Battle of Morotai

1
Battle of Morotai
Coordinates: 2190N 128320E
[1]
Battle of Morotai
Part of Western New Guinea campaign, World War II
LSTs landing supplies at Blue Beach, Morotai
Date 15 September 4 October 1944 (initial period), intermittent fighting continued until the end of the war
Location Morotai, off North Halmahera, Maluku Islands
Result Allied victory
Belligerents
United States
Australia
Netherlands
United Kingdom
Empire of Japan
Commanders and leaders
Clarence Martin (land)
Daniel E. Barbey (naval)
Takenobu Kawashima
(initial commander)
Kisou Ouchi(POW)
(from October 12)
[2]
Strength
57,020 (initial force) ~500 at the time of
the Allied invasion,
later reinforced
Battle of Morotai
2
Modern map of Banda Sea with Morotai island at
top.
The Battle of Morotai, part of the Pacific War, began on 15
September 1944, and continued until the end of the war in August
1945. The fighting started when United States and Australian forces
landed on the southwest corner of Morotai, a small island in the
Netherlands East Indies (NEI), which the Allies needed as a base to
support the liberation of the Philippines later that year. The invading
forces greatly outnumbered the island's Japanese defenders and secured
their objectives in two weeks. Japanese reinforcements landed on the
island between September and November, but lacked the supplies
needed to effectively attack the Allied defensive perimeter. Intermittent
fighting continued until the end of the war, with the Japanese troops
suffering heavy loss of life from disease and starvation.
Morotai's development into an Allied base began shortly after the
landing, and two major airfields were ready for use in October. These
and other base facilities played an important role in the liberation of
the Philippines during 1944 and 1945. Torpedo boats and aircraft based at Morotai also harassed Japanese positions
in the NEI. The island's base facilities were further expanded in 1945 to support the Australian-led Borneo
Campaign, and Morotai remained an important logistical hub and command center until the Dutch reestablished their
colonial rule in the NEI.
Background
Morotai is a small island located in the Halmahera group of eastern Indonesia's Maluku Islands. Most of the island's
interior is rugged and covered in thick jungle. The Doroeba Plain in Morotai's south-west corner is the largest of the
island's few lowland areas. Prior to the outbreak of war, Morotai had a population of 9,000 and had not been
commercially developed. It formed part of the Netherlands East Indies and was ruled by the Dutch through the
Sultanate of Ternate. The Japanese occupied Morotai in early 1942 during the Netherlands East Indies campaign but
did not garrison or develop it.
[3]
In early 1944, Morotai became an area of importance to the Japanese military when it started developing the
neighbouring larger island of Halmahera as a focal point for the defence of the southern approaches to the
Philippines.
[4]
In May 1944, the Imperial Japanese Army's 32nd Division arrived at Halmahera to defend the island
and its nine airstrips. The division had suffered heavy losses when the convoy carrying it from China (the Take Ichi
convoy) was attacked by US submarines.
[5]
Two battalions from the 32nd Division's 211th Infantry Regiment were
initially deployed to Morotai to develop an airstrip on the Doroeba Plain. Both battalions were withdrawn to
Halmahera in mid-July, however, when the airstrip was abandoned due to drainage problems.
[6]
Allied code breakers
detected the Japanese build up at Halmahera and Morotai's weak defenses, and passed this information on to the
relevant planning staff.
[7]
In July 1944, General Douglas MacArthur, the commander of the South West Pacific Area, selected Morotai as the
location for air bases and naval facilities needed to support the liberation of Mindanao in the Philippines, which at
the time was planned for 15 November. While Morotai was undeveloped, it was preferred over Halmahera as the
larger and much better-defended island was judged too difficult to capture and secure.
[8]
The occupation of Morotai
was designated Operation Tradewind. The landing was scheduled to take place on 15 September 1944, the same day
as the 1st Marine Division's landing at Peleliu. This schedule allowed the main body of the United States Pacific
Fleet to simultaneously protect both operations from potential Japanese counter-attacks.
[9]
As little opposition was expected at Morotai, Allied planners decided to land the invasion force close to the airfield
sites on the Doroeba Plain. Two beaches in the south-west coast of the island were selected as suitable landing sites,
Battle of Morotai
3
and were designated Red Beach and White Beach. The Allied plan called for all three infantry regiments of the 31st
Division to be landed across these beaches on 15 September and swiftly drive inland to secure the plain. As
Morotai's interior had no military value, the Allies did not intend to advance beyond a perimeter needed to defend
the airfields.
