Between 8 December 1941 and 20 January 1942, the Japanese launched successful attacks in Thailand, Malaya, Hong Kong, Luzon Island (Philippines), Wake Island, Netherlands New Guinea and Burma. The U.S. Armed Forces until that time was planning for their eventual offensive against the combined German-Nazi and Italian-Fascist forces in North Africa, while training and stockpiling men and materials in England preparing for a major offensive in Europe (D-Day).

     The Southwest Pacific Theater of War in early 1942 at best could be described as a speed bump operation. The undermanned and under equipped Allied forces were attempting to slow down the surge of the Imperial Japanese Military Forces throughout the Southwest Pacific.

     However in January 1942, when the Japanese war machine posed a serious threat to Australia and New Guinea, the U.S. Armed Forces had no options but to become serious about taking an offensive posture and fighting the “second front” in the Pacific.

     During the early months of 1942 the Japanese were on the offensive everywhere in the Southwest Pacific and their military seemed to be invincible.

14 January The Military Police School was first formed at Arlington Cantonment, Fort Meyer, Virginia in December 1941 but was not in full operation until after 1 February 1942.

     The schools formal name was changed to the Provost Marshal General’s School. The course of instruction included basic training for future military policemen and a five-week course, (increased to 13-weeks in May) in four departments: Military Law, Traffic Control, Police Methods and Criminal Investigation. The first two graduating classes consisted of officers. The 720th MP Battalion would be one of the first, and last to be trained at the facility. Plans were already underway to establish a large facility at Fort Riley, Kansas.

     On the same day, 1LT Robert C. Dalrymple and 2LT Winston E. Wallace were transferred from the 703rd MP Battalion, Arlington Cantonment, Virginia, and assigned as the first officers (training) and only members of the new 720th MP Battalion.

     “I was borne and grew up in New Castle, Craig County, Virginia, and graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1940, when the war in Europe was starting to command ever increasing concern in the U.S. I was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the infantry through the ROTC program, but remained in civilian life for about a year teaching vocational agriculture at a high school in Willis, Virginia.

     Orders to active duty came in July 1941, and my first assignment was to the 703rd MP Battalion, Arlington Cantonment at Virginia where I served as a company officer until January 1942. My company commander was 1st Lieutenant Robert C. Dalrymple, who had about one year of service with an infantry regiment before joining the battalion.

     Early in January 1942, I was told that due to my military police experience I had been selected to assist in the activation and training of a military police battalion. When I heard that part about “experience,” I wondered if they knew something I didn’t know. I thought about this for several days, and it sounded better each day and I gradually began to believe it myself. Lt. Dalrymple received similar instructions, and I was delighted to learn that we would be going together. Our original orders, dated 14 January 1942, were simply to III Corps area headquarters, in Baltimore, Maryland, where we would receive further orders.

     We left Arlington Cantonment, each driving his own car. Having been raised on a farm in southwestern Virginia, I was not accustomed to the heavy traffic of the Washington-Baltimore motorways. Indeed, I was intimidated by the volume of traffic. Lt. Dalrymple was from the Philadelphia area and accustomed to driving in traffic. It was decided that he would drive in front, pioneering the trail, and I would follow. This worked fine until we came near a busy intersection in Baltimore where everything went wrong.

     I still don’t know what happened, but I think I might have been a contributor to the problem. There was a policeman directing traffic in the intersection; he blew his whistle, stopped all traffic and made an announcement in a loud voice. While I can’t remember exactly what he said, it was something like this: “We have two lieutenants here this morning. I will try to find out where they are going and get them on their way; then I will try to get the traffic back to normal.”

     We arrived at III Corps headquarters without further incidents and received orders to report to Fort Meade, Maryland, and assignment to the 720th MP Battalion for duty, when the battalion was activated.

     Headquarters at Fort Meade gave us a warm welcome and assured us of their support in our endeavor. At the Personnel Office, we were show the facilities which the 720th would occupy. Personnel gave us access to the Form 20’s (these forms - actually index cards - outlined a man’s basic personal and professional experience) and told us that we could select the men to be assigned to our battalion. We spent almost the entire night going through more than 5,000 Form 20’s and selected approximately 700 men. Our criteria for selection, in general, were experience, training, interests, and education.

