This monograph is based primarily on documents issued by units participating in the operation: special action reports, war diaries, journals, orders, dispatches, etc. Such a study entails the consultation of literally hundreds of individual items. Many of these duplicate one another; many others contribute nothing of value, or too little to warrant special notice. The listing below includes only those specifically cited in the text. It is arranged by echelons from the tap downward to individuals, who are listed alphabetically. Except as otherwise noted, these documents are on file in the records of Historical Branch, G-3, Headquarters U.S. Marine Corps.

To supplement these basic sources, preliminary drafts of this monograph were distributed to many individuals who occupied key positions during various phases of the campaign, soliciting comments, corrections and elaborations. Notes, personal correspondence and interview transcripts resulting are cited in passing but are not listed here for want of space. All of this material has been made part of the record and is available for consultation.

Documents¹

Southwest Pacific Area. Allied Translator and Interpreter Section: Preliminary Examination of Documents. Each captured document was sent to GHQ and there translated. When translations were completed, a bulletin was issued. Each bulletin was numbered and dated on the date of issue. More than 1,000 such bulletins apply to this campaign. (Cited as ATIS.)

Southwest Pacific Area.* CINCSWPA G-3 Journal. Covers entire period of operation and contains copies of important orders and reports issued and received by GHQ.

Southwest Pacific Area.* ELKTON Plans for Operations. (ELKTON, 28Feb43; ELKTON II, 11Mar43; ELKTON III, 26Apr43.) These plans, prepared at GHQ, SWPA, envisaged joint employment of SWPA and SoPac Forces in a campaign against Rabaul.

Pacific Ocean Areas. Message to CINCSWPAC (concerning relief of 1stMarDiv). 6Apr44.

Allied Air Forces, Southwest Pacific Area. Directorate of Intelligence; Objective Folder 75. 1Sep43.

ALAMO Force. G-3 Journal.* Entitled DEXTERITY Journal, this document is a chronological listing of incidents, messages and orders affecting the New Britain Force or its components parts.

Copies of G-2 and G-3 periodic reports, orders and messages are attached. Journal covers entire period of operation.

ALAMO Force. Report on the DEXTERITY Operation, 15Dec43-10Feb44.* 17May44. This is a formal report from Gen Krueger to Gen MacArthur concerning activities in the New Britain area.

Sixth Army. ACofS G-2: Terrain Estimate; Cape Gloucester Area. 15Aug43. HQMC copy corrected through 5Sep43.

Seventh Amphibious Force. Report of Arawe Operation. 10Jan44. An action report for period 22Nov43 through 10Jan44. Carries endorsements of Seventh Fleet (18Jan44).

Seventh Amphibious Force. Report on Cape Gloucester Operation. 3Feb44. Carries endorsement of Commander Seventh Fleet (13Feb44).

Task Force 76. Operation Plan 3B-43 (for Cape Gloucester).* 20Dec43. Contains appropriate annexes and appendices; modifications attached are dated 25Dec43. Copy is found in ALAMO Force G-3 Journal, DEXTERITY, volume No. 8, 22-23Dec43.

1st Marine Division. Special Action Report, Cape Gloucester Operation. Unsigned and undated; HQMC copy received in Washington, 13Jun44. Report is in five phases: I--Planning and Training; II--Landing & Seizure of Cape Gloucester Airfield; III--Extension of Beachhead Perimeter and Capture of Hill 660; IV--Extensive Patrolling of Western New Britain-Borgen Bay-Itni River Area and Occupation of Rooke Island; V--APPEASE (Talasea) Operation. Annexed to each phase are appropriate enclosures including orders received and issued, maps and overlays.

1st Marine Division. D-2 Record of Events. A handwritten daily account of intelligence activities covering period 14Sep43 through 8May44.

1st Marine Division. D-2 Reconnaissance Patrol Reports. A collection of nine separate reports made by amphibious reconnaissance patrols; reports are dated from 14Sep43 to 9Mar44.

1st Marine Division. D-2 Weekly Intelligence Reports. Issued each week from 13Dec43 through 5Mar44.

