Battle of Lababia Ridge

Battle of Lababia Ridge
Part of World War II, Pacific War
Date 20–23 June 1943 Location Territory of New Guinea 07°13′00″S 147°01′00″E / 7.21667°S 147.01667°E / -7.21667; 147.01667 Result Allied victory
Belligerents
Australia	Japan
Commanders and leaders
Frederick Wood Walter Dexter	Katsutoshi Araki
Units involved
2/6th Infantry Battalion	66th Infantry Regiment
Strength
80–150	1,500
Casualties and losses
11 killed, 12 wounded	41 killed, 131 wounded

The Battle of Lababia Ridge was fought from 20–23 June 1943 in the Territory of New Guinea during World War II. Part of the Salamaua–Lae campaign, the battle involved Australian and Japanese troops who clashed on the ridge, which was about 20 kilometres (12 mi) south of Salamaua, near Mubo, over the course of several days. The battle was fought in conjunction with several other actions in the region as the Allies attempted to draw Japanese attention away from Lae, where they launched seaborne landings in mid-September 1943, in conjunction with airborne landings around Nadzab. The fighting around Lababia Ridge took place at the same time as the Battle of Mubo, after two battalions of Japanese infantry launched a counter-attack on a depleted Australian company. The Australians, supported by Royal Australian Air Force fighter-bombers, managed to hold off the initial Japanese attacks before being reinforced by another depleted company. Fighting continued over the course of three days before the Japanese withdrew.