[10]
Planning for the construction of airfields and other base installations was also conducted prior to the
landing, and tentative locations for these facilities had been selected by 15 September.
[11]
Prelude
Opposing forces
At the time of the Allied landings, Morotai was defended by approximately 500 Japanese soldiers. The main unit
was the 2nd Provisional Raiding Unit, which had gradually arrived on the island between 1219 July 1944, to
replace the 32nd Division's battalions when they were withdrawn. The 2nd Provisional Raiding Unit comprised four
companies and was manned by Japanese officers and Formosan soldiers. Small elements of several other infantry,
military police and support units were also present on the island. The 2nd Provisional Raiding Unit's commander,
Major Takenobu Kawashima, deployed the unit in the south-west sector of the island and used the smaller units to
establish lookout posts and detachments around Morotai's coastline.
[12]
The largest of these outposts was on the
island's north-east end at Cape Sopi, which consisted of about 100 men.
[13]
The Japanese force was too small and
widely dispersed to be able to mount an effective defense, so the 32nd Division ordered it to build dummy camps
and use other deceptions in an attempt to trick the Allies into thinking that Morotai was strongly held.
A long line of Allied landing craft and transports
approaching Morotai
The Allied force assigned to Morotai outnumbered the island's
defenders by more than one hundred to one. The Tradewind Task
Force was established on 20 August under the command of Major
General Charles P. Hall and numbered 40,105 U.S. Army soldiers and
16,915 United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) and Royal Australian
Air Force (RAAF) personnel. The Tradewind Task Force came under
the overall command of the United States Sixth Army; its main combat
elements were the XI Corps headquarters, the 31st Infantry Division
and the 126th Regimental Combat Team (RCT) from the 32nd Infantry
Division. These units were supported by engineers and a large
anti-aircraft group. The Tradewind Task Force also included large
numbers of construction and other line of communications units whose
role was to swiftly develop the island into a major base. The 6th Infantry Division was designated the force reserve
but remained on the mainland of New Guinea.
[14]
General MacArthur accompanied the force onboard
USSNashville(CL-43) but was not in direct command of the operation.
[15]
The landing force was supported by powerful air and naval forces. The United States Fifth Air Force provided direct
support while the Thirteenth Air Force and No. 10 Operational Group RAAF conducted strategic missions in the
NEI and Philippines.
[16]
The naval force was designated Task Force 77 and was organised into two attack groups,
four reinforcement groups, a support group and an escort carrier group. The attack and reinforcement groups were
responsible for transporting the assault force and subsequent support units and comprised twenty-four destroyers,
four frigates, two Australian LSIs, five APDs, one LSD, twenty-four LCIs, forty-five LSTs, twenty LCTs and eleven
LCIs armed with rockets. The support group was made up of two Australian heavy cruisers, three US light cruisers
and eight US and two Australian destroyers. The escort carrier group comprised six escort carriers and ten destroyer
escorts and provided anti-submarine and combat air patrol. Task Force 38.4 with two fleet carriers, two light aircraft
carriers, one heavy cruiser, one light cruiser and thirteen destroyers was also available to support Task Force 77 if
required.
[17]
Battle of Morotai
4
Preliminary attacks
Preliminary air attacks to suppress the Japanese air forces in the vicinity of Morotai began in August 1944. At this
time, the Allied intelligence services estimated that there were 582 Japanese aircraft within 400 miles (640km) of
Morotai, 400 of which were in the objective area. The Allied air forces conducted heavy raids on airfields in the
Halmaheras, Celebes, Ceram, Ambon, Boeroe and other areas. US Navy carrier-borne aircraft also attacked Japanese
air units based at Mindanao and mounted further attacks on Halmahera and Celebes. These attacks were successful,
and by 14 September it was estimated that only 60 aircraft remained in the vicinity of Morotai.
[18]
In order to preserve surprise, the Allies did not bombard Morotai prior to the invasion and conducted only a few
photographic reconnaissance flights over the island.
[19]
An Allied Intelligence Bureau patrol had been landed in the
island in June but the information it collected was not passed on to the Sixth Army. Although the Tradewind
Taskforce had little information on the invasion beaches or Japanese positions, the Sixth Army did not land any of its
own reconnaissance patrols on Morotai, as it was feared that these could warn the island's defenders that an attack
was imminent.
