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The was a surrender by an Imperial Japanese Army battalion that occurred on 3 May 1945, near the end of the Pacific War. The battalion, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Masaharu Takenaga, surrendered to the Australian Army in eastern New Guinea. It was unusual in that the Japanese Army at the time was extremely reluctant to surrender. == Incident == From March to April, 1945, the 239th Infantry Regiment of the 41st Division, assigned to the Eighteenth Army of the Imperial Japanese Army, was engaged in hostilities with the Australian Army in eastern New Guinea. The Australians were pursuing them through the southern Torricelli Mountains, near Aitape, on the north coast. According to the records of the 41st Division, the 2nd Battalion, commanded by Takenaga and comprising around 50 soldiers, decided to head west, separating themselves from their regiment, who were retreating to the east.〔Military Archives 1975, p. 385.〕 However, according to notes made by a sergeant major in the battalion, the main force of the regiment retreated without giving them any notice, after which they thought that they had been abandoned and decided to fend for themselves.〔Satō 2003, p. 142.〕 In the middle of April (the 12th, according to a villager), around 45 of Takenaga's men raided Tau, a village of only a few houses, in order to find food. Villagers armed with throwing spears and hand grenades attacked the soldiers as they were searching, which caused them to retaliate. The villagers quickly retreated, but the soldiers and the villagers suffered two fatalities each. The Japanese soldiers left Tau the next morning, but remained in the area.〔Satō 2003, p. 143.〕〔Tanaka 1993, pp. 233–235.〕 The Australian Army learned of the presence of the Japanese troops through reports from police and villagers, and on 16 April they dispatched a platoon from the 2/5th Battalion, led by Lieutenant C. H. Miles, to deal with them.〔 On 24 April, Miles' platoon came into contact with Takenaga's battalion, and two Japanese soldiers were killed after the two sides exchanged fire.〔Hata & Takahashi 1998, p. 393.〕 Takenaga's troops managed to shake off pursuit by the Australians, but decided that they would surrender. They took a leaflet containing a notice of surrender that one of the soldiers had been carrying, added some conditions underneath in English, tied it to a pole for the Australians to find, and left the area. Scouts from Miles' platoon then found the leaflet and brought it back with them. On 2 May, the Australian platoon spotted Takenaga's unit near Womgrer village, and asked a native to help them make contact. Two truce bearers from the Japanese side came to the Australians to negotiate, and on the following day Takenaga's unit surrendered at Womgrer and were disarmed. At the time of surrender, Takenaga's unit consisted of 42 men: 5 officers (including Takenaga), 4 warrant officers, and 33 non-commissioned officers and soldiers. They were equipped with 5 light machine guns, 17 rifles, 5 pistols, and 750 rounds of ammunition.〔 The prisoners, escorted by Miles' platoon, marched for three days in an orderly fashion to Maprik Airport, and were then transported to Aitape. The other Japanese forces thought that Takenaga's unit had got lost, and attempted to search for them, but came to know of their surrender through propaganda posters distributed by the Australian Army.〔Hata & Takahashi 1998, p. 388.〕 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「Takenaga incident」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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