producing country the time had come for the fina l thrust. On 3rd April Brigadier Moten issued new instructions to his tw o forward battalions . These allotted the 2/7th Battalion the task of capturin g Maprik and the line of the Screw River from the Agricultural Station north to a point about three miles upstream in a direct line, and of securing the high ground overlooking Maprik landing ground . Hayforce was to operate on the right of this battalion and make an airstrip abl e to accommodate Douglas transports . As early as January, first Lieut- Colonel Parbury of the 2/7th and then Moten and Wing Commander Hall' of No. 8 Squadron had flown over Maprik in search of a site for an airfield and had chosen an area of kunai about eight miles south of Maprik o n the Government track leading to the Sepik—the Maprik-Marui road. On the left of the brigade the 2/6th Battalion was to advance to the Scre w River and prevent the enemy from moving north from Maprik. In the early operations in the mountain area there had not been enoug h indentured labourers to meet all needs, and from time to time local "casual labourers" were recruited by Angau. Eventually 950 indentured labourers were allotted to the 17th Brigade . Normally 350 were allocated to a bat- talion, of whom 218 were in a battalion pool and 33 were allotted to each company permanently, and normally an additional 30 added when th e company was on the move . Meanwhile patrols had been pressing on from village to village . On 28th March, for example, Sergeant J . W. Hedderman, of the 2/6th, a notable leader in these as in earlier operations, had led a reconnaissanc e to Kulkuil and Gwanginan . Next day he led a fighting patrol which too k Kulkuil with a carefully-planned surprise attack . On the 30th Lieutenant Errey's2 platoon (16), with Hedderman as platoon sergeant, attacked Gwanginan . Hedderman confused the enemy by shouting to imaginary platoons to right and left (thus incidentally drawing fire on himself) ; and when the leading section was halted he brought down supporting fire an d enabled it to move again . A man was wounded within 10 yards of th e enemy's pits ; Hedderman went forward, killed two Japanese with grenades, and dragged his comrade to safety. The enemy were 25 to 30 strong and the attack failed despite these gallant efforts . Hedderman covered th e withdrawal, firing until all others had gone. W Cdr O. B . Hall, DFC, AFC. 6 Sqn ; Comd Special Transport Flight 1942, 34 Sqn 1943, 8 Sqn 1945 . Commercial pilot ; of Bellevue Hill, NSW ; b. 18 Jun 1908 . 'Lt I. G. Errey, VX88613 ; 2/6 Bn . Schoolteacher ; of Lilydale, Vic ; b . Warburton, Vic, 20 Jan 192I . Killed in action 7 Apr 1945 . Mar-Apr HAYFIELD SECURED 331 On 30th March a patrol found Mairoka clear of the enemy and on 4t h April Lieutenant Gordon's 3 platoon established a patrol base there. On the 7th Errey' s platoon attacked a village to the east of the Milak villages but without success, Lieutenant Errey being killed, and Sergeant Layfield 4 wounded. Chicanambu was occupied on the 9th . Bungara _~ yy .Maurak Chicanamou'' Il / .Abungai ma y .• , Wilgolman Maprik 1 E. .. ~~ River .3 8 J1 2 ' Kurn b ~ 'P %► . Maprik 2 mungua• / y rr Kalabu 217 Bn >-c' Ulebil u Qotc!t~J~ N,Palketia Yuman 1 ~jBainylk ~~' ; ♦ --r- *Malabasakum I gUlupu Agricul[u~~~ k I~ Station ~yl ,~I /2 : Waigaku m 17th Brigade advance through Maprik, April-May On the right Hayforce found Wora too strongly held on the 10th, bu t both it and a near-by village were empty on the 12th, the Japanes e evidently having withdrawn north to Bainyik . Major Hay had thus secured the site of the proposed airstrip . It was estimated that it could be made usable in 11 days. The Pioneers of the 2/7th Battalion under Lieutenant Edwards,5 with the help of about 200 enthusiastic natives, formed the strip , which was named Hayfield . Inevitably their only implements were hand 6 Lt-Col W. J . S . Gordon, NX138183 . 2/4 Armd Regt and 2/6 Bn. Regular soldier ; b. Paddington , NSW, 13 Jan 1924 . , Lt C . R. Layfield, VX3832; 2/6 Bn. Clerk; of Prahran, Vic ; b. Hawksburn, Vic, 5 Aug 1921 . 6 Lt A. D . Edwards, MBE, VX5552 ; 2/7 Bn . Builder ; of Warrandyte, Vic ; b . Warrandyte, 4 Oct 1913 . 