Coveted Manus

How The Mighty Sea and Air Base Was Seized and Built

From Our Special Correspondent

THE Admiralty Islands, more commonly known as Manus, appear frequently in the news these days.

Recaptured by combined US and Australian forces early in 1944, after two ye%rs of Jap occupation, the potentialsties of the excellent harbour there were quickly realised and exploited. In eight months the US Navy had transformed this once little-known group into a firstclass naval base.

According to reports, the US wish to continue the use of Manus as a base.

Negotiations are in progress between tinner™ and America yarding the ™ 7 - The writer knows the Manus group inoL V oi the Tew who

TaTded with the invZina FirsTuS Cav-

ai™ Division on “D” Day February 29 mvislon on u uay ’ temuar y THE dawn had not yet come when we scrambled into the destroyer’s boats and awaited the signal to make for the beach.

Three miles to the west could be seen the blur that was Los Negros, the second largest island of the Admiralty Group.

Our beach-head was in Hyane Harbour — on the west coast of Los Negros.

Timed to the split-second, the bombardment of our protecting warships

suddenly shattered the stillness, and our boats raced for the beach. The Ist US Cavalry Division were away to their first action—and four Australians were with them.

We four had known Manus before the war, and had been selected to act as guides and native leaders for the opera tions. Robinson and Hoggard were in the first boat ashore, while Booker and McCarthy followed in the second. In the action that followed, Robinson and Dick Booker were to earn richly-merited

Dcm’S.

By May, 1944, the Jap resistance had folded up and the command of the group passed from the Army to the US Navy.

Xt was clear that Manus was a qrize worth havin s: and > already, the Ameri cans were vi g° rousl y the founda tions of a naval base on the shores of See Adler Harbour.

The Admiralty Group is known as Manus District, and is part of New Guinea which has been administered by Australia since 1914. Its principal islands, Manus and Los Negros, are situated about 200 miles N.E. of Wewak (on the New Guinea mainland) but the group comprises many small islands, scattered over an area of thousands of square miles. The largest island, Manus, is about 40 miles by 10 miles. Los Negros is sep arated from Manus by a mere channel, about 100 yards wide.

Three hundred miles west of Manus lie the isolated islands of Matty and Aua —while, about half way, are the atolls of the Hermits, Maron and Pelalhun.

Lying some 300 miles N.W. of Manus are the lonely Anchorite Islands. The Anchorites are a few miles from the Equator and are the northernmost out posts of Australian administration.

To the east and south of Manus are Pak, Tong, Rambutyo, Lou and Baluan, volcanic islands that ' unexpectedly jut out of the sea.

Copra, beche-de-mer and trochus (mother of pearl) fishing were the chief industries of the group in pre-war days.

There was but one town, Lorengau, on the N.E. coast of Manus, and this was also the headquarters of the District Officer.

The natives of Manus are the most physically attractive and certainly the most intelligent of all the peoples of New Guinea. The great majority are coastal dwellers and are expert canoeists and boatmen. With the exception of Matty and Aua islands, the natives are of Melanesian stock. The people of Matty and Aua differ in appearance and culture —they are of Polynesian origin and have long wavy hair, instead of the usual fuzzy mop of the New Guinea people.

The population of the Admiralties is about 11,000, of whom 8000 live at Manus and Los Negros Islands.

This large archipelago was defended by only 25 Australian soldiers when the Japanese occupied Manus early- in 1942.

Completely cut off from New Guinea mainland and New Britain at the enemy’s first onward swoop, those gal lant few had small change of surviving against the thousands of Japs that poured into Manus. But the miracle

happened, and they all escaped to New Guinea.

GENERAL MacArthur, in the midst of his successful “island hopping” cam paign was anxious to find a harbour capable of accommodating his ever growing armada. Cape Gloucester, Sala maua, Lae and Madang had all fallen to the Allies, but none of these places possessed good, natural anchorages.

Rabaul, Wewak and the N.E. coast of New Guinea were still held by the Japs.

The capture of Manus fulfilled our every want. See Adler Harbour, with its ideal depth and firm bottom, was bounded on the south and east by Manus and Los Negros Islands. Effectively shutting it off from the Pacific on the north were the chain of small islands,

Koruniat, Ndrilo. Hauwei and Pityilu. On the western side, dangerous reefs forbade entrance on that flank.

