Recent from talks
Papuan Infantry Battalion
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Papuan Infantry Battalion
The Papuan Infantry Battalion (PIB) was a unit of the Australian Army raised in the Territory of Papua for service during the Second World War. Formed in early 1940 in Port Moresby to help defend the territory in the event of a Japanese invasion, its soldiers were primarily Papuan natives led by Australian officers and non-commissioned officers. Following the outbreak of the Pacific War, the PIB served in many of the Allied campaigns in New Guinea; however, due to the nature of its role its sub-units mainly operated separately, attached to larger Australian and US Army units and formations. Slow in forming, the first members of the PIB were not officially posted in until March 1941. By 1942 it consisted of only three companies, all of which were under-strength and poorly equipped. It was subsequently employed on scouting, reconnaissance and surveillance patrols against the Japanese, where the natural bushcraft of its native soldiers could be used to their advantage. The PIB was sent forward in June 1942 to patrol the northern coast of Papua and was dispersed over a wide area. These small parties were the first to make contact with the Imperial Japanese forces upon their landing in Papua, before participating in the Kokoda Track campaign. As part of Maroubra Force, the PIB fought alongside the Australian 39th Battalion at Kokoda, Deniki, and Isurava as the Japanese forced them back along the Kokoda track, but was withdrawn before the campaign finally turned in favour of the Australians.
Following the recapture of the northern beachheads of Buna, Gona and Sanananda, the Allies moved onto the offensive in New Guinea. The PIB took part in the advance to Salamaua in 1943, before fighting along the Markham, Ramu, and Sepik rivers during the Ramu Valley – Finisterre Range campaign, and on the Huon peninsula, assisting in the capture of Finschhafen and Sattelberg, and pursuing the Japanese as they retreated along the northern coastline towards Saidor in 1943–1944. The battalion was temporarily withdrawn from operations to reorganise in 1944, and together with several New Guinea Infantry Battalions (NGIBs) that were subsequently raised by the Australian Army, the PIB was formed into the Pacific Islands Regiment (PIR) in November 1944. In 1945, it was deployed to Bougainville where the battalion's companies were spread across the fronts from Bonis to Buin during the final months of the war. Such was their effectiveness that the Japanese referred to the PIB as "Green Shadows" due to their ability to fade into and appear from the jungle unexpectedly, with its soldiers becoming noted for their ferocity and tenacity. After the end of the war the battalion was used to guard Japanese prisoners of war, before being disbanded in August 1946. In 1951, the PIR was reformed, drawing its lineage from the PIB and NGIBs.
Following the outbreak of the Second World War in Europe on 3 September 1939, limited defensive preparations began in the Australian administered territories of Papua and New Guinea. In Papua, the raising of an all-volunteer unit of native soldiers led by Australian officers and non-commissioned officers (NCOs), known as the Papuan Infantry Battalion (PIB), was approved by the Lieutenant-Governor of Papua, Sir Hubert Murray, on 19 April 1940. This was in contrast to the situation in New Guinea where the provisions of the League of Nations mandate under which German New Guinea had been entrusted to Australia in 1920 following its capture during the First World War had prevented the raising of armed forces there prior to hostilities. Meanwhile, the paternalistic concerns of the civilian administration regarding native welfare and unease about providing the indigenous population with arms and military training meant they were not enlisted into the New Guinea Volunteer Rifles (NGVR) which was also forming at that time, with recruiting for the NGVR limited to Europeans only.
Major Leonard Logan was appointed as commanding officer of the PIB on 27 May 1940 and it began forming at Port Moresby on 1 June. The unit's establishment was initially limited to one company of six officers and 137 men, although it was planned to increase to 252 men in 1941, and 294 in 1942. Logan had previously been the Headquarters Officer of the Royal Papuan Constabulary (RPC), while the battalion second-in-command and officer commanding A Company was Major William Watson, a miner and former artillery officer in the First Australian Imperial Force (AIF) who had lived in New Guinea for many years. Enlistments in the PIB began in June 1940, with the first 63 recruits being current or former members of the RPC, a connection which allowed the unit to claim a lineage to the Armed Native Constabulary, which had been formed in the late 19th-century to police the Protectorate of British New Guinea. Police Motu was adopted as the common language of the battalion. Rates of pay were equivalent to those of the constabulary, while service was for two years. Logan flew to Kokoda on 6 June to collect the first enlistments, and walked back to Port Moresby, arriving on 1 July.