1st Marine Division. D-2 Journal. A day-to-day hand-written account of intelligence activities, covering period 26Dec43 through 27Mar44.

1st Marine Division. D-2 Daily Bulletins. Issued each day by the 1stMarDiv Intelligence Section, covering preceding 24-hour period. Number 1 is dated 26Dec43. Bulletins briefly describe activities in Southwest Pacific Area.

1st Marine Division. D-2 Weekly Summaries. Sometimes entitled "Weekly Report" or "Periodic Report," these summaries were issued at the end of each week. Number 1, covering the period 26 Dec43 through 1Jan44, is dated 5Jan44. The last, number 11, covers the period 5Mar through 14Mar and is dated 14Mar44.

1st Marine Division. D-2 Prisoner of War Interrogation Reports. Includes 303 individual reports dated from 5Jan44 through 27Apr44. These are reports of POW interrogations, made in the field by Marine interpreters.

1st Marine Division. D-3 Journal. A day-to-day diary of 1stMarDiv operations from 23Dec43 through 28Apr44.

1st Marine Division. War Diary, October 1943. Undated and unsigned; HQMC copy received in Washington 17Dec43. Contains 17 annexes including major orders received and issued, and October diaries of major subordinate elements. Several of the latter cover the last half of September, but all are dated early in November.

1st Marine Division. War Diary, November 1943. Unsigned and undated; HQMC copy received 30Dec43. Contains 15 enclosures, including orders received and issued by 1stMarDiv, and diaries of subordinate regiments and separate battalions for month of November.

1st Marine Division. War Diary, January 1944. Unsigned and undated. Attached is the ADC January Diary dated 1Feb44.

1st Marine Division. War Diary, March 1944. Unsigned and undated; HQMC copy received 20Jun44. Contains copies of 1stMarDiv orders issued during month.

1st Marine Division. War Diary, April 1944. Unsigned and undated; HQMC copy received 19Jun44. Contains copy of 1stMarDiv Movement Order 1-44 (17Apr44).

1st Marine Division. File of Captured Documents. These are translations of documents captured on New Britain; date on each document is the date on which it was translated. Material includes excerpts from letters, diaries, orders, and messages.

1st Marine Division. ADC File. This contains all orders, reports, maps and overlays issued by the ADC Group Command.

1st Marine Division. ADC-2 Journal. A daily account of intelligence activities covering periods 7-11Nov42 and 26Dec43-24Jan44.

1st Marine Division. ADC War Diary for period 12-31Dec43. 1Jan44.

1st Marines. History of 1st Marine Regiment. 31Jul44. Covers period 15Dec42 through 30Apr44 and includes individual histories of subordinate, component units.

1st Battalion, 1st Marines. Journal. A day-to-day account covering period 8Jun42 through 26Jun45.

3d Battalion, 1st Marines. War Diaries for months of January through March 1944, inclusive.

5th Marines. Unit Reports. Daily reports of situation, covering period 29Feb44 through 20Apr44.

2d Battalion, 5th Marines. Record of Events. Covers period 16Sep43 through 9May44; a daily handwritten account.

7th Marines. Special Action Report. 16Feb43. Covers period 25Dec43 through 18Jan43, when the regiment was detached from the ADC Group.

7th Marines. R-1 Journal. Covers period 27Oct43 through 26Mar44. Includes important messages received and sent, and a brief statement of the regiment's activity for the day.

7th Marines. R-2 Journal. Covers period 24Dec43 through 29Apr44. Contains incoming and outgoing intelligence messages and the R-2 estimate of the situation for each day.

Company B, 1st Tank Battalion. Special Action Report. 27May44. Covers period 9Jan-12May44, when this company was engaged in the Arawe operation. Report contains appropriate appendices.

12th Defense Battalion. War Diaries for months of August through December 1943. Submitted monthly, these diaries are dated several days after the close of the month covered in each instance.

40th Infantry Division, USA. History of BACKHANDER (New Britain) Operation, 28April-27 November 1944.* An after action report of the 40thInfDiv. Includes orders and reports received and issued, as well as copies of G-1, G-2, G-3 and G-4 Journals.

