Battle of Tsimba Ridge 1945
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 17 January 1945 – 9 February 1945 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1945 | Wikidata P580 (start time) |
| Era | World War II era (1939–1945) | derived from year |
| Location | Papua New Guinea | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Oceania | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Pacific War | Wikidata P361 |
| Coordinates | -5.6425, 154.7467 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Tsimba Ridge was an engagement of the Second World War involving Australian and Japanese forces. Part of the wider Bougainville campaign of the Pacific theatre, the battle occurred in the northern sector of Bougainville Island between 17 January and 9 February 1945, when the lead battalion of the Australian 11th Brigade—the 31st/51st Infantry Battalion—advanced towards the Genga River as part of a drive north to the Bonis Peninsula.
On the peninsula, an enclave of Japanese troops had established itself after withdrawing north following earlier engagements in the centre of the island throughout 1944–45. Coming up against heavy resistance along Tsimba Ridge, the Australians' advance was halted for three weeks as they fought to wrest control of the ridge from the defending Japanese from the 81st Infantry Regiment, whose strength was roughly equal to that of the Australians. The main Australian attack took place on 6 February, but it was not until 9 February that the Japanese completely withdrew from the position. Small-scale fighting in the surrounding area continued until 22 February. The next stage of the campaign saw the Australians take Ratsua as they sought to establish a defensive line across the base of the Bonis Peninsula between Ratsua and Ruri Bay.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Tsimba Ridge (revision 1370591687), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
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- Bougainville campaign 1943 · 57 km
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- Battle of Empress Augusta Bay 1943 · 95 km
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Other battles of the Pacific War
- Battle of Peleliu 1944
- Battle of Saipan 1944
- Battle of Tinian 1944
- Battle of the Green Islands 1944
- Battle of the Philippine Sea 1944
- Battle of Balikpapan (1945) 1945
- Battle of Camotes Islands 1945
- Battle of Porton Plantation 1945
- Battle of Slater's Knoll 1945
- Battle of Tarakan (1945) 1945
All 56 battles of the Pacific War →
Browse more: battles in Papua New Guinea · Oceania · World War II era battles