page_title: Battle of Pearl Ridge
section_title: Battle
hierarchical_section_title: Battle of Pearl Ridge / Battle
caption_attribution_description: English: Men from the 25th Battalion move along a spur on Artillery Hill during the attack on Pearl Ridge, Bougainville.
context_page_description: The Battle of Pearl Ridge was an engagement of the Second World War fought between Australian and Japanese forces on Bougainville Island. Part of the wider Bougainville Campaign, the battle took place in the central sector of the island, shortly after the Australians had taken over responsibility from the Americans. Believing that the ridge was held by less than a company of Japanese, on 30 December the Australian 25th Infantry Battalion launched a four-pronged attacked the ridge. The defending force, however, had been greatly reinforced by elements of the 38th Independent Mixed Brigade and was closer to a battalion in strength. After being held up on the right of their advance, the Australians dug-in overnight and repulsed a strong Japanese counterattack before resuming the attack on 31 December. By late in the afternoon, the Japanese had been swept off the ridge. The Australians later established an observation post on the ridge, which had commanding views of the whole island, and throughout the remainder of the campaign used it to control artillery fire as they advanced towards Japanese enclaves in the north and south of the island.
context_section_description: The Australians spent Christmas Day patrolling forward in concert with Royal Australian Air Force Boomerang fighters from No. 4 Squadron RAAF carrying out reconnaissance flights ahead of their position. Throughout the evening, the Japanese launched an attack against one of the Australian companies, but this was turned back by the defenders. For several days, the Australian battalion commander formulated a plan to capture Pearl Ridge, possession of which would enable the Australians to block Japanese attempts to approach the main Allied base around Torokina, and would disrupt the movement of Japanese troops along the north–south axis of the island, hindering their ability to reinforce isolated pockets.
  Believing that the ridge was held by two understrength companies from the Japanese 81st Infantry Regiment—approximately 80–90 men—who had withdrawn there after the fighting on Little George and Artillery Hill, the Australians decided to commit only a battalion to capture it. On the morning of 30 December, after 40 minutes of airstrikes from Royal New Zealand Air Force Corsairs, who had been  guided onto their targets by RAAF Boomerangs, the roughly 800-strong 25th Battalion carried out an attack supported by artillery and machine gun fire with four companies advancing across a 1,000-yard (910 m) frontage stretching across the ridge. Unbeknown to the Australians, however, the two companies from the 81st Infantry Regiment had been reinforced by men from the Japanese 38th Independent Mixed Brigade under Major General Kesao Kijima and they actually numbered 550. They had heavily fortified the ridge, establishing a series of bunkers and pillboxes between weapons pits that were linked with trenches. However, due to the steep terrain, they were only able to move three mortars onto the position, and there were no other heavy weapons. They were also unable to haul bulk water to the position, and had to rely on constant resupply by foot.
  Establishing air posts, and supply dumps on Artillery Hill and Werda's Knoll, the Australians advanced from Artillery Ridge, where the battalion headquarters was established well forward for the attack. A broad front assault with all four companies forward, the Australian commander's tactic was a departure from the narrow front attacks that had been mounted against Little George and Artillery Hill. Although the left-most Australian company—'C' Company under Captain Wallace Bruce, advancing from Werda's Knoll—managed to reach the ridge pushing through thick bamboo and killing several Japanese, due to the terrain Lieutenant Bruce Shaw's 'A' Company, on the far right of the Australian line and having stepped off from Artillery Hill, was forced into advancing across a narrow razorback only 12 ft (3.7 m) wide, along which the Japanese were able to concentrate a significant amount of fire from the north-east from a feature dubbed "Pear Hill". Confronted by a deep bomb crater, which blocked their path, the Australians became pinned. As more artillery fire was brought down on the ridge in support of the attack, an attempt was made to outflank the Japanese position in front of the razorback, although this too proved unsuccessful as the Japanese defenders began rolling grenades down the slope. After the Australians had suffered a number of casualties the attack on the right was called off and Shaw's company was ordered to form a defensive position and await further orders. The Australian commander, McKinna, then ordered the two companies in the centre—Captain Charles Gabel's 'B' Company and 'D' Company under Captain Malcolm Just—to dig-in where they were, while the left-most company under Bruce, who had reached the Japanese track on the north-eastern side of the ridge, also dug-in with the intention of holding its position until daybreak.
  That night, the Japanese made a minor attack against 'C' Company, but this was turned back with artillery and small arms. The following day the Australians resumed their attack. In doing so, McKinna ordered 'D' Company to renew the assault, aiming for Pear Hill, on the right 
caption: Men from the Australian 25th Battalion during the Battle of Pearl Ridge, 30 December 1944
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