B Company of the 39th Battalion

Under the command of Captain Sam Templeton

The 39th Battalion and 53rd Battalions landed in Port Moresby in late 1941 and early 1942 to join the 49th Battalion in bolstering the 30th Brigades garrison to Brigade strength. The Brigades Commander Major General Morris also had the support of the 13th Field Regiment and the 23rd Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery. Morris could also get assistance from the Papuan Infantry Battalion (PIB) which consisted of Papuan locals led by Australian Officers and NCO’s. This Battalion had special emphasis on personal that had specific knowledge of the area, conditions and the terrain. There was a second territorial unit called the New Guinea Volunteer Rifles which was made up mostly of returned soldiers who had settled in New Guinea.

Less than two months after the new recruits arrival in Port Moresby the Japanese attacked and captured Rabaul, destroyed the fortress of Singapore, invaded Timor and Java, bombed Port Moresby and Ports in Australia.
The Commanders of the 30th Brigade had prepared Port Moresby for a seaborne invasion, much the same as the garrison on Rabaul had done. It had become increasingly obvious that the garrison on Rabaul had been sacrifice by HQ with no chance of victory or survival. Their betrayal by the Australian Army Commanders was a huge shock and reality check for the men garrisoned in Port Moresby. It was becoming even more obvious that Port Moresby was being prepared to be sacrificed the same way. No thought, preparation or plans had been put in place for any other invasion scenario.

The first troops to cross the Kokoda Track from Port Moresby to Buna were from the Papuan Infantry Battalion led by Lieutenant H. J Jesser in February 1942 with orders to patrol from Buna station to the Waria River. On the 23rd of June 1942 a second Patrol of 40 men from the Papuan Infantry Battalion under the command of Major Watson were ordered across the track to Kokoda and to patrol down to Ioma and onto Cape Nelson.

On the 3rd February 1942 the Japanese commenced their bombing of Port Moresby; this signaled the initial softening up phase for the Battle for Port Moresby. By the 5th of February the bombing had increased in intensity, with local desertions and general disarray in the Town.

In early May 1942 the Japanese Navy commenced their next phase of their Port Moresby invasion by sailing south from Rabaul towards the Coral Sea with the ultimate goal of Port Moresby.

The Battle of the Coral Sea was the most strategically important naval battle that ultimately defined the course of Australian history. During the 5 to the 8th of May the Allied and Japanese fleets engaged each other in a defining battle with the Japanese eventually turning their transports back to Rabaul. This withdrawal by the Japanese had ended their ability to take Port Moresby by sea.

Port Moresby had been given a reprieve, but the Japanese still had their sights firmly on New Guinea. The overland routes across Kokoda and Milne Bay were there alternative plan.

In June 1942 an American Engineer Regiment was ordered to construct a forward airstrip near Buna for Allied aircraft. This forward airstrip was seen as an important step in protecting Port Moresby and a great base to harass the Japanese aggressors in Rabaul. The New Guinea force stationed in Port Moresby was asked to supply a detachment of infantry to protect the American Sappers as they constructed the aerodrome.

On the 7th of July 1942 the Company selected to provide protection for the aerodrome construction departed for the northern coast across the Kokoda Track. These groups of men were from B Company of the 39th Battalion under the command of Captain Sam Templeton.