Second World War Japanese Defences on Watom Island, Papua New Guinea

Abstract

Watom Island, in the East New Britain Province of Papua New Guinea, was occupied by Japanese forces during the Second World War; twenty-one Allied Prisoners of War (of whom eighteen survived) were held there from 1944 to 1945. Numerous tunnels and defensive emplacements were dug on the island, and many remain open today. During an archaeological research programme at Rakival Village into the prehistoric occupation of Watom, some of these wartime sites were also recorded, and this paper describes a variety of different site types. These include numerous underground tunnel complexes, beach defences, and a 150 mm howitzer that is still in position at the top of the island. It is argued that Watom was more than just an occupied island, and was, in effect, a fort that defended the rear approaches to Rabaul.

Keywords:

• Second World War
• Japanese
• Pacific
• Watom
• Rabaul
• tunnels

Acknowledgements

Firstly I would like to thank the late Herman Mandui of the PNG National Museum for permission to carry out this research, and facilitating the 2009 excavations at Rakival. These excavations were the result of the collaboration and efforts of many people and organizations. Dr Dimitri Anson and Dr. Hallie Buckley directed the excavations. Dimitri’s earlier visit to the howitzer in the 1980s spurred on our visit in 2009. Support from the Papua New Guinea National Museum was supplied by Herman Mandui and Paul Kop. Funding was supplied by the Australian Pacific Science Foundation and the University of Otago. The field crew consisted of Ben Shaw, Kasey Robb, and Rebecca Kinneston, all from the University of Otago. The villagers of Rakival worked on the project, allowed access to their lands, and acted as guides to the sites described in this report. I would particularly like to thank Ludwik Tode, Penticost Lome and Sammy Koikoi. Steve Saunders at the Rabaul Volcanological Observatory assisted with logistics and information about WWII sites in the area. Professor Neil Price of the University of Aberdeen provided a great deal of information about Peleliu, and encouraged me to submit this research to the Journal.

Notes

1. SAC is the code for the excavation site in the PNG national database of archaeological sites.