     Bedding equipment had already been issued and was in the barracks, and one morning we were told that we could expect 250 men after dinner that same day. Furthermore, breakfast the following day would be our (the 720th’s) responsibility and it was necessary for us to draw mess hall equipment and rations. Lt. Dalrymple typed the requisitions and we both went to the Quartermaster at about 4pm with our shopping list. We were informed that the requisition was not properly prepared. An urgent appeal to headquarters for help resolved the problem, and the Quartermaster was persuaded to assist in meeting the emergency.

     Two hundred and fifty men arrived at 7pm, and we had the battalion’s first meeting. Lt. Dalrymple and I were the only officers and, as I recall, there was a total of one corporal in the noncommissioned officer ranks. No men were identified as cooks. We promptly made some acting NCO’s and started to look for cooks, selecting candidates based on their past experience and interest - both military and civilian. The cooks went to the mess hall and started planning meals for us for the next day, on equipment that had never been used. The food was excellent, including breakfast.

      In the days that followed, many more officers, noncommissioned officers, and privates of very high quality were assigned (many of whom had served with the Pennsylvania National Guard), and began their training. All of the officers except me, and the commanding officer, Lt.Colonel H.D. Furey, who was from New England, were from Pennsylvania. As the lowest ranking officer in the battalion, I was the subject of much good-natured ribbing. It was done in fun and I enjoyed the assignment very much.

     Lt. Dalrymple was assigned as the Battalion Adjutant [administrative assistant to the commander] and I was the Assistant S3 [operations]. As I recall, Captain Anderson [George R.] was the S3. The training period lasted about six weeks. Our battalion was highly motivated, had excellent morale, and enjoyed many valuable and relevant experiences. These factors made training effective and pleasant, and I don’t recall any disciplinary problems. One fellow missed the bus and got home late; that was the only infraction when the battalion was formed. In due course, Lt. Dalrymple and I were transferred to another battalion to assist in its training. I was impressed with the esprit de corps and efficiency of the members of the 720th and I wanted to go with them when they left Fort Meade. I will always remember them and consider it a privilege to have served with this battalion - even if it was for a short time.”  2LT Winston E. Wallace (COL Retired), 720th Military Police Battalion, 1942.

    “My mother saved every letter I wrote to her during my service days, and they have become a priceless heritage and something to pass on to my grandson some day.

     My service number was 33081888, Tech. 5th grade (corporal). I enlisted on 7 June 1941. My civilian employer was Bethlehem Steel, so with U.S. Army logic my first assignment was to Company C, 3rd Engineer Training Battalion, ERTC, Fort Belvoir, Virginia, though I knew absolutely nothing about being an engineer.

     Basic training lasted until 26 September, when I was placed on the enlisted reserve list due to my being 29 years old at the time.” “I was called to active duty on 16 January 1942 after Pearl Harbor, and assigned to Company D, 720th Military Police Battalion, and took basic training again at Fort Meade, Maryland.

     I left the United States with the battalion in late July, 1942, and came back home in October, 1945.”  CPL Stanley V. “Dyke” Knoll, Dog Company, 1942-1945.

20 January  The battalion was activated at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, III Corps, 1st U.S. Army, Zone of the Interior (ZOI) on Special Orders No. 17, paragraphs 77 & 78, dated 20 January 1942, HQ III Corps Area, Baltimore, Maryland.

    1LT Robert C, Dalrymple and 2LT Winston E. Wallace who were transferred from the 703rd MP Battalion, Arlington Cantonment, Virginia on 14 January, were assigned as the first officers and only members of the new battalion.

     Both officers spent their first night at the personnel office at Fort Meade reviewing over 5,000 form 20’s (index cards), containing a recruits basic personal and professional experience. From those cards they selected approximately 700 troops to report.

     Several days later they were informed that 250 troops would be arriving that evening. Since there was no mess equipment or rations assigned to the new battalion, they both spent the remainder of that day preparing requisitions and drawing the needed supplies.

