Maroubra Force

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Maroubra Force was the name given to the Australian infantry force that defended Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea from the Japanese during the Kokoda Track Campaign of the Pacific War, World War II. It was one of many units forming the body of New Guinea Force, the main Allied army formation in the South West Pacific Area during 1942.

From July, Maroubra Force successfully fought a month long delaying action through the debilitating terrain of the Owen Stanley Range, before being reinforced and finally driving off the Japanese just outside of Port Moresby. Maroubra Force was relieved by the 16th and 25th Brigades, which undertook the subsequent counter-offensive which drove the Japanese back to their beachheads at Buna, Gona and Sanananda on the Papuan north coast.

At the Battle of Buna-Gona in November 1942-January 1943, Maroubra Force in turn relieved the 18th and 25th Brigades besieging Gona, and successfully crushed the Japanese beachhead there.

Maroubra Force was commanded first by Brigadier Selwyn Porter (30th Brigade), then Lieutenant-Colonel Ralph Honner (39th (Militia) Battalion) and finally Brigadier Arnold Potts (21st Brigade). Brigadier Potts was later relieved of his command in controversial circumstances.

At its peak strength, Maroubra Force consisted of the 39th Battalion, the 53rd Battalion, and the 21st Brigade (2/14th Battalion, 2/16th Battalion and 2/27th Battalion). The 53rd Militia Battalion saw action briefly during the Battle of Isurava but was defeated and subsequently withdrew greatly demoralized, especially after the commanding officer and many senior officers of the 53rd were killed in action.

The Kokoda and Buna-Gona battles took a lethal toll on the soldiers of Maroubra Force. As an example, following both battles the 39th Battalion mustered barely 30 survivors (from a nominal strength of 600-800), the remainder either dead, missing, wounded, or in hospitals in Port Moresby and northern Australia suffering from disease and exhaustion.

Maroubra Force, Lt-Col. Honner, and Brigadier Potts were instrumental in the successful defence of Australia, and are sometimes cited as "the men who saved Australia", alongside the U.S. Admiral Frank J. Fletcher, whose actions at the Battle of the Coral Sea also staved off Japanese efforts to capture Port Moresby.

Note: The designation "2/_" refers to a battalion of the Second Australian Imperial Force, Australia's regular army units. The Militia (also known as the Australian Citizens Military Forces), were Australia's reserve units.