World War II
Battle of Buna–Gona
Buna and Gona, Territory of Papua
The Battle of Buna–Gona was part of the New Guinea campaign, It ended the Kokoda Track campaign and lasted from 16 November 1942 until 22 January 1943. The battle was fought by Australian and United States forces against the Japanese beachheads at Buna, Sanananda and Gona. The resolve and tenacity of the Japanese in defense was unprecedented and had not previously been encountered. For the Allies, there were a number of valuable but costly lessons in the conduct of jungle warfare. Allied losses in the battle were at a rate higher than that experienced at Guadalcanal. For the first time, the American public was confronted with the images of dead American troops.