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Plate 7: Lieutenant Colonel McKinna (far left) briefs Brigadier Field(second left) and Major General W. Bridgeford (second right), GeneralOfficer Commanding 3rd Division, on the fighting at Slater’s Knoll, 6April 1945. The 25th Battalion’s experience of combat on Bougainvillewas one of high intensity, short duration action and heavy casualties.(Credit: Australian War Memorial Negative Number 090381)Plate 8: Japanese dead being buried in a mass grave after the failed attackon Slater’s Knoll, 6 April 1945. The fierce fighting resulting from the majorJapanese offensive in late March and early April tested all elements of the 7thBrigade. (Credit: Australian War Memorial Negative Number 090376)36 — A tale of three battalions
The brigadier visited a 61st company that afternoon but:this didn’t at all raise my hopes and I came to the conclusion that too much timewould be lost and nothing effective done with tired troops. Saw the GOC [Bridgeford]and reluctantly asked that steps be taken to relieve the Bde. He was very kind andsaid if anyone was going to worry it would only be myself. We could go out withflags flying.158A staff report put the matter more clinically. ‘After discussion with sub-unitcomds of 61 Inf Bn 9 and 10 Apr [Bde Comd] decided time required to revitalise61 Inf Bn NOT warranted as whole Div Ops being delayed’.159While the 25th Battalion’s relief was rapidly expedited, the relief of the brigade’sremaining battalions took considerably longer. The 61st remained tasked withrear area security, whilst the 9th Battalion was instructed to continue the advanceto the Hongorai River. The 9th was not fully relieved until 4 May, but it was notuntil 12 May, almost a week after Field’s order of the day, that the majority of 61stBattalion was back in Torokina.160 During this protracted period morale did notimprove. Matthews observed on 10 April that ‘Bill Fry having a lot of trouble with61 Bn. They have been ordered to takeover task of 25 Bn and most troops won’tbudge.’161 What difference Fry may have made was negated by his unexpectedpromotion to command another battalion in the division, something which Fieldtook ‘a poor view of … with the present situation in 61 Bn’.162 Ewen noted aroundthis time:We are well past the previous record established by the 15 Bde for contact with theNips in the SWPA. Their record was 70 days. We have been in now for 89 days, justthree weeks too long. The Bn is in a bad way as the men are all cracked up. Today 9from D Coy and three from B refused to go on patrol and I believe that A Coy patrols158 Field’s diary, 10 April 1945, AWM 3DRL6937, Item 7.159 ‘STA FF Staff Captain’s Report – Period April 1945’, Appendix 155 to 7 InfantryBrigade War Diary, April 1945, AWM 52, Item 8/2/7.160 ‘7 Aust Inf Bde Report on Operations 26 Oct 44 to 16 May 45’, p. 51, 7 Infantry BrigadeWar Diary, August 1945, Appendices, AWM 52, Item 8/2/7.161 Ewen’s diary 2, 24 April 1945, AWM PR89/190.162 Field’s diary, 11 April 1945, AWM 3DRL6937, Item 7. It was not until 30 May thatLieutenant Colonel T.J. Farrell arrived as the permanent CO. 61 Infantry BattalionWar Diary, 30 May 1945, April–May 1945, AWM 52, Item 8/3/96.A tale of three battalions — 37
Page 1 and 2: A tale of three battalions:combat m
Page 3 and 4: About the AuthorMajor Gavin Keating
Page 5 and 6: Land Warfare Studies CentreThe Aust
Page 7 and 8: ContentsAbout the Author ..........
Page 9 and 10: IntroductionTo those who have known
Page 11 and 12: limitations of military efficiency
Page 13 and 14: operations in the most expeditious
Page 15 and 16: II Australian Corps area of operati
Page 17 and 18: AIF. Only two of the battalion 2ICs
Page 19 and 20: Swank and Marchland’s study of Al
Page 21 and 22: for giving meaning to the efforts o
Page 23 and 24: Part One7th Brigade’s Campaign on
Page 25 and 26: attle experience’.81 Matthews lat
Page 27 and 28: Southern Sector—January to May 19
Page 29 and 30: 7th Brigade area of operations, sou
Page 31 and 32: a series of patrol clashes with sma
Page 33 and 34: his officers and men are saying ope
Page 35 and 36: ‘We have been in contact for seve
Page 37 and 38: BM says 61 Bn in bad state, troops
Page 39 and 40: to endeavour to open the LOC with t
Page 41 and 42: Plate 1: Brigadier J. Field, comman
Page 43: Plate 5: A jeep train, in support o
Page 47 and 48: Part TwoExplanations of Morale and
Page 49 and 50: Table 3: 7th Brigade Incidence of D
Page 51 and 52: It has been argued that Dexter’s
Page 53 and 54: Many adverse reports on officers we
Page 55 and 56: There was also irony in Field’s c
Page 57 and 58: That is 60 men they will never see
Page 59 and 60: just over a week after it commenced
Page 61 and 62: In many ways the 25th Battalion’s
Page 63 and 64: elieved that his instructions to th
Page 65 and 66: ‘A number of refusals to go on pa
Page 67 and 68: higher proportion of forceful leade
Page 69 and 70: ConclusionPrevious studies of the c
Page 71 and 72: and return to Torokina supports thi
Page 73 and 74: BibliographyUnpublished RecordsAust
Page 75 and 76: Denham, Peter, The Blue Diamonds: H
Page 77 and 78: Land Warfare Studies CentrePublicat
Page 79 and 80: 118 Blaxland, John, Information-era

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