Battle of Mission Ridge – Brigade Hill
1942 CE.
Shown on the map at -9.157°, 147.662°.
The Battle of Mission Ridge–Brigade Hill (also known as the Battle of Efogi) took place between 6 and 9 September 1942, during the Kokoda Track campaign of the Second World War. Involving forces from Australia, the United States, and Japan, the fighting centred on a high feature south of the village of Efogi on the Kokoda Track. The battle was part of a series of battles fought along the track as the Japanese South Seas Detachment under Major General Tomitaro Horii advanced south towards Port Moresby, coming after the Australians had fought a successful delaying action at Isurava in late August 1942. During the battle two battalions of Japanese infantry attacked the Australian positions on Mission Ridge, with one battalion succeeding in carrying out a flanking move that cut the three Australian battalions off from their headquarters, ultimately forcing them to break track and withdraw further south after launching several unsuccessful, and costly, counter-attacks. A week later, another battle was fought around Ioribaiwa where the Japanese were finally fought to a standstill, allowing the Australians to steady their line around Imita Ridge before launching a counter-offensive.
Text from the Wikipedia article Battle of Mission Ridge–Brigade Hill, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.