The single entrance to this stronghold was the narrow, easily-defended channel between Hauwei and Ndrilo Islands.

There was thus approximately 32 square miles of anchorage within these natural defences. The strategical possibilities of the place were enormous and it is a wonder that the enemy did not endeavour to exploit it. Still, they had Rabaul.

Here was the harbour where the Philippines invasion fleet could be assembled preparatory to the leap at the enemy’s throat, at Leyte.

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HE Japanese had done very little to improve Manus. As in pre-war days, there were neither roads nor wharves The US forces, aided by RAAF (who landed shortly after “D” Day) lost no

time in fortifying and exploiting the natural resources of Manus and Los Negros.

In a few short days, Momote aero drome was enlarged and in operation. In the next few months, aerodromes and strips were completed at Mokerang, Pityilu and Ponam; and, in the mean time, the shores of See Adler Harbour were cleared of jungle, roads constructed and bridges built. Wharves capable of handling 15,000-ton ships were built; while hundreds of warehouses, stores, workshops and barracks sprang up liter ally overnight—for the work went on in feverish haste.

I had seen the extent of Allied instal lations at Port Moresby, Milne Bay, Lae and Cape Gloucester, but they were shaded by the magnitude of men and materials that poured into Manus during the first 12 months.

Two floating docks, capable of taking battleships up to 80,000 tons, were towed to the harbour in pieces. Working day and night, these were assembled and ready for use in an unbelievably short time.

Smaller docks followed; while a com plete submarine dockyard and Catalina base were built, and operating, before the year was half done.

In the meantime, hundreds of bull dozers ate their way into the yellow-clay hills at Lorengau and Lombrum, to make room for still more barracks, offices, messes and workshops. It was fortunate that the Jap air forces at Rabaul and Wewak were broken, for the blazing arc lamps at See Adler Harbour could be seen 50 miles out at sea, as the increasing work went on.

THE amenities were not neglected— swimming pools, baseball grounds, theatres and clubs were carved out of beach and jungle. The movie theatre at Lorengau was scooped out of the hill side, giving perfect view and audition to- an audience of 5000, seated in the bowl of this amphitheatre. But this did not accommodate a tenth of the nightly audience —in addition, there were at least 20 other theatres.

The Fleet Officers’ Club was the best that I had seen —and I include Singapore —and it was only one of three at Manus.

Built on the beach, it had the look of a Hollywood country club. An enormous

bar ran its inside length; but, if you preferred, you could be served by white coated negroes as you sat under green and white awnings on the lido outside.

Two bands played daily, and I was told that this club served 7000 naval officers every day.

Still the work of construction went on. To protect fully the western side of the Harbour, a boom was thrown across the water, joining Pityilu Island and Manus.

By this time, harbour and hinterland had all the appearance of a busy city.

Motor traffic was increasing, as hundreds of miles of roads were completed, and a bridge joining Los Negros and Manus Islands was in course of construction.

Regular ferry services, with their attend ant crowds, brought memories of Sydney Harbour, as men travelled between the harbour islands and to anchored ships.

THE might of the Allied navies pre sented itself as one looked across the teeming harbour. I, who had never seen a modern battleship, one day saw 11, anchored at See Adler, and the line of attendant cruisers and destroyers ap peared endless.

Many aircraft carriers lay off Pityilu and the RAN ships “Australia” and “Shropshire” were distinctive with their three levelled funnels and unbroken hull lines. “Arunta” and “Warramunga” rested and took on provisions before that final thrust at the Philippines and Japan.

Soon after, “Australia” was to return, battered but undaunted, with her con trol structure crooked and blackened, after an attack by Jap suicide planes.

One day I counted over 60 ships at anchor at Manus —and all of them were of 10,000 tons, or over. I was told that this mighty base was now two-thirds the size of Pearl Harbour.

The war has been fought and won. The docks, installations and aerodrome is of Manus still remain—as do the graves of Americans and Australians (for the RAAF fought also at Manus). Regard less of what nation maintains Manus, let us pray that it will be maintained as a bastion to ensure our peace.