The
Battle of Buna–Gona was part of the
New Guinea campaign in the
Pacific Theatre during
World War II. It followed the conclusion of the
Kokoda Track campaign and lasted from 16 November 1942 until 22 January 1943. The battle was conducted by
Australian and
United States forces against the
Japanese beachheads at
Buna,
Sanananda and
Gona. From these, the Japanese had launched an overland attack on
Port Moresby. In light of developments in the
Solomon Islands campaign, Japanese forces approaching Port Moresby were ordered to withdraw to and secure these bases on the northern coast. Australian forces maintained contact as the Japanese conducted a well-ordered
rearguard action. The
Allied objective was to eject the Japanese forces from these positions and deny them their further use. The Japanese forces were skillful, well prepared and resolute in their defence. They had developed a strong network of well-concealed defences.