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New Guinea Force was a military command unit for Australian and native troops from the Territories of Papua and New Guinea serving in the New Guinea campaign during World War II. Formed in April 1942, when the Australian First Army was formed from the Australian I Corps after it returned from the Middle East, it was responsible for planning and directing all operations within the territory up until October 1944. General Headquarters Southwest Pacific Area Operational Instruction No.7 of 25 May 1942, issued by Commander-Allied-Forces, General Douglas MacArthur, placed all Australian and US Army, Air Force and Navy Forces in the Port Moresby Area under the control of New Guinea Force. Over the course of its existence, New Guinea Force was commanded by some of the Australian Army's most notable commanders, including Sydney Rowell, Sir Edmund Herring and Sir Leslie Morshead. Field Marshal (then General) Sir Thomas Blamey also commanded the force in 1942 while based in Port Moresby. ==History== At the outbreak of hostilities, Australia did not have forces in place for the defence of New Guinea and the New Hebrides, due to the League of Nations mandate under which the former German territories were administered. Small, mostly ad hoc units of lightly trained men were spread across the region. The Australian Government made the decision to move small units to strategic locations to assist the defence. This included elements of the 7th Division, consisting mainly of men from the 2/6th Field Company, on the transport ''Orcades'', who were sent to Java, and fought alongside Dutch forces there, but like most other minor garrisons were soon overwhelmed. Prior to the formation of New Guinea Force, in January 1942, the 30th Brigade was deployed to New Guinea arriving on the troopship RMS ''Aquitania'', with the 39th and 53rd Infantry Battalions, and took command of the 49th Infantry Battalion. Initially, all Australian forces in New Guinea had been part of the 8th Military District; however, in April 1942, an Army-wide reorganisation was undertaken which saw the establishment of a new command – New Guinea Force – with Major General Basil Morris in command. This force subsequently replaced the 8th Military District as the formation responsible for all Australian forces in the territories of Papua and New Guinea. In August 1942, HQ I Corps was transferred from Queensland to Port Moresby and on 15 August 1942 became known as Headquarters New Guinea Force (HQ NG Force). Corps troops and two brigades of 7th Division subsequently moved in. Upon arrival, the 21st Brigade, under Brigadier Arnold Potts, was dispatched to Port Moresby, from where they would help reinforce the 39th Battalion, which were fighting a rearguard action on the Kokoda Track. Around the same time, the 18th Brigade, under the command of Brigadier George Wootten, was sent to Milne Bay, to reinforce the 7th Brigade, which was defending the airfield at the eastern tip of Papua, supported by the Royal Australian Air Force and US engineers. The fighting which followed came to be known as the Battle of Milne Bay. Further formations from I Corps were rotated through the New Guinea theatre of operations under the command of New Guinea Force: * In April 1942, the 3rd Division had been assigned to the Australian I Corps, and in early 1943 the 3rd Division arrived in New Guinea, with the 15th Brigade being sent to Port Moresby and the 4th Brigade going to Milne Bay. * In August 1943, the 5th Division arrived in New Guinea with the 29th Brigade. The 4th Brigade of the 3rd Division was reassigned to the 5th Division and was later replaced within the division by the 29th Brigade. * From January to May 1944, the brigades of the 7th Division returned to Australia. * In August 1944, the 3rd Division's brigades were withdrawn back to Australia and assigned to the Australian II Corps. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「New Guinea Force」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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