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Part One7th Brigade’s Campaign on BougainvilleCentral Sector—November 1944 to January 1945Matthews’ 9th Battalion was the first Australian force on Bougainville to becommitted to action. It relieved US forces in the central sector between 23 and26 November 1944. The battalion’s war diary noted that ‘9 Bn has been allottedthe priority to “go in” first, although a lot is expected of this Bn it will not befor the want of keenness on the part of the officers and men to give a goodaccount of themselves’.72 After initial reconnaissance Matthews was directed tofocus his efforts on capturing Pearl Ridge, a position on the crest of the centalmountain range on the island, which provided observation on the east coast. Aplatoon from D Coy successfully attacked the Little George feature, a preliminaryobjective, on 29 November, suffering two killed and six wounded.73 Fieldvisited the company the following day and noted ‘tails up’ with ‘plenty of cheerfulgrins everywhere’.74 The battalion’s weekly report recorded that ‘The effect of therecent action by D company has raised the morale of the unit to a high pitch’.75As a result of the enemy’s reaction to Little George’s capture, Matthews became72 9 Infantry Battalion War Diary, 22 November 1944, November 1944, AWM 52, Item8/3/46.73 ‘Attack and Counter Attack on Little George Hill – 29 Nov 44’, Appendix C to ‘9 AustInf Bn Report on Operations Piaterapaia-Sisivie Areas, 23 Nov 44 – 21 Dec 44’,9 Infantry Battalion War Diary, December 1944, AWM 52, Item 8/3/46.74 Field’s diary, 30 November 1944, AWM 3DRL6937, Item 6.75 ‘Report on Ops From Commencement of Relief of 2 Bn 132 US Inf Regt on 23 Nov1944 to 2400 Hrs 1 Dec 44’, 2 December 1944, 9 Infantry Battalion War DiaryOctober–November 1944, AWM 52, Item 8/3/46.A tale of three battalions — 15