1900 hours The 250 new troops arrived at the battalion cantonment. Of the new troops there was only one noncommissioned officer (NCO), a corporal, and there were no cooks. After the first Battalion meeting 1LT Dalrymple and 2LT Wallace appointed some acting NCO’s and cooks.

     In the days that followed, more officers, NCO’s and privates started to arrive and fill out the ranks for training. Many of the new troops were very experienced soldiers having served in the Pennsylvania National Guard.

23 February, Stateside: In one of his continuing radio 'fireside chats' President Roosevelt informed the Nation on the Progress of the War. Amid an atmosphere of pessimism and defeatism, Roosevelt attempted to reinstate confidence in the American people. In response to calls for an Asia-first policy, Roosevelt demonstrated to the American people the importance his administrations war strategy and the Europe First Policy.

     LTC Furey commanding, MAJ Potts executive officer, CPT Foote S-1, 2LT Weber S-2, CPT Anderson S-3, 1LT Anderson S-4, 1LT Locknane Personnel & Recreation Officer.

     CPT Moffett commanding, 1LT’s Martin and Kossler (assigned but not joined, 2LT’s Dotson and Sheppard (confined at hospital).

     CPT Blind commander, 1LT Burdette, 2LT’s David Crossett and Graham.

     CPT Robert W. Stormer commanding, 2LT’s Francis W. Zabicki, George Dennis and George H. Berkheimer .

     Harrisburg, the state capitol and county seat of Dauphin County, is situated on the Susquehanna River. Pittsburgh is the county seat of Allegheny County located where the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers join to form the Ohio River.

     McKeesport is located twelve miles southeast of Pittsburgh in Allegheny County, and situated at the confluence of the Monongahela and Youghiogheny Rivers. It was the home to several steel mills that produced shell casings and armament for the war effort. The 250 acres of Renziehausen Park on Eden Park Boulevard, was used as a troop cantonment. The company provided security detachments at the Elizabeth Water Works, Duquense Power & Light, the Duquense Building, and several dams in the area.

Personal Reflections

    “Before going overseas in World War II, we were sent to Pittsburgh and pulled guard duty guarding the railroad, the waterworks, the airport and other important places. Tensions were high all across the whole country, with fears of Nazi saboteurs and fifth columnists. U-Boats were sinking ships right off the U.S. coast. We carried loaded guns.

21 March The Battalion relieved the 1st Battalion, 175th Infantry, 29th Infantry Division, and assumed the duties and responsibilities of guarding reservoirs, pumping stations, power plants, dams, railroad facilities, and other public utilities and industrial installations in the industrial "rust belt" of Pennsylvania.

     During this period all battalion troops not actually on duty were held in their quarters as an alert force and were required to sleep on their weapons. During weeknights a small percentage of the troops were granted evening passes until midnight, but from Saturday noon until Monday morning no personnel were permitted to leave, except on duty, and then only under arms.

     No general military police duties such as town patrol, traffic control, or prisoner guard were performed by any of the units while stationed in the ZOI.

     Conestoga in Lancaster County was situated on the Susquehanna River home to the Safe Harbor Dam and Hydroelectric Power Station of the same name on Lake Clarke

9 April, Philippine Islands: The U.S. troops of Bataan in the Philippines had been reduced by hunger, disease and casualties to the point of military helplessness, their commander, MG Edward P. King, Jr., surrendered his forces to the Japanese.

18 April, Australia: GEN MacArthur assumed command and established his General Headquarters (GHQ) at Melbourne, Australia. The forces assigned to him were organized into five subordinate commands designated as Allied Land Forces (ALF), Allied Air Forces (AAF), Allied Naval Forces (ANF), United States U.S. Army Forces in Australia (USAFIA), and United States Forces in the Philippines (USFIP).

28 Aprl, Stateside:l Suffering losses in the Pacific and facing uncertainty in Europe, during his fireside chat with the Nation, President Roosevelt called on Americans to sacrifice and maintain their resolve during the war. Roosevelt particularly addressed the economic concerns of inflation with a seven point program designed to stabilize the economy to meet the country's war needs.

