Penny – Battle of Milne Bay
$6.00
Description
Measures 3cm diameter.
The battle for the Allied airbase at Milne Bay on the southeastern tip of New Guinea in 1942 was a milestone in the War in the Pacific. For the first time an amphibious invasion force of the seemingly unstoppable Japanese military was beaten. Between 25th October and 7th November two RAAF P-40 Kittyhawk fighter bomber squadrons and two Australian infantry brigades, along with American engineers constructing the base, beat back almost 3,000 Imperial Japanese Navy marines and their light tank support. More than half of the invasion force was killed in the action or in skirmishes as they retreated through the jungle. Milne Bay remained an important Allied staging area into late 1943.
