The
Battle of Milne Bay (25 August – 7 September 1942), also known as
Operation RE by the Japanese, was a battle of the
Pacific campaign of
World War II. Elite Japanese naval troops, known as
Kaigun Rikusentai (Special Naval Landing Forces), with tank support attacked the
Allied airfields at
Milne Bay that had been established on the eastern tip of
New Guinea. Due to poor intelligence work, the Japanese miscalculated the size of the predominantly Australian garrison and, believing that the airfields were only defended by two or three
companies, initially landed a force roughly equivalent in size to one
battalion on 25 August 1942. The Allies, forewarned by intelligence from
Ultra, had heavily reinforced the garrison.