     Cheswick is a small borough in Allegheny County on the northern bank of the Allegheny River fifteen miles north of Pittsburgh

     Latrobe is a small borough in Westmoreland County, forty miles southeast of Pittsburgh, a major railroad hub.

     In early June the battalion was instructed to reorganize and expand pursuant to revised Table of Organization and Equipment (TO&E) 19-55, dated 1 May 1942. Simultaneously Headquarters Company received verbal notice that the battalion was scheduled for overseas deployment, with no final destination specified.

     The new TO&E abolished Headquarters Company, and replaced it with a Headquarters & Headquarters Detachment (HHD) with a total of twenty-six personnel consisting of: fourteen enlisted men; commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel with a Major as the executive officer; two Captains- one as an intelligence officer and the other his assistant; two First Lieutenants as the S-1 (personnel) and S-4 (logistics) officers; a Second Lieutenant as the assistant S-1 (personnel adjutant); a Medical Detachment with one Captain commanding, and a First Lieutenant as the dental officer.

     It increased each of the four letter companies to 170 personnel each, commanded by a Captain, assisted by three First Lieutenants and one Second Lieutenant. The battalion strength was increased from 518 to 720 enlisted personnel, and twenty-nine officers.

     At the time of deployment to Camp Stoneman the battalion officer's staff were;

7 July In the early morning they stopped at Fresno, California and arrived late that evening at Camp Stoneman located in Pittsburgh, California 40 miles north of San Francisco were they were housed and fed.

     Since the battalion was an U.S. Army service and support branch for the General Headquarters, (GHQ) South West Pacific Area (SWPA), that would become their place in the order of battle.The battalion’s tour in the Pacific would take them to three of the worlds largest island nations of Australia, New Guinea, and the Philippines during the period of hostilities.

     They were called to fall-in directly behind the infantry units to provide Prisoner of War (POW) detainment, roadway security, rear security and order once the major fighting ceased, and as plans were made by GHQ to advance further.

        With the Japanese forces firmly entrenched at the door step to Australia and New Zealand, the U.S. and its Allies pored thousands of troops and equipment into Queensland Northern Australia. The formerly sleepy cities and towns along the coast were transformed overnight into busy military training, logistical, and air bases to support the upcoming allied offensives in New Guinea (Papua), an Australian protectorate.

6 August The Mt. Vernon arrived at the harbor in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, where a brief short leave was granted. Fearing a possible Japanese invasion, the city had already established several cantonments for their national troops as well as U.S. troops sent to bolster their defenses. Available records do not reflect if any other U.S. troops aboard disembarked for temporary or permanent duty in New Zealand.

     New Zealand, an island country consisting of two main islands, north and south, and a number of smaller islands in the southwestern Pacific, is situated 1,200 miles southeast of Australia.

8 August The Mt. Vernon departed Wellington proceeding to Auckland, and berthed in the city harbor the next day where additional shore leave was granted.

     Through its early colonial history explorers of Spain, Netherlands, France, Great Britain, Australia and Germany claimed the island. At the time of the Japanese invasion in early 1942, the political territorial control and security was divided between two counties, the Netherlands and Australia.

     The western half was called Netherlands New Guinea, the eastern half was divided into two regions north and south. The northern half was North East or British New Guinea, and the southern was called Papua (Australian) New Guinea.

      The many small tribal groups that populated the island supported the Allies during the offensives to drive out the Japanese.

     A central east-west mountain range over 1,000 miles in length dominated the islands geography. The highest mountains rise up to 16,024 feet and ensure a steady supply of rain from the equatorial atmosphere to feed mountain streams and lowland triple canopied jungle and swamps. The tree line is around 13,100 feet elevation, and the tallest peaks contain permanent equatorial glaciers. Other smaller mountain ranges occur both north and west of the central ranges. Except in the high elevations, most areas possess a warm humid tropical climate throughout the year, with some seasonal variation associated with the northeast monsoon season.