[20]
The Tradewind Taskforce embarked onto the invasion convoy at several bases in north-west New Guinea, and
conducted landing rehearsals at Aitape and Wakde Island in early September. The convoy gathered at Maffin Bay on
11 September and set out for Morotai the next day. Its voyage was uneventful, and the convoy arrived off Morotai on
the morning of 15 September without having been detected by Japanese forces.
[21]
Allied landings
Locations of the Allied landings on 15 September 1944
The battle of Morotai began at 6:30 on the
morning of 15 September. Allied warships
conducted a two-hour-long bombardment of
the landing area to suppress any Japanese
forces there. This bombardment set several
native villages on fire, but caused few
Japanese casualties as they did not have
many troops in the area.
[22]
The first wave of American troops landed
on Morotai at 8:30 and did not encounter
any opposition. The 155th and 167th RCTs
landed at Red Beach and the 124th RCT at
White Beach. Once ashore, the assault
troops assembled into their tactical units and
rapidly advanced inland. By the end of the
day the 31st Division had secured all of its
D-Day objectives and held a perimeter
2,000 yards (1,800m) inland. There was
little fighting and casualties were very low
on both sides.
[23]
The Japanese 2nd
Provisional Raiding Unit was unable to offer
any resistance to the overwhelming Allied force, and withdrew inland in good order. Japanese 7th Air Division
aircraft based at Ceram and the Celebes began a series of nightly air raids on Morotai on 15 September, but these had
little effect on the Allied force.
[24]
The lack of resistance was fortunate for the Allies due to unexpectedly poor beach conditions.
[25]
While the limited
pre-invasion intelligence suggested that Red and White beaches were capable of supporting an amphibious landing,
Battle of Morotai
5
they were in fact highly unsuitable for this purpose. Both beaches were muddy and difficult for landing craft to
approach owing to rocky ridges and coral reefs. As a result, soldiers and equipment had to be landed through deep
surf. This delayed the operation and caused a large quantity of equipment to be damaged.
[26]
Like many of his
soldiers, General MacArthur was forced to wade through chest-high surf when he came ashore.
[27]
On the morning
of D-Day a survey party determined that a beach on the south coast of Morotai was much better suited to LSTs. This
beach, which was designated Blue Beach, became the primary Allied landing point from 16 September.
[28]
Infantrymen disembark into deep water on 15
September
The 31st Division continued its advance inland on 16 September. The
division met little opposition and secured the planned perimeter line
around the airfield area that afternoon. From 17 September, the 126th
Infantry Regiment landed at several points on Morotai's coastline and
offshore islands to establish radar stations and observation posts. These
operations were generally unopposed, though patrols landed in
northern Morotai made numerous contacts with small Japanese
parties.
[]
The 2nd Provisional Raiding Unit attempted to infiltrate into
the Allied perimeter on the night of 18 September but was not
successful.
A detachment from the Netherlands Indies Civil Administration
(NICA) was responsible for civil affairs on Morotai. This detachment came ashore on 15 September, and
reestablished Dutch sovereignty over Morotai's civilian population. Many natives subsequently provided NICA with
intelligence on Japanese dispositions on Morotai and Halmahera and others acted as guides for American patrols.
[29]
The movements of Allied and Japanese forces during the first
weeks of the battle
On 20 September, the 31st Division advanced further inland
to secure an expanded perimeter. This was necessary to
provide room for additional bivouacs and supply installations
after General MacArthur's headquarters decided to expand
airfield construction on the island. The advance met little
resistance and was completed in one day. On 22 September,
a Japanese force attacked the headquarters of the 1st
Battalion, 167th Infantry Regiment but was easily repulsed.
The following day, a company from the 126th Infantry
Regiment unsuccessfully attacked a fortified Japanese unit
near Wajaboeta on the island's west coast. The 126th
resumed its attack on 24 September and secured the position.
US forces continued intensive patrolling until 4 October
when the island was declared secure.
[30]
U.S. casualties
during the initial occupation of Morotai numbered 30 dead,
85 wounded, and one missing. Japanese casualties were
much higher, numbering over 300 dead and 13 captured.
[31]
The American ground troops did not require the heavy air
support which was available to them, and the fast carrier
group was released for other duties on 17 September. The six
escort carriers remained in support, but their aircraft saw
little action. Four of the CVEs were released on 25
September, and the remaining two departed on 4 October.