Three warrant officers from the Australian Instructional Corps (AIC) were temporarily posted to the battalion to fill the vacant company sergeant major and platoon commander positions. Meanwhile, after finalising the initial recruitment process and the issue of equipment at Konedobu, near Hanuabada village, 4.8 kilometres (3.0 mi) from Port Moresby, the battalion was allocated a camp at the future site of Murray Barracks in Port Moresby, and began weapons training in late August 1940. Following three months of basic training the PIB took over responsibility for guarding key points around Port Moresby from the RPC, including the oil storage facilities, wireless station, military headquarters, power station and the telephone exchange, while also assisting in road construction and undertaking further training. Despite the worsening strategic situation as the war continued overseas, the pattern of life in Papua continued relatively unchanged from that of the pre-war years. Slow in forming, the first members of the PIB were not officially posted in until March 1941. At this time contingency plans for the defence of Papua and New Guinea envisioned the deployment of Australian forces to Rabaul and Port Moresby, while the defence of Lae and Salamaua would be left to the NGVR.
As the war with Germany and Italy continued in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, Australian fears of Japanese intentions in the Pacific grew. However, with the bulk of Australian military and naval forces in the Middle East, defensive preparations remained limited. Two brigades from the 8th Division were dispatched to Singapore and then Malaya in February 1941, while a Militia battalion would be stationed between Port Moresby and Thursday Island. Additionally, plans were made for an AIF battalion to garrison Rabaul on New Britain, and the 8th Division's third brigade—less the battalion at Rabaul—was to be dispersed piecemeal in Timor and Ambon. In July 1941, the 1st Independent Company was deployed to Kavieng on New Ireland to protect the airfield, while sections were sent to Namatanai in central New Ireland, Vila in the New Hebrides, Tulagi on Guadalcanal, Buka Passage in Bougainville, and Lorengau on Manus Island to act as observers. The 2/22nd Battalion began arriving in Rabaul in March and April 1941, while additional units were added to the force. Designated Lark Force, it tasks included protecting the airfields at Lakunai and Vunakanau and the seaplane base in Simpson Harbour, as well as forming an "advanced observation line" to provide early warning of Japanese movements. The position was increasingly viewed as untenable, but the garrison was reinforced with four Lockheed Hudson bombers and ten obsolete CAC Wirraway reconnaissance aircraft from No. 24 Squadron RAAF, and by December it had grown to 1,400 men.
The planned expansion of the PIB proceeded as scheduled, with the second and third companies forming in 1941. In May, the establishment of the battalion had been increased, and in April Logan requested another 100 men from the government. B Company was formed from a nucleus of 62 recruits which arrived from Buna on 12 May under the command of Captain Ernest Standfield, a former planter. While the chief argument for the formation of the battalion had been the value of the knowledge native soldiers would provide of local conditions, with the expansion of the unit many of the officers and NCOs posted into it were from Australian infantry, engineer and artillery units based in Port Moresby, rather than local expatriates. Indeed, with the main role of the unit envisioned to be scouting and reconnaissance—tasks in which it was felt the natural bushcraft of the natives could be utilised to their greatest potential—the drawbacks of junior leaders without local experience was apparent. The terms of service of the new recruits included enlistment for three years, with pay at a rate of 10 shillings per month for the first year, 15 in the second, and one pound in the third, with lance corporals paid 25 shillings, corporals 30 shillings, and sergeants 40 shillings. Equipment provided included a waterproof cape, clasp knife and lanyard, two pairs of khaki shorts and shirts per year, two green sashes, sulus for working and sleeping, in addition to a mosquito net, blankets, plates and eating utensils, webbing, rifle, bayonet, and helmet. Rations were more generous than those given to the police, and included butter and jam.
The battalion would ultimately serve in many of the Allied campaigns in New Guinea; however, due to the nature of its role its sub-units would mainly operate separately, attached to larger Australian and US units and formations. As such, unlike the headquarters of standard Australian battalions, the PIB's headquarters was primarily employed as an administration and training company, and saw little action. One of the commanding officer's primary roles was to ensure members of the battalion were appropriately utilised and recognised for their service, and in this role regularly liaised with the Australian New Guinea Administrative Unit (ANGAU) and New Guinea Force. Headquarters Company also included the battalion Q Store. In addition to holding the usual equipment required of any Australian unit, due to the unique makeup of the PIB it had the added challenge of obtaining specific food and clothing required by native soldiers. The Signals Section was responsible for maintaining communications within the battalion and with other units in the Port Moresby area by field telephone, with Papuans and New Guineans attached to the section being taught all aspects of the maintenance and operation of the switchboard and line equipment. Although the War Establishment provided for a Regimental Medical Officer and medical orderlies (all Europeans), no permanent medical staff were posted to the unit until June 1943. Prior to this, orderlies were supplied by ANGAU on attachment, although there were occasions during subsequent operations when the men were without medical support, or were supported by medics from the US Army.