     During the early stages of the war, New Guinea was known by the Allied forces as “the island without roads.” The unpredictable equatorial weather, rain forests, swamps, lack of roadways and steep mountainous terrain created a tactical and logistical nightmare for both the Japanese and Allied forces.

     Only sixty miles to the northeast of New Guinea was the island of New Britain, a part of the Territory of New Guinea. Located on the northern tip was the port city of Rabaul, the forward base of the Japanese Pacific forces. Five hundred miles to its east were the Solomon Islands containing Japanese bases and airfields used to support their attacks on New Guinea.

     With the loss of their bases on New Britain and threat of Japanese attack to Australia in early 1942, the Australian’s made a strategic decision to evacuate all their small bases along the northern coastline of North Eastern (British) New Guinea, concentrating them in the ports of Papua New Guinea, at Port Moresby on the southeastern coast and Milne Bay on the southeastern tip, denying the Japanese a direct jump-off point to their northern State of Queensland.

21 August, 0500 hours The battalion arrived at Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, were loaded onto truck and motor convoyed to Camp Ascot. Camp Ascot was established on 14 December 1941 as a U.S. troop cantonment situated on both Eagle Farm and Doomben horse race tracks, adjoining the U.S. airbase at the Eagle Farm airfield outside of Brisbane.

      “After we settled at Ascot Race Track, we got passes to town, but I broke out with German measles and was admitted to a field hospital where I stayed for seven days. During my absence, Company C moved out, and I was sent to Mt. Isa.” SGT Joseph F. Butchko, Charlie Company, 1942-1945.

1 September Charlie Company departed from Brisbane, Australia aboard the Dutch merchant ship Bontekoe (Spotted-Cow) for Port Moresby, New Guinea.

6 September The Bontekoe, with Charlie Company aboard, made a port call of twelve days in Townsville in northeast, Australia where it was delayed because of unfavorable sea and enemy naval action in the Coral Sea.

     Editors Note: 2LT Berkheimer was recalled to active duty from the Army Reserve Officers Corps. At the time of his activation he had been the pastor of the Arendtsville-Flohrs Lutheran Church since 1935.

     “We have been in Australia for a little over three weeks and already we have mail from home. We want to pay tribute to the U.S. Mail Service. Considering the fact that we are about 11,000 miles from home and remembering how many hands our mail must go through, that record is what we of the U.S. Army call real service.

    Naturally our letters from home were the most precious. We handled them and caressed them as though they were sacred documents. They are the ties between us and our loved ones.

     Among my mail was a copy of The Gettysburg Times for July 23rd. How I appreciated reading it! Since called into the service on February 5, 1942, I have been stationed at Camp George G. Meade, Maryland; McKeesport, Penna.; Camp Stoneman, California; and now Australia. Every place I have been The Gettysburg Times had faithfully followed me. I want to express to your entire staff my sincere appreciation. As soon as I had finished reading the issue received I took it into the city, about three miles from our present camp, and gace it to Joseph Kepner. You folks will remember him as being a resident of Gettysburg. We wandered into each other, quite by accident, the other day here on this vast continent. I would have also given it to William Mickley [SGT William B. Mickley was a 1932 graduate of Gettysburg College and a geography and English teacher at Heidelsburg Township Schools in Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania], also of Gettysburg. We belong to the same battalion. His company, however, had moved on to their final destination before the mail arrived.

     We are not yet at our base of operation. We still have about 1,600 miles to travel. This last part of our trip will be made by train. To get there we have employed three means of transportation. We came from Cap Meade to Pittsburg by motor vehicle, from Pittsburg to California by train; from California to Australia by boat; we have already traveled 600 miles by rail in Australia and the remainder of our trip will also be by rail. We haven’t as yet decided by what means or by what route we will continue and conclude our trip around the world.

    Here each state has a different gauge railroad, (thank goodness there are just six states). You can easily see how that impedes transportation. Whenever a train (passenger or freight) comes to the border of a state it must stop and the entire cargo must be reloaded onto cars corresponding to the particular gauge railway that state operates. That accounts for our battalion company part of the way and then going into camp while all of our equipment is being reloaded.

