Battle of Ratsua

Battle of Ratsua
Part of the Bougainville Campaign of the Pacific Theater (World War II)
Australian troops withdraw from Ratsua on to the Soraken Peninsula following the end of hostilities, August 1945
Date June–August 1945 Location Bougainville, New Guinea Result Stalemate; Surrender of Japanese forces ends hostilities
Belligerents
Australia	Japan
Commanders and leaders
Arnold Potts	Masatane Kanda Eikichi Kato
Units involved
23rd Brigade: 8th Infantry Battalion 27th Infantry Battalion	87th Naval Garrison Force
Strength
~1,600 men	1,400 military personnel 600 armed civilians 1,400 non-combatants

The Battle of Ratsua occurred during the Second World War and involved Australian and Japanese forces. Part of the wider Bougainville Campaign of the Pacific theatre, the battle took place in the northern sector of Bougainville between June and August 1945. The main forces that took part in the fighting were the Australian 23rd Brigade and the Japanese 87th Naval Garrison Force.

The fighting occurred following a failed landing by Australian forces at Porton Plantation in early June, which was part of an attempt to outflank a series of strong points that the Japanese had built across the base of the Bonis Peninsula. After this, the fighting in the northern sector around Ratsua essentially became a containment action for the Australians as they concentrated their efforts and resources upon driving south towards Buin, which was the main centre of Japanese resistance on the island at the time. As a result, the situation around Ratsua remained largely static until the end of hostilities in mid-August 1945.