Hub AI
Papuan Infantry Battalion AI simulator
(@Papuan Infantry Battalion_simulator)
Papuan Infantry Battalion
The Papuan Infantry Battalion (PIB) was a unit of the Australian Army raised in the Territory of Papua for service during the Second World War. Formed in early 1940 in Port Moresby to help defend the territory in the event of a Japanese invasion, its soldiers were primarily Papuan natives led by Australian officers and non-commissioned officers. Following the outbreak of the Pacific War, the PIB served in many of the Allied campaigns in New Guinea; however, due to the nature of its role its sub-units mainly operated separately, attached to larger Australian and US Army units and formations. Slow in forming, the first members of the PIB were not officially posted in until March 1941. By 1942 it consisted of only three companies, all of which were under-strength and poorly equipped. It was subsequently employed on scouting, reconnaissance and surveillance patrols against the Japanese, where the natural bushcraft of its native soldiers could be used to their advantage. The PIB was sent forward in June 1942 to patrol the northern coast of Papua and was dispersed over a wide area. These small parties were the first to make contact with the Imperial Japanese forces upon their landing in Papua, before participating in the Kokoda Track campaign. As part of Maroubra Force, the PIB fought alongside the Australian 39th Battalion at Kokoda, Deniki, and Isurava as the Japanese forced them back along the Kokoda track, but was withdrawn before the campaign finally turned in favour of the Australians.
Following the recapture of the northern beachheads of Buna, Gona and Sanananda, the Allies moved onto the offensive in New Guinea. The PIB took part in the advance to Salamaua in 1943, before fighting along the Markham, Ramu, and Sepik rivers during the Ramu Valley – Finisterre Range campaign, and on the Huon peninsula, assisting in the capture of Finschhafen and Sattelberg, and pursuing the Japanese as they retreated along the northern coastline towards Saidor in 1943–1944. The battalion was temporarily withdrawn from operations to reorganise in 1944, and together with several New Guinea Infantry Battalions (NGIBs) that were subsequently raised by the Australian Army, the PIB was formed into the Pacific Islands Regiment (PIR) in November 1944. In 1945, it was deployed to Bougainville where the battalion's companies were spread across the fronts from Bonis to Buin during the final months of the war. Such was their effectiveness that the Japanese referred to the PIB as "Green Shadows" due to their ability to fade into and appear from the jungle unexpectedly, with its soldiers becoming noted for their ferocity and tenacity. After the end of the war the battalion was used to guard Japanese prisoners of war, before being disbanded in August 1946. In 1951, the PIR was reformed, drawing its lineage from the PIB and NGIBs.
Following the outbreak of the Second World War in Europe on 3 September 1939, limited defensive preparations began in the Australian administered territories of Papua and New Guinea. In Papua, the raising of an all-volunteer unit of native soldiers led by Australian officers and non-commissioned officers (NCOs), known as the Papuan Infantry Battalion (PIB), was approved by the Lieutenant-Governor of Papua, Sir Hubert Murray, on 19 April 1940. This was in contrast to the situation in New Guinea where the provisions of the League of Nations mandate under which German New Guinea had been entrusted to Australia in 1920 following its capture during the First World War had prevented the raising of armed forces there prior to hostilities. Meanwhile, the paternalistic concerns of the civilian administration regarding native welfare and unease about providing the indigenous population with arms and military training meant they were not enlisted into the New Guinea Volunteer Rifles (NGVR) which was also forming at that time, with recruiting for the NGVR limited to Europeans only.
Major Leonard Logan was appointed as commanding officer of the PIB on 27 May 1940 and it began forming at Port Moresby on 1 June. The unit's establishment was initially limited to one company of six officers and 137 men, although it was planned to increase to 252 men in 1941, and 294 in 1942. Logan had previously been the Headquarters Officer of the Royal Papuan Constabulary (RPC), while the battalion second-in-command and officer commanding A Company was Major William Watson, a miner and former artillery officer in the First Australian Imperial Force (AIF) who had lived in New Guinea for many years. Enlistments in the PIB began in June 1940, with the first 63 recruits being current or former members of the RPC, a connection which allowed the unit to claim a lineage to the Armed Native Constabulary, which had been formed in the late 19th-century to police the Protectorate of British New Guinea. Police Motu was adopted as the common language of the battalion. Rates of pay were equivalent to those of the constabulary, while service was for two years. Logan flew to Kokoda on 6 June to collect the first enlistments, and walked back to Port Moresby, arriving on 1 July.