     Perhaps I speak as one who has been here for three years rather than three weeks. I don’t feel that my opinions have been hastily formed not m I basing my opinions on casual contacts with one or two people.

     One of my many duties as a company officer is that of mess officer. As such I purchase the food for our company. That brings me into immediate contact with businessmen, wholesalers and retailers, with bankers, with clerks, and I rub elbows with other customers. So far we have been in two large cities and I have made these contacts in both places and found them all the same. They are really wonderful people, just like we have back in Adams County, if you show yourself willing to play the game with them.

     Some of my other duties are: Transportation officer, custodian of the company fund and company censor.

     My letter has revealed a characteristic of a preacher. I have forgotten when to stop. Let me close by giving you a brief description of the place where we are going to perform our duty. Naturally I can’t reveal its name but it is in Australia. We spoke with two officers recently who had just returned from a 10,000 mile tour of inspection and instruction in U.S. Army camps throughout Australia.

     Concerning the place we are going they said: “We don’t want to discourage you but --- is the worst place we have ever seen. The first month you are there you talk to the lizards, the second month the lizards talk to you and the third konth you just sit and listen.” Sounds interesting, doesn’t it.

     We are looking forward with keen anticipation to our arrival there. But we are not discouraged nor downhearted. We are all in the best of health, eating fine food and a lot of it, sleeping soundly at night, and realizing that we are here to do a job and we are determined to see it through successfully.

    We miss our families more than words can express. A lump rises in our throats whenever we think or speak to them. We miss our many friends back home. We miss our work in which we were so happy. But we firmly believe that we are on God’s side and in His time the forces of righteousness and justice will be victorious.

    Keep up the work back home. Remember us in your prayers and we will do our part here.” 2LT George H. Berkheimer, Baker Company, 720th MP Battalion, 1942-1943.

9 September HQ & HQ Detachment, Dog Company and three platoons (1st, 2nd & 3rd) of Able Company departed Brisbane for Townsville by railway, arriving on the 11th. One Able Company platoon (2nd) continued on to Cairns.

    At Cairns the 2nd Platoon performed town patrol, traffic control and stockade security duties.

    Cairns, North Queensland, is Australia's northern-most city. Before WW-II it was a sleepy, sugar-growing center and fishing port, and during the war it became an important railhead and operational center for American and Australian ground, air and naval forces in Southwest Pacific.

     The region was pivotal during the naval battle for the Coral Sea despite concerns that the Japanese could invade. The city harbor was also the home base of the famous Catalina flying boats that flew small transport missions, laid naval mines, provided anti-submarine screening, and the torpedoing of enemy shipping.

10 September The 3rd Platoon of Able Company departed for Charters Towers by railway where they performed town patrol and interior guard duty at the airfield.

     Charters Towers in Northern Queensland was a sleepy gold mining city located eighty-five miles inland (southwest) from Townsville. The city was quickly militarized in the event Townsville were to come under attack. Four airbases, and numerous fuel and ammunition depots were constructed in and around the city that hosted up to 10,000 troops training for the defense of Queensland, and servicing the Royal Australian Air Force and U.S. Army 5th Air Force bomber and fighter squadrons stationed there. It was also home to the 116 Australian General Hospital.

     The Australian and U.S. Military ran regular logistical ground convoys and medical transports between Charters Towers and Townsville.

     Charters Towers was also the location of a “top secret” joint Australian and U.S. Military program (headquartered and operated by the Chemical Warfare Physiology School of Melbourne that was moved to Townsville) involving the operation of a local mustard gas artillery shell replenishing station where massive stockpiles of mustard gas munitions were also stored.

11 September HQ & HQ Detachment, Dog Company and the remaining platoon of Able Company moved to Queens Park at Townsville located in the State of Queensland.

     Townsville is a major port situated on Cleveland Bay, 714 miles north of Brisbain. In late 1942 Townsville was the principle port for those allied troops serving in the New Guinea campaign and Cleveland Bay between Magnetic Island and Townsville, was an important assembly point for shipping.

