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The New Guinea Campaign: a New Perspective Through the Use of Oral Histories

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The New Guinea Campaign: a New Perspective Through the Use of Oral Histories McNair Scholars Journal Volume 9 | Issue 1 Article 4 2005 The ewN Guinea Campaign: A New Perspective Through the Use of Oral Histories Kelli Brockschmidt Grand Valley State University Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/mcnair Recommended Citation Brockschmidt, Kelli (2005) "The eN w Guinea Campaign: A New Perspective Through the Use of Oral Histories," McNair Scholars Journal: Vol. 9: Iss. 1, Article 4. Available at: http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/mcnair/vol9/iss1/4 Copyright © 2005 by the authors. McNair Scholars Journal is reproduced electronically by ScholarWorks@GVSU. http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/ mcnair?utm_source=scholarworks.gvsu.edu%2Fmcnair%2Fvol9%2Fiss1%2F4&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages The New Guinea Campaign: A New Perspective Through the Use of Oral Histories Abstract The New Guinea Campaign: Over the past two decades, historians have A New Perspective Through the Use begun using oral histories to reinterpret the of Oral Histories history of World War II. Earlier historians have relied heavily on official documents, As I was walking through the dense journalists’ accounts and the letters, diaries, jungle, I hiked through the kunai and memoirs of commanders and staff grass; it was razor sharp grass that officers, leaving out the experiences of grew from two to twelve feet high. the common soldier. Oral histories have I was leading men on a mission to provided more detailed, personal, and take a Japanese pillbox, and I saw a emotional accounts of WWII than the path that was cut through the kunai written records. My research combines the grass. I thought, “Why am I going oral histories of the 32nd Infantry Division, through this tall grass? I’ll go where the Red Arrow Division, with written I can see,” so I went down the path. sources in order to gain new perspectives Then all of a sudden it dawned and insight into the soldiers’ experiences in on me that this was a pre-cut fire WWII during the New Guinea campaign. lane and that a Japanese machine gun was training in on me from the other side. I instinctively dove Kelli Brockschmidt for the other side and as I did they McNair Scholar cut loose with their machine guns. A bullet hit me in my arm and leg and another ricocheted off the stock of my rifle that luckily lay across my chest. All I could think about was that I knew I was hit.1 This is an account from an oral history with Sergeant Robert Hartmen of the 126th Infantry Regiment in the 32nd Infantry Division. He is recalling the Battle of Buna, which began in November of 1942 and was part of the New Guinea Campaign, one of the longest and most grueling campaigns fought by United States ground forces in World War II. It began on September 20, 1942 and lasted until November 10, 1944.2 New Guinea’s location off the northern coast of Australia and its status as the second largest island in the world made it an ideal location for Japanese attack, and the hard-won Allied victory there helped to make the final victory possible.3 Despite its importance, the James Smither, Ph.D. New Guinea Campaign has become one Faculty Mentor of WWII’s forgotten episodes. The use 1 Robert Hartmen, oral history, Michigan Military History Institute (MMHI). 2 The 32nd Division Veteran Association, 32nd Infantry Division, The Red Arrow in World War II, http: //www.32nd-division.org/history/ww2/32ww2.html. 3 Harry A. Gailey, MacArthur Strikes Back: Decision at Buna, New Guinea 1942-1943 (Novato, CA: Presidio, 2000), 9. GVSU McNair Scholars Journal VOLUME 9, 2005 25 of oral histories makes it possible to do Infantry Regiment, the division had it they had. According to the majority of justice to the New Guinea campaign and twelve companies in it from across written histories, the men received little the efforts of the men who fought it. Michigan, from Coldwater to Grand general training and no jungle warfare Over the past two decades, historians Rapids and Grand Haven to Ionia.4 The training before being sent to New have begun to utilize oral histories to Red Arrow Division was reactivated in Guinea. An official Army commentary reinterpret the events of World War II. October 1940, and the men were sent to stated, The Veterans History Project (VHP), train at Camp Beauregard, Louisiana. In established in 2000 by the Library of February 1941, they were sent to Camp It was largely an army of amateurs Congress (LOC), has expanded these Livingston, Louisiana.5 The Red Arrow in which many officers were efforts by promoting the collection Division was one of the first National occupied chiefly in learning how to and preservation of the memories Guard units to be called up to active