DIRECTOR Task Force. Field Order No. 1.* 4Dec43. Includes appropriate annexes. Copy found in ALAMO Force G-3 Journal, DEXTERITY.

Provisional Boat Company, Arawe. Report to Commanding General, 2d Engineer Special Brigade.* 28Dec43. Copy included in ALAMO Force G-3 Journal, DEXTERITY.

LCT Group 23. Action Report of Assault on Talasea, New Britain. 15Mar44. Carries endorsements of Commander LCT Flotillas (14May44) and Commander Task Force 76 (26Jul44). Attached is Boat Bn, 533d Engineers, Field Order 2-44 (5Mar44).

Baley, Maj A. J. Air Liaison Officer Report, Arawe Operation.* 18Dec43. Filed in ALAMO Force G-3 Journal.

Cunningham, BrigGen Julian W. Memoranda for Gen Krueger.* Dated variously, these memoranda refer to the Arawe operation, and are filed in the ALAMO Force G-3 Journal, DEXTERITY, volume No. 8, during the months of December and January.

Heavey, BrigGen W. F. 2d Engineer Special Brigade Report on Landing, Arawe.* 16Dec43. Copy filed in ALAMO Force G-3 Journal, DEXTERITY.

MacArthur, Gen D. Message to CinCPOA (concerning relief of 1stMarDiv). 3Apr44.

Mather, Maj J. V., AIF. Report to Commanding Officer, Gilnit Force, 20Feb44.

Nimitz, Adm C. W. Message to Adm King (concerning relief of 1stMarDiv). 3Apr44.

Rupertus, MajGen W. H. Letter to Gen Walter Krueger, USA. 6Jan44. This is a personal letter giving Rupertus' own account of 1stMarDiv activities from D-minus 1 through D-plus 5.

Books, Pamphlets, Periodicals

Bordages, T/Sgt Asa. "Suicide Creek." Collier's, Vol CXV, Nos. 21 and 22, 26May and 2Jun45.

Craven, Wesley Frank and James Lea Cate, editors. The Pacific: Guadalcanal to Saipan, August 1942 to July 1944. Chicago: Chicago University Press, 1950. Volume IV of The Army Air Forces in World War II.

Feldt, Eric A. The Coastwatchers. New York and Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1946.

Isely, Jeter A. and Philip A. Crowl. The U.S. Marines and Amphibious War. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1951.

Kenney, George C. General Kenney Reports. New York: Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1949.

McMillan, George. The Old Breed: A History of the First Marine Division in World War II. Washington: Infantry Journal Press, 1949.

Morison, Samuel Eliot. Breaking the Bismarcks Barrier. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1950. This is Volume VI of History of United States Naval Operations in World War II.

Pratt, Fletcher. The Marines' War. New York: William Sloans Associates, 1948.

Rentz, John N. Marines in the Central Solomons. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1952.

Robson, R. W. The Pacific Islands Handbook, 1944. New York: The MacMillan Company, 1945.

United States Strategic Bombing Survey. The Allied Campaign Against Rabaul. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1946.

Zimmerman, John L. The Guadalcanal Campaign. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1949.

Miscellaneous

Department of the Army (Chief of Military History). Letter to CMC. 28Apr52. Contains information concerning the New Britain operation.

Far East Command (Military Intelligence). Southeast Area Naval Operations, Part III. Monograph 85-102. Prepared in Japan by Japanese officers, at request of War Department Special Staff (Historical Division), and translated by ATIS on 14 May48.

Garner, Lt O. W. Account of Talasea Operation. c.23Aug50. This informal report was prepared at the request of the Assistant Director of Marine Corps History.

Murayama, LtCol Isamu, IJA. Southeast Area Operations Record, Part IV, Supplement 1. Monograph No. 128 (Army). Prepared in July 1949 under the auspices of CINCFE.

Footnote

1. Documents marked by asterisk are on file in the Departmental Records Branch, AGO, Alexandria, Va.