     Queens Park was one of three large Botanical Garden areas in Townsville that were converted to camps for thousands of Australian and U.S. troops. The camp at Queens Park also contained an underground command center for the U.S. Army.

     The Australian forces chose Townsville as their Area Combined Headquarters for the North East Area, while the American forces used Townsville as the headquarters of the U.S. Army Base Section-2 (the northern Queensland component of the U.S. Army Services of Supply Organization), and the 4th Air Depot of the U.S. Army Air Force.

     It became a garrison city with approximately 100,000 U.S. troops based in the district, and was used as a staging point into the Southwest Pacific Theatre.

    In Australia, the country was divided into seven numbered Base Sections. The State of Queensland was separated into two sections. Northern Queensland, where the battalion conducted most of their duties was Base Section-2, and southern Queensland was Base Section-3.

     LTC Furey was immediately appointed as Provost Marshal of Base Section-2 replacing LTC James L. Patterson who would later become the next battalion commander. MAJ Potts (executive officer) was assigned additional duties as the Base Section Prison Officer.

     Dog Company was assigned town patrol duty, traffic control and dock and ship security work, while the 1st Platoon of Able Company was assigned to stockade duty at Base Section-2.

    HQ & HQ Detachment carried on its normal command functions, and in addition, assisted in the military police duties as much as possible.

12 September Baker Company moved from Brisbane to Mt. Isa by railway, arriving on the 16th Mount Isa was located in Northwestern Queensland 800 miles west of Townsville and was a large mineral mining town. It became an inland garrison city playing host to U.S. troops, logistical supply storage facilities with a rail link to Townsville and roadway links to northern territory coastal port towns. There was also a Royal Australian Air Force, base and airfield.

     The town also had an underground hospital built in the mines after February 1942. The Medical Superintendent of Mount Isa Hospital asked Mount Isa Mines to help build it to protect patients in the event of any Japanese air raids. The hospital provided services for routine medical outpatient care, and maternity and surgical operating theaters. Local miners, who volunteered to work in their spare time and on weekends, constructed it. Baker Company performed garrison duties to include: town patrol; stockade duty; and establishing outposts at Croomoweal Road, and in Cloncurry. One outpost included a climb of the approximately 1,000 steps to the top of an outcropping observation post where their duty was to report all aircraft sightings.

21 September The Bontekoe and Charlie Company finally arrived at their destination of Port Moresby on the coast of southeastern New Guinea, where they set up their headquarters at the Koki Mission area and were assigned to town patrol. The capital of Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby was a costal city nestled in a protective cove on the Gulf of Papua on the southeastern coast. It was home to U.S. Sub-Base D, the main Allied cantonment on the island in 1942. It had a protected waterway, 5 miles long by 3 miles wide, with a sand and clay bottom affording excellent holding ground for anchorage. Temperatures were relatively mild, with rainfall uniform in distribution and not excessive.

     The southern section was called Port Moresby Town, which included Paga Hill, Ela Beach and the main wharf. To the north were two small communities. The northern-most was in Konedobu at Fairfax Harbor, a dock at Tatana Island. The southern-most closest to town was Kaevaga, home to the Governor Generals House, the Barune (garbage) Dump, and the 116th Station Hospital, which by 1943 would be the largest of its kind in the region. Northwest was the Allied airfield known as 5-Mile (Wards) Drome.

     Due east on the coast was Koki in Joyce Bay, a small outcropping also known as 2-Mile Hill. On the small peninsula there was a mission that was converted to a temporary hospital until late 1943.

     There was also two Catalina (PBY) Flying Boat Bases in the bay, one at Fairfax harbor and one moored by the wharf at Port Moresby.

     The 1st Platoon under SGT Bugle of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania was assigned stockade security duties; the 2nd Platoon set up along Ella Beach Road to direct traffic from both the Australian and American dock at Tatana Island, and prevent pilferage at each.

     The 3rd Platoon, under SGT Clairborne of Washington, D.C., maintained road patrols, traffic control, and road security for the trucks of supplies headed for 5-Mile Drome (Wards Airfield).

     Charlie Company also worked in harmony with the Australian U.S. Army Provost (military police), establishing a good relationship with them.

