An Allied foothold in Netherlands New Guinea
During the Japanese advance through the Netherlands East Indies in 1942, Merauke and its surrounding region in southern Netherlands New Guinea remained in Allied hands. It became one of the few parts of the colony that was never occupied by Japan.
Located on the Arafura Sea, relatively close to northern Australia and the Torres Strait, Merauke occupied an important strategic position. An enemy base there could have threatened Allied shipping and communications between Australia and New Guinea. In Allied hands, it protected Australia’s northern approaches and provided a base for reconnaissance, air defence and patrol operations.
Merauke was also the Dutch administrative centre for the surrounding region. Before the arrival of larger Allied forces, its defence depended principally upon a small Royal Netherlands East Indies Army—or KNIL—garrison and locally available personnel.
The Japanese threat
The Japanese occupation of Timor, Ambon, the Aru Islands and most of western New Guinea left Merauke exposed. Japanese forces established a presence at Dobo in the Aru Islands, approximately 170 kilometres west of Merauke, placing the settlement within range of Japanese reconnaissance and bombing aircraft.
Merauke was subjected to repeated air raids. According to O.G. Ward, the first Japanese raid took place on 22 December 1942 and involved aircraft of the Japanese Navy’s 23rd Air Flotilla operating from bases in the occupied Netherlands East Indies.
Although the raids caused damage, Japan never attempted a major landing at Merauke. Nevertheless, the possibility of an attack remained sufficiently serious for the Dutch and Australian authorities to reinforce the area.
Formation of the Merauke Force
The Australian-led Merauke Force was formally established on 31 December 1942. Its initial components included:
- C Company of the Australian 62nd Infantry Battalion;
- the 1st Netherlands East Indies Fusilier Company;
- KNIL troops already stationed in the area; and
- supporting Royal Australian Air Force units.
C Company arrived at Merauke on 7 January 1943. During the first half of 1943, the force was progressively expanded to approximately brigade strength.
The Dutch authorities strongly supported the development of Merauke as an Allied base. General Douglas MacArthur’s headquarters also recognised its defensive importance, particularly while Japanese aircraft and naval forces remained active in the Arafura Sea and eastern Netherlands East Indies.
In April 1943, the headquarters of No. 72 Wing RAAF was established at Townsville under Group Captain Charles Eaton. An advanced wing headquarters was established at Merauke on 28 April to coordinate the air units operating from the area.
No. 84 Squadron RAAF, flying P-40 Kittyhawks from Horn Island, initially helped provide air defence while the Merauke airfield and local fighter facilities were being completed.
On 16 May 1943, a Japanese Mitsubishi G4M “Betty” bomber attacked Merauke. On 26 June, a Japanese reconnaissance seaplane was shot down by a No. 7 Squadron RAAF Beaufort flown by Flying Officer P.P.A. Hopton.
Construction of the airfield and port
The development of Merauke presented considerable engineering difficulties. The settlement stood on low-lying, swampy ground affected by heavy tropical rainfall. Roads, accommodation, storage areas, port facilities and an all-weather airstrip all had to be constructed or improved.
The Australian Advisory War Council decided on 25 January 1943 that the Merauke airfield should be completed. Engineers laid a pierced-steel-planking runway over the prepared surface, and the first aircraft landed on the completed airstrip on 30 June 1943.
The airfield provided an important operational and emergency landing ground between northern Australia and Netherlands New Guinea. Navigation remained difficult. Aircraft sometimes flew hundreds of kilometres over the Arafura Sea with limited radio assistance and few visual landmarks.
The port and airfield also enabled Dutch and Allied ships to deliver personnel, equipment, fuel and supplies. Vessels of the Dutch merchant fleet contributed to maintaining this isolated base.
Australian air operations
On 2 July 1943, No. 86 Squadron RAAF arrived at Merauke with 23 P-40 Kittyhawk fighters. The squadron provided local air defence and carried out patrol duties.
No. 12 Squadron RAAF arrived in September 1943 with Vultee Vengeance dive bombers. By this time, Japanese air activity in the area was declining as the main Allied advance moved farther north and east.
Australian Army units also conducted patrols through the surrounding region. Between 29 May and 2 August 1943, A Company of the Australian 26th Infantry Battalion was flown to Tanah Merah, inland from Merauke, as part of the wider defence of southern Netherlands New Guinea.
An Allied offensive from Merauke was considered during 1944, but it did not proceed. The operational focus had shifted to other parts of New Guinea and the islands farther north. Consequently, the size of the Merauke Force was gradually reduced.
No. 120 (Netherlands East Indies) Squadron
Merauke later became the first operational base of No. 120 (Netherlands East Indies) Squadron RAAF. The squadron was composed principally of Dutch and Indonesian personnel, with Australian personnel providing specialist and administrative support.
Flying P-40 Kittyhawks, the squadron began operations from Merauke in 1944. Its duties included local air defence, reconnaissance, escort work and attacks against Japanese positions and shipping in the region.
The full history of the unit, including its formation in Australia, operations from Merauke and later move to Biak, is recorded separately:
No. 120 (Netherlands East Indies) Squadron RAAF
Life at an isolated tropical base
Service at Merauke was physically demanding. Much of the surrounding country consisted of swamps, mangroves and low-lying tropical terrain. Heavy rain and high humidity affected equipment, accommodation and personal health.
