The airborne landing at Nadzab outflanked Japanese forces at Lae and established the major Allied air base in New Guinea by December 1943.
Key Facts
- Date of parachute drop
- 5 September 1943
- US unit
- 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment
- Australian artillery unit
- 2/4th Field Regiment
- Victoria Cross recipient
- Private Richard Kelliher
- Markham Valley Road opened
- 15 December 1943
- Japanese retreat route
- Over the Saruwaged Range
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
As part of the broader New Guinea campaign, Allied forces sought to capture the strategically important town of Lae. An airborne assault on Nadzab in the Markham Valley was planned to outflank Japanese defenders at Lae, complementing a simultaneous amphibious landing on the coast and cutting off Japanese lines of retreat.
On 5 September 1943, US and Australian forces executed a parachute drop at Nadzab Airport, observed by General Douglas MacArthur overhead in a B-17. Ground forces arrived via overland and river routes the same day. The Australian 25th Infantry Brigade subsequently airlifted in and advanced on Lae, defeating Japanese forces at Jensen's and Heath's Plantations.
Outflanked and unable to hold Lae, Japanese forces withdrew over the Saruwaged Range, suffering severe losses from exposure and starvation. Allied troops entered Lae, and Nadzab was developed into the major Allied air base in New Guinea after the Markham Valley Road was completed in December 1943.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
2 belligerents
Douglas MacArthur.
Side B
1 belligerent