28 September Japanese planes carried out air raids nightly at the Wards Drome airfield’s at Port Moresby. GEN MacArthur flew in from Brisbane and set up a temporary headquarters wanting to see for himself the conditions at the Australian lines in the Owen Stanley Mountains. Charlie Company was tasked with his motor security.

11 November A platoon from Baker Company commanded by 1LT Francis W. Zabicki, with SGT’s Frederick A. Burness, Jr., Joseph W. Schmidt. Allen G. Taylor and 48 enlisted men departed Townsville by water transport aboard the ship Khoen Hoea, to Portland Roads, Australia.

     Located on the mid-eastern coast of the Cape York Peninsula, twenty-four miles north of the Lockhart River, Portland Roads (Weymouth Bay) was the area supply port for the allied offensive efforts on New Guinea and Australian homeland defense. There was a jetty that was built just before the war to service the local gold mining activities in area. During the war the mining operation was ceased, and the jetty was used to support the war effort. It was 810 feet long to reach the deep water. A tramline ran out to the 60 x 30 foot wharf at its end.

     The detachment performed guard duty of supply depots, military installations, docks, and hatches of supply ships in the harbor, and the road from the port to the Iron Range area to the southwest that was home to several airfields.

Personal Reflections

“From Mt. Isa I was sent to Portland Roads [with Company B] along the Coral Sea, where I did duty at an outpost and reported back to Command all ships passing a certain point. This is where I had my first big scare.

     One early morning at about 0300 hours, it was still very dark; I was on guard duty along the beach guarding the tent where the rest of our people were sleeping. I had just reported by field phone to Command that everything was quiet and left the tent to go outside when I heard a grunting or snorting noise behind me. I turned, my rifle ready to fire, my heart in my throat, my mind asking, how did these sonabitchin Jap’s get this close to my area? But before I could fire, two wild horses galloped past me and disappeared into the jungle.

    After my heart went back to where it was supposed to be, I finished my shift and all other duties in a state of highest alertness. Thereafter, I could confidently say that whenever I was on duty an ant could not get to my position without me challenging it. I also thanked the good Lord that it was horses and not the Japanese, but to this day I can’t figure how those horses go so close without me hearing them. Later I rejoined Company C in New Guinea.” SGT Joseph F. Butchko, Charlie Company, 1942-1945.

14 December The 3rd Platoon of Able Company moved by railway from Charters Towers to Cairns to further augment the military police forces at that point

     In Townsville HQ & HQ Detachment, Baker and Dog Companies deployed military police detachments to perform duties in the towns of MacKay, Ingham, Ayr and Charles Towers.

     Mackay situated on the eastern coast of Queensland was approximately 603 miles north of Brisbane. The city was a popular seaside resort so the U.S. Army, and the American Red Cross jointly operated the Mackay Rest Leave Area, a rest and recreation (R&R) center for American troops assigned to combat units in Papua New Guinea. The center was operated out of the Grand Hotel on the northeastern corner of Brisbane and Victoria Street’s. Planeloads of troops from the island were regularly carried on the four-and-a-half hour flight from Port Moresby to the local airfield

     Ingham is located in north Queensland approximately sixty-eight miles north of Townsville, and 893 miles north of Brisbane. The area is part of the defensive line in the event of a Japanese landing to attack along the north coast of Queensland to capture Townsville. The majority of the residents were Italian immigrants, and all of them were held in Australian detention centers until the war ended.

     Able Company at Cairns sent detachments to Mareeba, Innisfall and Atherton; and Charlie Company, at Port Moresby, operated separate detachments at Ela Boach.

     Mareeba is located in north Queensland on the confluence of the Barron River, Granit and Emerald Creeks, thirty-nine miles west of Cairns. Australian and U.S. troops used the Mareeba (Hovet) airfield as a staging post for battles in New Guinea and the Pacific.

     Innisfail, a rural township in Queensland is forty-three miles south of Cairns. It is at the junction of the North and South Johnstone Rivers, about two miles from the ocean. It served as an Allied training area and part of the costal defense ring.