Mosquito-borne diseases presented a constant danger. Malaria, dengue fever, dermatitis, tropical sores and infected cuts were common. Atabrine was used as an antimalarial drug and frequently caused a temporary yellowing of the skin.
Australian servicemen recalled that buildings and tents had to be erected on the limited areas of higher ground. Tents leaked during the heaviest rain and were sometimes covered with palm leaves for additional protection.
In one recollection, servicemen described planting a vegetable garden using seeds brought from Gawler in South Australia. The plants grew rapidly in the tropical conditions, but wild pigs reportedly consumed much of what remained.
These personal recollections provide an important record of everyday life at Merauke. They should, however, be read as individual memories rather than as a complete official account of the base.
An Australian officer’s recollections of Merauke
The Australian War Memorial holds the published recollections of Arch Mathieson, an officer of the 52nd Australian Composite Anti-Aircraft Regiment, AIF, which formed part of Merauke Force. His account provides valuable first-hand observations about the settlement, living conditions and environmental difficulties encountered by Australian personnel.
The following extracts have been lightly edited for punctuation and readability while retaining the substance of Mathieson’s account:
The town of Merauke was the centre of Dutch government control in the southern region of Dutch New Guinea. The Governor had the principal residence, with one main street containing other houses. It was also a centre of Catholic influence, with a convent, church and school.
When the Americans arrived in force, they renamed Dutch streets with American-style names such as Main Street, First Street, Second Street and Third Street. The mission was damaged during the first major Japanese air raid.
The entire area was only two or three feet above sea level, with the water table immediately below it. Low ridges ran through the area, and it was on these ridges that the buildings, tent lines, ablution blocks and toilets were erected.
The airstrip was built up with decomposed coral. The coral was excavated some distance away by an American construction unit and transported to the site. The airstrip itself was also only about three feet above sea level.
When the wet season arrived, the rainfall and humidity were extreme. Even while sitting in a tent during pouring rain, perspiration streamed from the men. The Army tents and their flysheets proved inadequate. Two men in Mathieson’s tent arranged for local Papuans to cover the flysheet with palm leaves, which helped stop the leaks and insulated the tent by providing shade.
Mosquitoes were another serious problem. After sunset, every part of the body had to be covered. Despite taking full doses of Atabrine, many men contracted malaria or dengue fever. Dermatitis, tropical sores, sweat rashes and ulcers were also common, and the medical staff had few treatments available beyond remedies such as calamine lotion.
After the men had settled into Merauke, they planted seeds collected at Gawler in South Australia. Local Papuans were employed to clear the site, and peas, beans, tomatoes, onions, turnips and cabbages were planted. The plants grew rapidly—often too rapidly—and many went to seed before they could be harvested. Wild pigs ate much of what remained, and the garden was eventually abandoned to the returning jungle.
Source: Arch Mathieson, Merauke K.K.K. Force Dutch New Guinea: Some Memories of One Officer of the 52nd Australian Composite A.A. Regiment A.I.F. which was Part of the Force, 1995. Australian War Memorial collection record.
Film record of the Merauke Force
The Australian War Memorial holds wartime film showing the activities of the Merauke Force. The footage includes military training, fishing and patrols through jungle and swamp country.
It also records a visit by Lieutenant General John Northcott to Brigadier J.R. Stevenson, Dutch naval patrol activity, and Kittyhawks and personnel of No. 86 Squadron RAAF.
Photographs and documents
The surviving photographs and documents connected with Merauke are an important part of this history.
Contemporary account of wartime Merauke
The following document provides a more detailed account of Merauke during the Second World War. It describes the settlement’s strategic position, the threat posed by Japanese forces in the surrounding islands, the construction and operation of the Allied airfield, and the difficult conditions experienced by personnel stationed there.
The document has been retained in its original form as a valuable historical record. Some information is also summarised in this article, but the complete text contains additional operational and geographical detail of interest to researchers.
Return to Dutch administration
As the Japanese threat diminished, the Australian presence at Merauke was progressively reduced. On 4 July 1945, responsibility for the region was formally returned to the Netherlands East Indies authorities.
Merauke’s wartime importance had extended beyond its role as a defensive outpost. The airfield and port supported Allied operations, protected Australia’s northern approaches and provided the operational starting point for No. 120 (Netherlands East Indies) Squadron.
A postwar connection
In 1954, the author’s aunt, Annie Budde, arrived in Merauke. At that time, facilities developed during the Allied occupation—including the airfield and wharf—remained in use, while the Royal Netherlands Navy continued to maintain a presence in the region.
This family connection illustrates how the wartime development of Merauke continued to affect the settlement during the final years of Dutch administration in Netherlands New Guinea.
Sources and further reading
- DACC Air Force Research Portal
- O.G. Ward, South-West New Guinea: A Geography of Papua and the Australian Mandated Territory, National Library of Australia catalogue record.
- Jack Ford, Allies in a Bind: Australia and the Netherlands East Indies in the Second World War.
- Australian War Memorial, Merauke Force—wartime film, 24 May 1944.
- Australian War Memorial, Merauke Force and Merauke Area—unit records.
- Australian War Memorial, Merauke Force and Merauke Area war diaries, 1943–1945.