[32]
The destroyer escort USSShelton(DE-407) was sunk
by Japanese submarine RO-41 on 3 October while escorting the CVE group.
[33]
Several hours later a TBF Avenger
Battle of Morotai
6
from the escort carrier USS Midway attacked USSSeawolf(SS-197) 20 miles (32km) north of where Shelton had
been torpedoed, in the mistaken belief that she was the submarine responsible. After dropping two bombs, the TBF
guided USSRichard M. Rowell(DE-403) to the area and the destroyer escort sank Seawolf after five attempts,
killing all the submarine's crew. It was later determined that while Seawolf was traveling in a designated "submarine
safety lane", the CVE pilots had not been properly briefed on the lane's existence and location, and that the
submarine's position had not been provided to USS Richard M. Rowell.
[34]
The U.S. Navy established a PT boat base at Morotai on 16 September when the tenders USSMobjack(AGP-7) and
USSOyster Bay(AGP-6) arrived with motor torpedo boat squadrons 9, 10, 18 and 33 and their 41 boats. The PT
boats' primary mission was to prevent the Japanese from moving troops from Halmahera to Morotai by establishing a
blockade of the 12-mile (19km)-wide strait between the two islands.
[35]
Elements of the 31st Division embarked from Morotai in November to capture several islands off New Guinea from
which Japanese outposts could observe Allied movements. On 15 November 1,200 troops from the 2nd Battalion,
167th Infantry Regiment and attached units were landed at Pegun Island in the Mapia islands; the next day, Bras
Island was attacked. The Mapia Islands were declared secure on 18 November after resistance from 172 Japanese
troops of the 36th Infantry Division was overcome. On 19 November, a force of 400 US troops built around F
Company, 124th Infantry Regiment occupied the undefended Asia Islands.
[36]
These were the first offensive
operations overseen by the Eighth United States Army, and the naval commander for both operations was Captain
Lord Ashbourne of the Royal Navy on board HMSAriadne. Radar and LORAN stations were subsequently
established on the islands.
[37]
Base development
Wama Drome in April 1945
The rapid development of Morotai into a major military base was a key
goal of the operation. Pre-invasion plans called for the construction of
three large airstrips within forty-five days of 15 September, with the
first to be operational immediately after the landing. The plans also
included accommodation and supply facilities for 60,000 air force and
army personnel, a 1,900-bed hospital, bulk fuel storage and handling
installations and ship docking facilities.
[38]
In order to construct these
facilities the Tradewind Task Force included 7,000 engineer service
troops, of whom 84 percent were American and the remainder
Australian.
Work began on base facilities before Morotai was secured. Survey parties began transit surveys of the airfield sites
on 16 September which determined that their planned alignment was unworkable. Plans to complete the Japanese
airfield were also abandoned as it would have interfered with the larger airfields which were to be built to the east,
and it was instead cleared and used as an emergency "crash strip". Work on the first new airstrip (called Wama
Drome) began on 23 September after the site was cleared. By 4 October Wama Drome's runway was operable for
5,000 feet (1,500m) and was supporting heavy bomber raids on Balikpapan in Borneo. Construction of the even
larger Pitu Drome, which was to have two runways parallel to Wama Drome, began in late September and by 17
October it had a usable 7,000-foot (2,100m) runway.
[39]
Construction work was accelerated from October 18 after
the United States Third Fleet was withdrawn from providing direct support to the planned landing at Leyte.
[40]
When
the two airstrips were completed in November they boasted three large runways and hardstandings for 253 aircraft,
including 174 heavy bombers.
[41]
Although the air base construction required the destruction of native villages, the
American and Australian airfield engineers were assisted from 1 October by about 350 native laborers recruited by
the NICA detachment.
Battle of Morotai
7
Other base facilities were erected concurrently with the construction of the airstrips. Work on fuel storage facilities
began shortly after the landing, and the first was ready on 20 September. A jetty for oil tankers and a larger tank
farm were completed in early October, and storage facilities continued to be expanded until November, when
capacity for 129,000 barrels (20,500m
3
) of fuel was available. Several docks capable of accommodating liberty
ships were constructed on Morotai's west coast, and the first was completed on 8 October. In addition, twenty LST
landings were constructed on Blue Beach to facilitate the loading and unloading of these ships. Other major
construction projects included an extensive road network, a naval installation, 28,000 square feet (2,600m
2
) of
warehousing, and clearing land for supply dumps and bivouacs. A 1,000-bed hospital was also built after the original
plans for a 1,900-bed facility were revised. The main difficulties encountered were overcoming the mud caused by
unusually heavy rains and finding sufficient water supplies.
