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The Invasion of Lae-Salamaua, called ''Operation SR'' by the Japanese, was an operation by Imperial Japanese forces to occupy the Salamaua-Lae area in the Territory of New Guinea 8–13 March 1942 during the Pacific campaign of World War II. The Japanese invaded and occupied the location in order to construct an airfield and establish a base to cover and support the advance of Japanese forces into the eastern New Guinea and Coral Sea areas. The small Australian garrison in the area withdrew as the Japanese landed and did not contest the invasion. In response to the Japanese landings, a United States Navy aircraft carrier task force including the carriers and ''Lexington'' struck the invading Japanese naval forces with carrier aircraft on 10 March. Supporting the carrier aircraft were eight B-17 bombers of the 435th Bombardment Squadron of the 19th Bombardment Group from Garbutt Field, Townsville, Australia and eight Royal Australian Air Force Hudson bombers of No. 32 Squadron from Port Moresby, New Guinea. The raid sank three transports and damaged several other ships. In spite of the damage sustained during the air raid, Japanese forces successfully occupied Lae and Salamaua and began the construction of a base and airfield. Air units based at the airfield later supported an air superiority campaign against Allied forces at Port Moresby. In July 1942 after the Japanese abandoned plans to invade Port Moresby from the sea, the base at Lae-Salamaua supported the ultimately unsuccessful Japanese land offensive towards Port Moresby along the Kokoda Track. ==Invasion== To support the operation, the Imperial Japanese Navy assigned the heavy cruisers ''Aoba'', ''Kinugasa'', ''Furutaka'' and ''Kako'' of Rear Admiral Goto's Cruiser Division 6, the light cruisers ''Tenryu'' and ''Tatsuta'' of Rear Admiral Marumo Kuninori's Cruiser Division 18, the destroyers ''Mutsuki'', ''Mochizuki'' and ''Yoyoi'' of Destroyer Division 30, and ''Asanagi'', ''Oite'', ''Yūnagi'' of Destroyer Division 29, along with the light cruiser ' of Rear Admiral Kajioka Sadamichi's Destroyer Squadron 6, fueled by the fleet oiler ''Tōhō Maru''. The invasion fleet left Rabaul on 5 March 1942, escorted by the four heavy cruisers, two light cruisers, eight destroyers and assorted auxiliary vessels. The troop transports ''Yokohama Maru'' and ''China Maru'' sailed for Salamaua, while the transports ''Kongō Maru'' and ''Kokai Maru'', along with the auxiliary minelayer were destined for Lae. The Japanese landed on 8 March 1942 at Lae and Salamaua. At Lae, the Japanese landed without opposition. A small detachment of the New Guinea Volunteer Rifles and the staff of the R.A.A.F. radio station at Salamaua set about the demolition of key infrastructure elements and then withdrew into the hills towards Mubo. Initial air interdiction by Hudsons from No. 32 Squadron and four B-17's from Garbutt were ineffectual. 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「Invasion of Salamaua–Lae」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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