Seventeenth Army
On 25 August, "Tatsuta" was again bombed by B-17s during its coverage of the landing of 1,200 troops of the Kure No. 5 Special Naval Landing Force at Milne Bay, New Guinea ("Operation RE"), again escaping without damage. On 6 September, "Tatsuta" was part of the force assigned to evacuate the surviving troops after their defeat. On 6 October, "Tatsuta" was tasked with the mission to transport the Seventeenth Army led by General Harukichi Hyakutake and troops to Guadalcanal, followed by escort of two "Tokyo Express" high speed transport runs with supplies and reinforcements in October.