[42]
A revision to Allied plans meant that Morotai played a much greater role in the liberation of the Philippines than had
been originally envisioned. The invasion of Mindanao was postponed in September 1944 in favour of a landing at
Leyte in the central Philippines in late October. The air bases at Morotai were the closest Allied air strips to Leyte,
and fighters and bombers based on the island attacked targets in the southern Philippines and NEI in support of the
landing at Leyte on 25 October.
[43]
After airfields were completed at Leyte, Morotai was also used as a staging point
for fighters and bombers traveling to the Philippines.
[44]
Subsequent fighting
Japanese response
The Japanese military recognized that its forces in the Philippines would be threatened if the Allies developed
airfields on Morotai. In an attempt to disrupt the airfield construction program, the Japanese Army commanders on
Halmahera sent large numbers of reinforcements to Morotai between late September and November. These troops
included the main body of the 211th Infantry Regiment, the 3rd Battalion of the 210th Infantry Regiment and three
raiding detachments. The commander of the 211th Infantry Regiment, Colonel Kisou Ouchi, assumed command of
the Japanese forces on Morotai on 12 October.
[45]
Allied codebreakers were often able to warn the forces at Morotai
of attempts to run the blockade, and PT boats destroyed a large number of the barges which were used to transport
troops from Halmahera. The Allies were, however, unable to completely stop the Japanese buildup.
[46]
Battle of Morotai
8
Locations of Japanese reinforcement landings
The Japanese counter-offensive on Morotai was not
successful. The troops brought to the island suffered from
high rates of disease and it proved impossible to bring
sufficient supplies through the Allied air and naval blockade.
As a result, while the 2nd Provisional Raiding Unit raided
the US perimeter on several occasions, the reinforcements
were unable to mount larger attacks and did not impede
Allied airfield construction activities. The Japanese force
subsequently withdrew into central Morotai where many
soldiers died from disease or starvation.
[47]
The last Japanese
supply barges from Halmahera reached Morotai on 12 May
1945.
In late December 1944, the US 33rd Infantry Division's
136th Infantry Regiment was brought to Morotai from New
Guinea to attack the Japanese 211th Infantry Regiment in the
west of the island. After landing on the island's west coast,
the American regiment moved into Japanese-held territory on
26 December and advanced on the Japanese position from
the south-west and north. The 136th was supported by a
battalion of the 130th Infantry Regiment advancing overland
from the Doroeba Plain, artillery units stationed on islands
off Morotai's coast and one hundred native porters.
[48]
The 3rd Battalion of the 167th Infantry Regiment also
participated in this operation and made a difficult march from Morotai's south coast into the interior to prevent the
Japanese from scattering into small groups in the island's mountains.
[49]
In early January 1945, the American force determined that two battalions of the Japanese 211th Regiment were at
Hill 40, about four miles (6km) north of the Allied perimeter. The attack on this position began on 3 January 1945
when the 136th Infantry Regiment's 1st and 2nd battalions advanced from the south-west and encountered strong
resistance. The regiment used a large quantity of ammunition in this attack, and aerial resupply was needed to
replenish its supplies. Both American battalions resumed their attack the next day with the support of a highly
effective artillery bombardment, and reached the main Japanese position in the afternoon. During this period the 3rd
Battalion of the 136th Regiment advanced on Hill 40 from the north, and destroyed the 211th Regiment's 3rd
Battalion in a series of battles. This Japanese battalion had been stationed on the coast to receive supplies from
Halmahera and mounted several unsuccessful attacks on the American battalion's beachhead after it landed in
December.
[50]
The 136th Infantry Regiment completed its attack on Hill 40 on 5 January. The Regiment's 1st and 2nd Battalions
advanced from the west and south-west and the 3rd Battalion from the north, meeting little resistance. The 1st and
2nd Battalions continued north to pursue Japanese remnants until 14 January, by which time the regiment claimed to
have killed 870 Japanese soldiers and captured ten for a loss of 46 killed and 127 wounded and injured.
[51]
The 3rd
Battalion, 167th Infantry Regiment linked up with the 136th on 7 January after overrunning the main Japanese radio
station on the island on 4 January.
