‘End of Japanese Invasion of New Guinea’, 25 February 1943 (b/w photo)

‘End of Japanese Invasion of New Guinea’, 25 February 1943. Photograph, World War Two, Far East (1941-1945), 1943. Japanese corpses line the shore on the western beach of Buna Mission in the aftermath of the Battle of Buna–Gona. The latter operation saw the US Army’s 32nd Division and Australian 7th Division attack the main Japanese beachheads in New Guinea. Despite intense fighting in difficult jungle conditions the Allies destroyed the Buna garrison. Of the 6,500 Japanese troops defending Buna only six were captured, the rest having been killed in action or succumbed to starvation and disease. From a collection of 185 photographs of Japanese, Chinese, Indian, British, German and American soldiers, aircraft, aerial photography and ships at sea.