Gona

The 25th Australian Brigade commanded by Brigadier Eather reached the
most southerly of the Japanese defences at Gona on 18 November. The
Japanese had strongly fortified their positions with well prepared
bunkers, trenches and firing pits. The approaches were covered with
cleared fields of fire. 


The Australians were resupplied from the air on
21 November and were ready to attack the next day. On 22 November and
again on 23 November, the 25th Brigade, which was down to about 1000
men, attacked but was halted with 204 men killed and wounded and little
to show for its losses. 

On 24 November Gona was bombed and strafed from
the air. A much better prepared attack with artillery support on the 25
November also failed but casualties were relatively light. However, by
this stage the 25th Brigade was exhausted from the heavy fighting and
those sick from malaria increased each day. On 28 November it was
relieved by a fresh 21st Brigade under Brigadier Dougherty.

The 21st Brigade closed in on Gona and poured a furious rain of
artillery and mortar shells into the Japanese defences, assisted by
heavy aerial bombardment. 


The 2/14th, 2/16th, 2/17th Battalions and from 3 December the 39th took part in the repeated assaults and by the night
of the 9 December, victory had been achieved at Gona. The Australians
buried 638 Japanese dead at Gona but had suffered 750 killed and wounded
in capturing the village. Fighting continued for another week to
eliminate a new threat that arose on the extreme western flank where a
Japanese force had been landed to harass the Australians.