[52]
In mid-January, the 136th Regiment was withdrawn to the Allied perimeter
where it rejoined the 33rd Division, which was staging through Morotai en route for the Allied landing in Luzon.
[53]
Battle of Morotai
9
Air attacks and Allied mopping up
The Japanese 7th Air Division continued to raid Morotai for months after the Allied landing. The air division
conducted 82 raids on Morotai involving 179 sorties between 15 September 1944 and 1 February 1945. The aircraft
used in these raids flew from Ceram and the Celebes and landed at airfields on Halmahera before proceeding to their
targets. While 54 of the raids caused no damage, the others resulted in the destruction of forty two Allied aircraft and
damage to another thirty three. Allied casualties from air attack were 19 killed and 99 wounded. The most successful
raid was conducted on the night of 22 November when 15 Allied planes were destroyed and eight damaged. The
regular Japanese air raids ceased at the end of January 1945, though a final attack took place on 22 March. USAAF
night fighters had only limited success as raiders were normally detected only shortly before they entered
anti-aircraft gun defended zones; these guns shot down most of the 26 Japanese aircraft lost over Morotai.
[54]
The
official history of the USAAF's night fighter force states that Morotai "was probably the most difficult task
undertaken by American night fighters during World War II" due to the difficulty of detecting incoming raiders.
[55]
The PT boat force at Morotai was reduced to a single squadron by February 1945 but remained active until the end
of the war. As well as patrolling around Morotai, the boats operated in the eastern NEI to raid Japanese positions and
support Australian and Dutch scouting parties. In May 1945 PT boats and the Australian Z Special Unit rescued the
Sultan of Ternate along with his court and harem during an operation codenamed Project Opossum after he was
mistreated by the Japanese.
[56]
By the end of the war the PT boats had conducted nearly 1,300 patrols and destroyed
50 barges and 150 small craft off Morotai and Halmahera.
[57]
The 31st Division remained at Morotai until 12 April 1945 when it departed to participate in the liberation of
Mindanao, and was replaced by the 93rd Infantry Division.
[58]
The 93rd Division was a segregated African
American unit, and was mainly used for security and labor tasks during the war.
[59]
Once established on Morotai the
division conducted intensive patrols with the aim of destroying the remaining Japanese force on the island. At this
time most of the Japanese on Morotai were located along the island's west coast, and generally stayed close to native
gardens. The 93rd Division landed patrols along Morotai's west and north coasts from April onwards, and these
fought scattered skirmishes with small Japanese forces. One of the division's main goals was to capture Colonel
Ouchi, and this was achieved by a patrol from the 25th Infantry Regiment on 2 August. Ouchi was the
highest-ranked Japanese officer to be captured before the end of the war.
[60]
Aftermath
The Japanese commanding officers at Halmahera
land at Morotai to surrender to the 93rd Division
Morotai remained an important Allied base after Leyte was secured.
Aircraft of the Thirteenth Air Force and Australian First Tactical Air
Force (formerly No. 10 Operational Group RAAF) were based at
Morotai and attacked targets in the NEI and southern Philippines until
the end of the war. From April 1945, the island was also used by the
Australian I Corps to mount the Borneo Campaign. Australian Army
engineers expanded the base facilities at Morotai to support this
operation. Due to overcrowding, some Australian camp sites were
located outside the American perimeter.
[61]
Morotai was the scene of a number of surrender ceremonies following
the surrender of Japan. About 660 Japanese troops on Morotai
capitulated to Allied forces after 15 August.
[62]
The 93rd Division also accepted the surrender of the 40,000 Japanese
troops at Halmahera on 26 August after the Japanese commander there was brought to Morotai on a US Navy PT
boat.
[]
On 9 September 1945, Australian General Thomas Blamey accepted the surrender of the Japanese Second
Army at a ceremony held on the I Corps' sports ground at Morotai.
[63]
Private Teruo Nakamura, the last confirmed
Japanese holdout on Morotai or elsewhere, was captured by Indonesian Air Force personnel on 18 December
Battle of Morotai
10
1974.
[64]
The facilities on Morotai continued to be heavily used by the Allies in the months after the war. The Australian force
responsible for the occupation and military administration of the eastern NEI was headquartered at Morotai until
April 1946, when the Dutch colonial government was reestablished.
[65][66]
The island was also one of the sites where
the Australian and NEI militaries conducted war crimes trials of Japanese personnel.
