The Battle of Bougainville was a long and protracted battle on the island of Bougainville which occurred from 1 November 1943 to 21 August 1945 during World War II. The battle began when the US Marine Corps landed at Torokina in northern Bougainville on 1 November 1943, and the Americans held a perimeter at Torokina until November 1944. Then, the Australian troops went on the offensive to mop up pockets of starving Imperial Japanese Army troops on the island. At the time of Japan's surrender to the United States on 21 August 1945, the Japanese were still holding out on the Bonis Peninsula and Buin, and the Japanese had lost 16,700 men in battle, while 26,400 troops were killed off by disease and malnutrition. Allied losses were significantly lower, with 727 Americans and 516 Australians being killed in the bloody campaign.
Advertisement