be officers, and the men were being of America’s wartime veterans. Oral federal service. As a National Guard trained with scant equipment, and histories provide personal details that unit, they were not required to serve without realization, on their part, are not found in written records. The outside of the western hemisphere or of the dead seriousness of the task oral histories of the 32nd Infantry for more than twelve months anywhere ahead.10 Division, more commonly known as else. It took a congressional bill to relax the Red Arrow Division, add a personal the restrictions and extend the service According to Harry Gailey, author perspective to aspects of the campaign dates of the Red Arrow Division. This of MacArthur Strikes Back Decision at that have been typically ignored or bill was passed in August 1941, by a Buna: New Guinea 1942-1943, the 32nd overlooked in the existing written slim one-vote margin.6 After the attack Division was unlucky to be selected to histories. These new details help to on Pearl Harbor, the United States began operate in New Guinea because none explain the course and outcome of the preparations to send troops overseas of their training prepared them for the campaign. Above all, the oral histories to fight. The Red Arrow Division was environment.11 The official division shed light on the soldiers’ training, their shipped to Fort Devens, Massachusetts history notes, “The 32d Division’s incessant struggles with the difficult to prepare for an early departure to composition as it began its field training terrain, their relationships with the Northern Ireland, but shortly after was basically the same as it had been Australian allies, and their sufferings arrival at Fort Devens, their orders during World War I.”12 from tropical diseases. They not only changed. Instead, the Red Arrow On the other hand, the oral histories add detail to existing accounts, but also Division was sent to California and on from the Red Arrow veterans who correct distortions and outright errors April 22, 1942, it set sail for Australia.7 served in the New Guinea Campaign in those accounts, making it possible to The division landed in Adelaide, South reveal that the soldiers did receive jungle produce a more complete and accurate Australia and was transported halfway warfare training once they arrived in picture of the campaign. across the continent to Camp Cable in Australia and New Guinea. Red Arrow The Red Arrow Division, which Brisbane for more training before it was veteran Wellington Francis Homminga fought in World War I and World ordered to New Guinea on September explains that the training was similar War II, originally began as a blended 13, 1942.8 The Red Arrow Division in both places, but the change in the National Guard unit with men from ended World War II with a total of 654 terrain made a significant impact on Michigan and Wisconsin. The Division days in combat, which rivaled any other their training. While in Brisbane, they had three regiments that fought during combat unit in America’s history.9 were training at Sandy Creek, and they the New Guinea Campaign: the 126th, There are discrepancies between the had general training with rifles, machine 127th, and 128th Infantry Regiments. written texts and Red Arrow veterans’ guns, grenades, terrain maneuvers, and According to an oral history with oral histories when examining whether jungle warfare. He explains that the jungle Sergeant Robert Hartmen of the 126th the men had training, and how much of warfare training increased once they 4 Robert Hartmen. 5 Public Relations Office, 32nd Infantry Division, 13,000 Hours, 4. 6 Major General H. W. Blakeley, The 32nd Infantry Division in World War II (Nashville: The Battery Press, 1957), 10-11. 7 Blakeley, 20. 8 Blakeley, 33. 9 Blakeley, inside cover. 10 Blakeley, 9. 11 Gailey, 102. 12 Blakeley, 10. 26 The New Guinea Campaign: A New Perspective Through the Use of Oral Histories arrived in Brisbane, Australia. There they I told Generals MacArthur and There are two main examples seen were sent out into the Blue Gum woods Sutherland, MacArthur’s Chief of Staff, in the descriptions of the jungle terrain with a series of compass readings, and that I thought the 32d Division was that lack detail, oversimplify, and do they had to find their way back. They not sufficiently trained to meet the not draw conclusions about how it used the compass to find a specific area or Japanese veterans on equal terms.14 affected the soldiers while in battle. person that was designated as their goal. First, written histories tend to generalize In his oral history, Homminga compares According to an oral history with Red the hardships of the terrain, glossing this training to the training the soldiers Arrow veteran Stephen Janicki, while over the effects it had on the soldiers’ received immediately after arriving in the soldiers were not fully trained for fighting conditions.
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