Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Maps
- Illustrations
- Abbreviations
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- PART 1 THE MAKING OF A GENERAL 1894–1939
- PART 2 FORGING A REPUTATION
- PART 3 THE ARCHITECT OF VICTORY
- 7 War with Japan 1941–42
- 8 New Guinea Force
- 9 Planning Operation Postern
- 10 Reconquest of New Guinea
- 11 Two armies – two headquarters 1944–45
- PART 4 THE POST-WAR WORLD 1945–81
- Conclusion
- Notes
- Select bibliography
- Index
9 - Planning Operation Postern
February 1943 – September 1943
from PART 3 - THE ARCHITECT OF VICTORY
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 January 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Maps
- Illustrations
- Abbreviations
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- PART 1 THE MAKING OF A GENERAL 1894–1939
- PART 2 FORGING A REPUTATION
- PART 3 THE ARCHITECT OF VICTORY
- 7 War with Japan 1941–42
- 8 New Guinea Force
- 9 Planning Operation Postern
- 10 Reconquest of New Guinea
- 11 Two armies – two headquarters 1944–45
- PART 4 THE POST-WAR WORLD 1945–81
- Conclusion
- Notes
- Select bibliography
- Index
Summary
The end of his time in New Guinea allowed Berryman the chance for a well-deserved rest. He returned briefly to Brisbane on 26 February 1943, and the following day Blamey briefed him on future operations and changes to the command structure before he travelled to Melbourne for a holiday with his family. This was a general period of respite for many senior Australian commanders and for the AIF strike force (6th, 7th and 9th Divisions) before they moved into planning and training for the next phase of operations.
Berryman returned from his leave to Brisbane on 19 March and immediately threw himself into work around training the AIF on the Atherton Tableland and discussions with the C-in-C on the nature of the coming Allied offensive. Although they had yet to receive anything formal from GHQ, Blamey's concept of operations was already well advanced. He had discussed the broad outline of his plan for 1943 with Berryman during the beachhead campaigns in December 1942, and he had already informed the GOC 9th Division AIF in the Middle East, Lieutenant-General Leslie Morshead, that his training priorities should be first ‘Combined (amphibious) training and opposed landings’ and second ‘Jungle warfare’.
These operations, which would be conducted throughout 1943, were planned to remove the Japanese from central New Guinea and provide a springboard for MacArthur's US Army formations to launch their offensive against Rabaul the following year.
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- Information
- The Architect of VictoryThe Military Career of Lieutenant General Sir Frank Horton Berryman, pp. 208 - 235Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2011