January-February - Air Defense Artillery

1946 :\IRBOR~E AAA I~ NEW GlII~EA
Practice-loading a searchlight in New Guinea.
the heavens opened up, and in just a few minutes we were
standing in the middle of a streaming sheet of water which
turned the entire area into a sea of mud and confusion.
Anything not tied down floated away, either off into the
jungle or into the sea.
There were no cots. The pup tents were sodden masses
of canvas that could not be used. The only shelter available
was a native hut hidden back in the underbrush, which
we took over. The men had spent a punishing few hours
the night before trying to keep from being swept away,
and would unless properly housed present a health problem,
for their clothes were soaked and their equipment
dripping, and they were most unhappy. \Ve managed to
sleep some eighty men in this native house, by sleeping
side by side, and not breathing too deeply. If anyone on
the edge "rolled out of bed," he rolled off the pla~form and
down into damp ground, a distance of six feet! \t\1e had no
messequipment, no large stoves, and very little with which
to make conditions livable. However, we had an adequate
supply of "c" rations, and each squad had a small emergency
stove which served to take the chill off the canned
rations. Tired, wet and depressed at our first experience
with Milne Bay, we finally slept.
The following day, we found an Engineer company,
whichwas building the first air strip we were later to defend
against the Japs, and they fed us for a week until additional
supplies arrived by boat and aircraft. It was a rough few
days, however, since they did not have too many rations
themselves-but they fed us and made us comfortable, with
thathospitable camaraderie one finds among troops who are
far from civilization and living under difficult conditions.
MajorGeneral Cloves, of the Australian Army, was in command
at Milne Bay, and we were theoretically under his
COntrol, though actually we were operating individual units,
making ourselves useful when and where we could.
The balancL of the battery came in the next day, in two
7's and one B-24. The B-24 came in for a landing with
its wheels up, but no one was hurt and the equipment.
though tossed about, was all in good shape when it was
unloaded. A few days after the equipment had been removed
from the B-24, a hedge-hopping Jap Zero swept in,
strafed the field, and set the B-24 afire and was gone before
the Aussie Ack-Ack outfit defending the field could get in
a damaging burst. Life moved quickly in New Guinea in
those davs!
In th~ meantime another plane had been dispatched from
Townsville, with cots, to get the men off the wet and soddeo
ground and in some comfortable place with the tents
to cover them and a few stoves The plane arrived without
incident, and was very welcome indeed. Life became more
comfortable, though the rain continued unabated. Guns,
equipment, ammunition, men, food-everything we had
with us-stayed damp and mouldy.
One afternoon about 1500, the Australians warned us
that the Japs were to land near by ea few miles up the
coast), and that action would be forthcoming at any hour.
Since that information came via the grapevine, we took it
with doubtful misgivings, but prepared ourselves for any
eventualities, nevertheless. Emergency rations and extra
ammunition were distributed. \Ve had seventy men armed
with tommy guns, the weapon so dear to the jungle fighter's
heart,. and five officers also carried these deadly little submachine
guns. In addition, of course, we had our .50-caliber
antiaircraft guns, which are effective weapons in close combat,
as we were soon to see.
Our security detachments were posted, and we awaited
further information as to how soon the Japs were expected,
and from what direction we might expect attack on the air
strip which we were defending. Our twelve .50 machine
guns were in perfect condition; we were ready for anything
that might come our way-and we expected that we
were in for a rough time since we had so few men. Repulsing
a Jap landing party was not a pleasant prospect for
green troo s who had vet to see their nrst real action.