Peningkibaru Push PTO (id:#57408)

Critical Hit (Aussie '98 Pack ID: PBP 28)   [next]   [previous]

Tarakan, the Dutch East Indies 1945-05-04 (5 others)

Overview:

Australian forces had begun a campaign to clear the Japanese from the oil-fields and refineries on Borneo and nearby islands. On Tarakan, the small village of Peningkibaru lay in a shallow valley, just to the east of a ridge which had been taken by the elements of the 2/24th Battalion on May 2nd. The village, protected by minefields and a system of linked bunkers and tunnels, defied initial Australian efforts to capture it. From the ridge beyond, the Japanese were able to interdict the Anzac Highway to the airfield, making possession of the village tactically vital. For two days, A Company of the 2/24th had battled to push the Japanese out. Just after dawn on the 4th, while mortar, tank and machinegun fire was concentrated on the Japanese positions, the officers of A Company formed up their depleted unit to try once more. The Aussies found that the enemy had abandoned their forward positions during the shelling, but were now moving back. A meeting engagement ensued.

Defender: Japanese (2nd Naval Garrison Force)  

Errata (source)