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| Location Lat 9° 44' 4S Long 147° 43' 29E Karekodobu village is located at an elevation of 413' / 125m inland from the coast of southern New Guinea. Prewar and during the Pacific War part of the Territory of Papua. During 1942 a rough coastal road connected from Karekodobu to the southern coast and a rough walking trail connectd to Kapa Kapa (Gabagaba) and beyond the Kapa Kapa Trail. Alternate wartime spelling of the village include "Karekodobu" or Kalikodobu". During late 1942, known to the U.S. Army as "Kalamazoo". Today located in Central Province in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Wartime History Nicknamed "Kalamazoo" by American troops, as the local name was hard to pronounce, and because Kalamazoo, Michigan was a town familiar to many 32nd Infantry Division soldiers. In early October 1942, the U.S. Army, 32nd Infantry Division established a Command Post (CP) under the direction of Major Baetcke at this location. On October 14, 1942 nine hundred U.S. Army soldiers under the command by Lt. Col. Henry A Geerds including the 32nd Infantry Division, 126th Infantry Regiment plus the 114th Engineer Battalion and 19th Portable Hospital with several hundred native carriers began walking the Kapa Kapa Trail from this location. These forces would be the only U.S. personnel to walk across the Owen Stanley Range. The remainder of the 32nd Division would be flown aboard C-47 to the north coast of New Guinea. References HyperWar: US Army in WWII: Victory in Papua page 111-112 Contribute
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