Three warrant officers from the Australian Instructional Corps (AIC) were temporarily posted to the battalion to fill the vacant company sergeant major and platoon commander positions. Meanwhile, after finalising the initial recruitment process and the issue of equipment at Konedobu, near Hanuabada village, 4.8 kilometres (3.0 mi) from Port Moresby, the battalion was allocated a camp at the future site of Murray Barracks in Port Moresby, and began weapons training in late August 1940. Following three months of basic training the PIB took over responsibility for guarding key points around Port Moresby from the RPC, including the oil storage facilities, wireless station, military headquarters, power station and the telephone exchange, while also assisting in road construction and undertaking further training. Despite the worsening strategic situation as the war continued overseas, the pattern of life in Papua continued relatively unchanged from that of the pre-war years. Slow in forming, the first members of the PIB were not officially posted in until March 1941. At this time contingency plans for the defence of Papua and New Guinea envisioned the deployment of Australian forces to Rabaul and Port Moresby, while the defence of Lae and Salamaua would be left to the NGVR.
As the war with Germany and Italy continued in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, Australian fears of Japanese intentions in the Pacific grew. However, with the bulk of Australian military and naval forces in the Middle East, defensive preparations remained limited. Two brigades from the 8th Division were dispatched to Singapore and then Malaya in February 1941, while a Militia battalion would be stationed between Port Moresby and Thursday Island. Additionally, plans were made for an AIF battalion to garrison Rabaul on New Britain, and the 8th Division's third brigade—less the battalion at Rabaul—was to be dispersed piecemeal in Timor and Ambon. In July 1941, the 1st Independent Company was deployed to Kavieng on New Ireland to protect the airfield, while sections were sent to Namatanai in central New Ireland, Vila in the New Hebrides, Tulagi on Guadalcanal, Buka Passage in Bougainville, and Lorengau on Manus Island to act as observers. The 2/22nd Battalion began arriving in Rabaul in March and April 1941, while additional units were added to the force. Designated Lark Force, it tasks included protecting the airfields at Lakunai and Vunakanau and the seaplane base in Simpson Harbour, as well as forming an "advanced observation line" to provide early warning of Japanese movements. The position was increasingly viewed as untenable, but the garrison was reinforced with four Lockheed Hudson bombers and ten obsolete CAC Wirraway reconnaissance aircraft from No. 24 Squadron RAAF, and by December it had grown to 1,400 men.
The planned expansion of the PIB proceeded as scheduled, with the second and third companies forming in 1941. In May, the establishment of the battalion had been increased, and in April Logan requested another 100 men from the government. B Company was formed from a nucleus of 62 recruits which arrived from Buna on 12 May under the command of Captain Ernest Standfield, a former planter. While the chief argument for the formation of the battalion had been the value of the knowledge native soldiers would provide of local conditions, with the expansion of the unit many of the officers and NCOs posted into it were from Australian infantry, engineer and artillery units based in Port Moresby, rather than local expatriates. Indeed, with the main role of the unit envisioned to be scouting and reconnaissance—tasks in which it was felt the natural bushcraft of the natives could be utilised to their greatest potential—the drawbacks of junior leaders without local experience was apparent. The terms of service of the new recruits included enlistment for three years, with pay at a rate of 10 shillings per month for the first year, 15 in the second, and one pound in the third, with lance corporals paid 25 shillings, corporals 30 shillings, and sergeants 40 shillings. Equipment provided included a waterproof cape, clasp knife and lanyard, two pairs of khaki shorts and shirts per year, two green sashes, sulus for working and sleeping, in addition to a mosquito net, blankets, plates and eating utensils, webbing, rifle, bayonet, and helmet. Rations were more generous than those given to the police, and included butter and jam.
The battalion would ultimately serve in many of the Allied campaigns in New Guinea; however, due to the nature of its role its sub-units would mainly operate separately, attached to larger Australian and US units and formations. As such, unlike the headquarters of standard Australian battalions, the PIB's headquarters was primarily employed as an administration and training company, and saw little action. One of the commanding officer's primary roles was to ensure members of the battalion were appropriately utilised and recognised for their service, and in this role regularly liaised with the Australian New Guinea Administrative Unit (ANGAU) and New Guinea Force. Headquarters Company also included the battalion Q Store. In addition to holding the usual equipment required of any Australian unit, due to the unique makeup of the PIB it had the added challenge of obtaining specific food and clothing required by native soldiers. The Signals Section was responsible for maintaining communications within the battalion and with other units in the Port Moresby area by field telephone, with Papuans and New Guineans attached to the section being taught all aspects of the maintenance and operation of the switchboard and line equipment. Although the War Establishment provided for a Regimental Medical Officer and medical orderlies (all Europeans), no permanent medical staff were posted to the unit until June 1943. Prior to this, orderlies were supplied by ANGAU on attachment, although there were occasions during subsequent operations when the men were without medical support, or were supported by medics from the US Army.
Recent media