Battle of Biak

Battle of Biak
Part of the New Guinea campaign
LVTs being unloaded at Biak
Date 27 May – 17 August 1944 Location Biak, Geelvink Bay Present-day Indonesia Result Allied victory
Belligerents
United States  Australia	Japan
Commanders and leaders
Horace H. Fuller Robert L. Eichelberger William Morrow Fechteler George C. Kenney	Kuzume Naoyuki † Sadatoshi Senda †
Units involved
24th Infantry Division 34th Regimental Combat Team 41st Infantry Division 162nd Infantry Regiment 163rd Infantry Regiment 186th Infantry Regiment	35th Infantry Division 219th Infantry Regiment 221st Infantry Regiment 36th Infantry Division 222nd Infantry Regiment
Strength
Land: 12,000 infantry, 29 artillery pieces, 12 tanks Sea: Task Group 77.2 Attack Group Air: 5th and 13th Air Forces	Land: 11,400 personnel Company of light tanks Sea: 1 battleship; 4 cruisers; 8 destroyers Air: Initially 18 aircraft of 23rd Air Flotilla rising to 166 aircraft
Casualties and losses
Ground: 438 killed 2,361 wounded 7,234 non battle casualties Naval: 22 killed 14 missing 68 wounded	~4,700 killed Unknown wounded ~200 captured

The Battle of Biak was part of the Western New Guinea campaign of World War II, fought between the United States Army and the Japanese Army from 27 May to 17 August 1944. Taking place on the island of Biak, in Geelvink Bay, in present-day Indonesia, it was part of General Douglas MacArthur's South West Pacific Area's offensive drive to clear New Guinea in preparation for an invasion of the Philippines. It was the first major effort by the Japanese to allow uncontested landings for the purpose of creating a kill zone inland. The main Allied objective was to capture the island so that they could construct airfields there. The battle resulted in the capture of the island by Allied forces, which were then used to support operations elsewhere in the Pacific.