Second World War Japanese Defences on Watom Island, Papua New Guinea

Abstract

Abstract Watom Island, in the East New Britain Province of Papua New Guinea, was occupied by Japanese forces during the Second World War; twenty-one Allied Prisoners of War (of whom eighteen survived) were held there from 1944 to 1945. Numerous tunnels and defensive emplacements were dug on the island, and many remain open today. During an archaeological research programme at Rakival Village into the prehistoric occupation of Watom, some of these wartime sites were also recorded, and this paper describes a variety of different site types. These include numerous underground tunnel complexes, beach defences, and a 150 mm howitzer that is still in position at the top of the island. It is argued that Watom was more than just an occupied island, and was, in effect, a fort that defended the rear approaches to Rabaul.