332 MAPRIK AND WEWAK TAKEN 12-19 Apr tools, with improvised graders and rollers made from bush timber an d dragged by the native workers . Meanwhile the 2/7th Battalion in the centre, pressing on, found that the enemy were well prepared to defend Maprik. The dominating groun d was a long steep ridge running generally north and south through th e Maprik villages and 1,000 yards west of the landing ground, and th e Japanese closely guarded all approaches . Thus on 12th April a patrol to a point overlooking Maprik was ambushed and three Australians and a native were killed . On the 14th a patrol advancing from Wilgolma n encountered a strong position with covered pits guarding a junction of thre e tracks; mortar fire failed to dislodge the enemy . In preparation for the final attack brigade headquarters was move d to Abungai, that of the 2/6th to Kulkuil and that of the 2/7th to a poin t near Gualigem. On 15th April two companies of the 2/6th (Captai n B . J. French' s and Major A . G. S. Edgar ' s) began to drive eastward t o the Screw River. The enemy was bombarded from the air and with mortar s and machine-guns, but resisted strongly from well-dug positions .° On 17th April there were three clashes in the 2/6th ' s area ; in one of them Lieutenant Jamieson 7 and 12 others found an enemy group dug in at Wambak and killed probably ten . On the 18th there were fou r clashes; in the Kombichagi area Lieutenant Gordon and 12 men found th e enemy dug in; one Australian, Corporal Taylor, $ was killed in the ensuin g fight. On the 19th there were two patrol clashes; and a patrol entered Bungara, hitherto strongly held, without opposition . Parbury had issued his orders for the capture of Maprik on 12th April. In the first phase Captain Pearson's company of the 2/7th was to tak e a long kunai-covered spur to the north-east of Maprik 2 ; and next da y Captain Baird' s advancing from the north-west was to take Maprik 1 . Each of these companies had 140 natives under command . Captain Arnold's company was to press on Bainyik, and the fourth company was in reserve . Pearson ' s company advanced on 15th April to the line of Nimrod Creek where they encountered heavily-defended and camouflaged pill-boxe s astride the spur up which they intended to approach the kunai ridge . The advance was halted here, but the enemy's positions were closely examined , and next day the company pressed on from the north-west . Soon after the move began the leading platoon saw a Japanese manning a light machine - gun on a spur overlooking them . This position was fired on with the mortars and by 11 .30 a.m. the platoon was at the kunai patch without having been fired on. Three hours later the whole company was on th e kunai ridge . Patrols killed two Japanese in the area . A boy-line arrived in the afternoon. Heavy rain fell causing an intervening stream to rise unti l ° In this bush fighting the number of accidental injuries was becoming most disturbing . Fo r example, in the 2/6th Battalion on 15th and 16th April : Lieutenant V . N . Maloney, a veteran , was wounded by the accidental discharge of an Owen gun ; a private was wounded by a booby- trap in his own company area ; and two privates were wounded by a premature explosion of a mortar bomb . In the same period, in action against the enemy, one man was killed and anothe r fatally wounded on patrol, and an officer was wounded . 7 Lt-Col W. D . Jamieson, VX146394 ; 2/6 Bn . Regular soldier ; b . St . Kilda, Vic, 16 Feb 1924 . s Cpl A . C . Taylor, NX101509 ; 2/6 Bn . Truck driver ; b. Randwick, NSW, 27 Apr 1920 . Kille d in action 18 Apr 1945. (Australian War 39envorial) (, ; ustrali(n War It!tiutrial ) Stretcher bearers of the 2/2nd Battalion clambering up the 141 0 Native carriers climbing into the mountains south of Feature south of Dagua on the way to the forward company , Dagua with supplies for the forward troops of the 16t h 27th March 1945 . Brigade, 4th April 1945 . (Australian War dtentoriul ) A carrier line, with an infantry escort, taking supplies to the 2/3rd Battalion in the Wonginara Mission area, 4th April 1945 . ^t - (Australian War Atetorial ) Major-General J . E. S . Stevens (G .O .C . 6th Division) and Lieut-Colonel J . A . Bisho p (temporarily commanding the 19th Brigade) with the 2/8th Battalion on Moun t Shiburangu . 29th June 1945 . 17-21 Apr ON THE HOUSE TAMBORAN FEATURE 333 it became a raging torrent, and as the carriers were returning one of their escort was swept away and drowned.