Fighting In Wadke


Soldiers of the 41st Infantry Division take up positions during the fighting in Wadke, New Guinea. During the New Guinea Campaign, units of the 41st launched operations to clear the Japanese from the northern coast of New Guinea. From 29 June to 12 September 1943, elements of the 41st, primarily the 162d Infantry, remained in contact with the enemy for seventy-six consecutive days. The jungle warfare took a heavy toll on the men of the 41st, not only in terms battle casualties. Many soldiers contracted malaria, dengue fever, and other tropical diseases. Food was scarce, and the damp tropical climate caused uniforms to literally rot off the soldiers who wore them. The 41st’s operations in the jungles of New Guinea earned the division another nickname, the “Jungleers.” After completing the New Guinea campaign, which included assault landings at Aitape, Biak, Hollandia, Nassau Bay, and Wadke-Arare-Toem, at the end of 1944, the 41st was ordered to the Philippines

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