[67]
Notes
[1] http:/ / tools.wmflabs. org/ geohack/ geohack. php?pagename=Battle_of_Morotai& params=2_19_0_N_128_32_0_E_
[2] [2] 33rd Infantry Division Historical Committee (1948), p. 73.
[3] Smith (1953), pp. 456457.
[4] [4] Smith (1953), p. 460.
[5] [5] Willoughby (1966), p. 273.
[6] Willoughby (1966), pp. 348349.
[7] [7] Drea (1992), p. 153.
[8] Smith (1953), pp. 450451.
[9] [9] Taafe (1998), p. 218.
[10] Smith (1953), pp. 475477.
[11] [11] Office of the Chief Engineer, General Headquarters, Army Forces Pacific (1951), p. 272.
[12] Smith (1953), p. 460 and Willoughby (1966), pp. 349350.
[13] [13] Rottman (2002), p. 253.
[14] [14] Krueger (1979), p. 126 and Smith (1953), p. 463.
[15] [15] Manchester (1978), p. 337.
[16] [16] Smith (1953), p. 464.
[17] Morison (2002), pp. 2122, Krueger (1979), p. 127 and Royal Navy Historical Section (1957), pp. 173 and 257.
[18] [18] Royal Navy Historical Section (1957), p. 175 and Taaffe (1998), p. 219.
[19] Smith (1953), pp. 482483.
[20] [20] Krueger (1979), p. 125.
[21] Smith (1953), pp. 481482.
[22] [22] Taafe (1998), p. 219.
[23] [23] Smith (1953), pp. 483 and 487.
[24] [24] Willoughby (1966), p. 350.
[25] [25] Heavey (1947), p. 128
[26] Smith (1953), pp. 483485.
[27] [27] Manchester (1978), p. 388.
[28] [28] Smith (1953), p. 487.
[29] Smith (1953), pp. 490491.
[30] [30] Krueger (1979), p. 130.
[31] [31] Smith (1953), p. 489.
[32] Craven and Cate (1953), pp. 312314.
[33] Royal Navy Historical Section (1957), pp. 175176.
[34] Morrison (2002), pp. 2728.
[35] [35] Bulkley (2003), p. 368.
[36] [36] Royal Navy Historical Section (1957), p. 176 and 31st Infantry Division (1993), pp. 23 and 101.
[37] [37] Smith (1953), p. 451.
[38] [38] Office of the Chief Engineer, General Headquarters, Army Forces Pacific (1951), p. 270.
[39] Office of the Chief Engineer, General Headquarters, Army Forces Pacific (1951), pp. 276277.
[40] [40] Craven and Cate (1953), p. 313.
[41] [41] Office of the Chief Engineer, General Headquarters, Army Forces Pacific (1951), p. 277.
[42] Office of the Chief Engineer, General Headquarters, Army Forces Pacific (1951), pp. 277280
[43] Smith (1953), pp. 491493.
[44] [44] Morison (2002), p. 25.
[45] [45] Lee (1966), p. 525 and 33rd Infantry Division Historical Committee (1948), p. 73.
[46] [46] 33rd Infantry Division Historical Committee (1948), p. 68.
[47] Hayashi (1959), pp. 120121 and Willoughby (1966), pp. 350352.
[48] 33rd Infantry Division Historical Committee (1948), pp. 6877.
[49] [49] 31st Infantry Division (1993), p. 101.
[50] 33rd Infantry Division Historical Committee (1948), pp. 7481
Battle of Morotai
11
[51] 33rd Infantry Division Historical Committee (1948), pp. 8083.
[52] [52] 31st Infantry Division (1993), p. 102.
[53] 33rd Infantry Division Historical Committee (1948), pp. 8587.
[54] Craven and Cate (1953), pp. 315316.
[55] [55] McFarland (1998), p. 37
[56] Morison (2002), pp. 2829.
[57] [57] Bulkley (2003), p. 373.
[58] [58] Stanton (1984), p. 111.
[59] [59] Bielakowski (2007), p. 19.
[60] Lee (1966), pp. 525527.
[61] [61] Stanley (1997), p. 48.
[62] [62] Lee (1966), p. 528.
[63] [63] Long (1963), p. 553.
[64] Post et al. (2010), pp. 429430
[65] Hasluck (1970), pp. 602607
[66] [66] Post et al. (2010), p. 29
[67] Post et al. (2010), pp. 408409
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