new guinea . . .

The 594th Engineer Boat and Shore Regiment was now separated into two camps; one at Milne Bay and the other at Oro Bay, near the famous Buna battleground.

Our Boat Battalion set up a fair tent city at Hawalia Point, Milne Bay, despite the severe handicap of constant rain, floods, and knee-deep mud. Showers, theatres, and Post Exchanges were built and gradually the battalion assumed an accredited place in the activities of the base. Shortly after their arrival, 5 April to be exact, the Battalion started work in the LCM plant at Milne Bay. The boats were shipped in sections from California and New Orleans to be reassembled by us over here on assembly lines in large enough quantity to supply the entire Southwest Pacific Command. Company A alone turned out 171 boats from 5 April to 20 July, and twice set a record of 10 complete Mikes in one day. Company C supplied 250 men to the boat plant as welders, shipfitters, tackers, riggers, testers, and inspectors. The keen rivalry between the Boat Companies helped get excellent production results. Company B initially worked at the assembly plants and then was detailed the mission of delivering boats to advance bases.

Clouds In A Tropic Sky

While the Boat Battalion was busy at Milne Bay, the Shore Battalion and Regimental Hq & Hq Company were getting settled at Oro Bay, roughly 200 miles farther north up the eastern coast of New Guinea. Major Godfrey's men had a tough area to clear out, which they did in record time. The huge recreation hall, “The Beachcomber", was the largest of its kind in New Guinea. All of the labor done on the building was voluntary and performed on the men's own free time and was a fine testimonial to their initiative. The Regimental Headquarters section was bivouaced in Palm Grove right on the waterfront in perhaps the most ideal camp site in New Guinea.

Immediately we were assigned a number of projects to test our versatility. Company F started right in first by doing stevedoring and dock work in discharging cargo from vessels in the harbor. Company E got a taste of it too. Company D had a real set-up down at the WAC Detachment Area for the short period of six weeks that it took to construct barracks, and was commended by USASOS for their efforts. Toward the last, when things got interesting, Company F also put out some good work on these barracks. Company D still maintains that their rival company came there purely for social contacts. It is true that the nurse with the black strapless bathing suit cost the project a few lost man hours, but most of the men agree that it was worth it.

We soon took on an atabrine pallor and the first shipments of souvenir Tapa cloths, lime gourds, native drums, combs and grass skirts started on their ways back home to the folks. Our vocabularies had expanded to include such native words as "Kai-Kai", and "Lap-Lap". "Jungle juice" was available at 10 pounds a quart from bootleggers who distilled it from nitroglycerine, arsenic, poison oak leaves, and fermented coconut juice. The famous Sanananda Trail, Higatura, and Chinaman's Ridge were points of interest for Sunday tours. Occasionally the missions at Pongani, Samboga, and Gona, were invaded by Amphibian traders searching for "Cat-eyes" and "sharksteeth" shells.

We house WAC’s, - In A Jungle Setting

We were a little rusty on combat tactics and lacked schooling in jungle warfare so part of our detachment at Oro Bay reviewed weapons training, communication, defensive measures and undertook physical conditioning. Some of our Shore Engineers voluntarily attended the ANGAU-conducted jungle School near Kokoda Trail. This was rugged stuff and a lot was gained from it besides foot blisters and insect bites. The Companies which bivouaced at Gona Village on their simulated problems found out how miserable a little sand flea could make life. This training period ended around 15 August 1944 when a new crop of engineering assignments were given to the Shore Battalion. Company F rebuilt the fuel jetty at the main Base and "H" jetty nearby while Company E built the Regimental Pier at Palm Beach.

Numerous changes in officer assignments were made to strengthen the companies. Officers who had joined our Regiment from other branches of the service only a few days before we left Gordon Johnston were placed in positions for which they were best qualified. This naturally necessitated a reshuffling of personnel to balance the individual companies.

We boasted of a fine area, a "Radio City" theater, good water points, a fine Red Cross Canteen and Clubhouse under the supervision of Mr. William Burr, high caliber ball teams, and the respect of all other outfits at the base.

Returning to our Boat Battalion, we find them still assembling boats at the plant. Company B had wanted more elbow room so Captain Wallner's company moved to Watunau Bay, six miles north of Hawalia, where they occupied the area vacated by a unit from the 543rd Engineer Boat and Shore Regiment. They built up their new camp area and started equipping their newly allocated "Love Charlie Mikes" hot off the assembly line. Company A was also outfitting their fleet and the First Platoon made a test convoy run of 200 miles to Kiruwina Island and return. Boats from the Second and Third Platoons made tests to Oro Bay and return. Company C received their boats shortly after they finished their job at the Assembly Plant on 15 July. The Communication Section of Headquarters Company had set up three radio stations, one in each of the Second, Third, and Fourth Brigade Nets, to handle administrative traffic between unit headquarters and to facilitate delivery of landing craft to northern bases.

The Boat Battalion was alerted on 12 August to prepare to move to Oro Bay by organic water transportation on or about 18 August. Company C completed loading of equipment and personnel on the 16th and weighed anchors on the 17th to be followed by the other 3 companies the next day. This was a 216 mile run in 24 hours done in perfect company running formation. Their destination was Cape Endiadiere, a few miles North of Oro Bay. Their new camp was in a coconut plantation separated from Regimental Headquarters and Brigade Command Post by a bumpy, dusty road.

Company B stayed at Buna only a week, after which they moved again by boats to Finschhafen which was 135 miles farther north. We leave Company B at this point only to pick up their story in a subsequent chapter - Special Mission.

About the same time, 1 September, Company A arrived at Cape Gloucester, New Britain, after a 10 day stay at Buna, and after a 240 mile Company convoy run of 52 LCMs and 4 Jays.

We now had Company C, Headquarters and Headquarters Company of the Boat Battalion, Shore Battalion, and Regimental Headquarters and Headquarters Company left at Oro Bay to carry on with the next phase of training and operations.

Our old acquaintances from Camp Stoneman, the 11th Airborne Division, needed Amphibious training so we were assigned the job of giving it to them. Preceded by two-weeks of work on waterproofing vehicles, loading equipment, and mock-up demonstrations, we combined our personnel with theirs on two landings at Gona Village. It was unfortunate for them in some instances that "dry" landings could not be made due to the topography of the beach, et cetera. There were a few stalled vehicles too, but on the whole the problems were successful and we were commended for our work. There followed a similar period of instruction for the 1st Filipino Regiment, the outfit with the beautiful camp site.

Until we moved up forward to Cape Gloucester, New Britain, in three lifts, we resumed our construction work, practice firing, and review of training subjects. This was a "sweating-it-out" period for us at Oro Bay. We had a visit from the Inspector General around the first of October and emerged with an excellent report. 

Finally, toward the last of October, we received our orders to move up to Cape Gloucester to join our units already there and to commence work with the 40th Infantry Division. Company C convoyed the advance echelon of Regimental Headquarters, Company F, and its own personnel and equipment to Borgen Bay at Cape Gloucester, arriving there on 2 November 1944 after a pretty rough trip with their overloaded boats. Five days later the other units of the Shore Battalion plus Regimental Headquarters (less a small rear echelon) plus our normal attachments: the 3016 EBM Co. and Det. #3 164 Ord. Co. came into Borgen Bay on the APA "George Clymer". Most of us who made this deluxe trip remember the meals they served us en route; it reminded us of Camp Stoneman again.

Here we were, ready to start training with our second Infantry Division and itching to get at the planning phase of our first combat mission. Something big was in the wind and we were to be in on it. Spirits were high and after our new camp sites were readied for occupancy, we jumped into our work with both feet.