Australia and Papua New Guinea's future relationship evolving from shared colonial past

1943 – Buna New Guinea: American soldiers and Australian soldiers arrive in Buna, New Guinea during the Battle of Buna-Gona.

The Battle of Milne Bay was the Allies’ first defeat of Japanese forces on land during the Second World War. 1942 stands as one of the most significant years in Australia’s wartime history. As Australians fought in defence of our shores, there were major battles in Papua: along the Kokoda Track, at Milne Bay and at the Beacheads of Buna, Gona and, in early 1943, Sanananda. On the night of 25–26 August 1942, a Japanese amphibious invasion force landed on the northern shore of Milne Bay at the eas