The capture of Wakde Island secured a strategic airbase used to support subsequent Allied operations in New Guinea and the Marianas in 1944.
Key Facts
- Operation name
- Operation Straight Line
- Duration
- 17 May 1944 – 21 May 1944
- Assaulting force
- Reinforced US infantry battalion
- Beachhead origin
- Arara, mainland Dutch New Guinea
- Mainland fighting end
- September 1944
- Strategic outcome
- Airbase expanded; used for Biak and Marianas operations
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
As part of the broader New Guinea campaign, Allied forces sought to seize Japanese-held positions along the northern coast of Dutch New Guinea. The Wakde island group, held by Japan, contained an airbase of strategic value. Allied troops first established a beachhead near Arara on the mainland as a staging point for the assault.
Between 17 and 21 May 1944, a reinforced US infantry battalion launched an amphibious assault from Arara against the Japanese-held Wakde island group. After several days of fighting, Allied forces captured the island. Concurrently, combat operations on the mainland near Sarmi continued as Allied troops pushed westward.
Following the island's capture, its airbase was expanded and became a key installation supporting Allied operations around Biak and in the Marianas. Mainland fighting near Sarmi persisted until September 1944, but the seizure of Wakde marked a significant step in the Allied advance along New Guinea's northern coast.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent