Battle of Lone Tree Hill

{{Short description|1944 battle in the Western New Guinea Campaign}}

{{Infobox military conflict

| conflict = The Battle of Lone Tree Hill

| partof = the Western New Guinea campaign of World War II

| image =

| caption =

| date = 17 May – 2 September 1944

| place = Lone Tree Hill in the Toem-Wakde-Sarmi salient

| coordinates = {{coord|-1.195|138.834|type:event|display=inline}}

| map_type = Indonesia

| map_size =

| map_caption =

| territory =

| result = American victory;

• Establishment of major Allied staging point and air-base at Wakde airdrome

| status =

| combatant1 = {{flag|United States|1912}}

| combatant2 = {{flagcountry|Empire of Japan}}

| combatant3 =

| commander1 = {{flagicon|United States|1912}} Walter Krueger

| commander2 = {{flagicon|Empire of Japan}} Hachiro Tagami

| commander3 =

| strength1 = 158th Infantry Regiment

| strength2 = 223rd Infantry Regiment
224th Infantry Regiment

| strength3 =

| casualties1 = 400 dead
1,500 wounded
15 missing Smith, p. 278

| casualties2 = 3,870 dead
11,000 dead from sickness starvation
51 captured
17 tanks lostTaki, [https://takihomepage.web.fc2.com/history.htm THE HISTORY OF BATTLES OF IMPERIAL JAPANESE TANKS].

| casualties3 =

| notes =

}}

{{Campaignbox Western New Guinea}}

The Battle of Lone Tree Hill, is the name given to a major battle in 1944 in Dutch New Guinea, between United States and Japanese forces. Fought over the period 17 May – 2 September 1944, the battle formed part of the Western New Guinea campaign.

The battle, with the associated attacks on Sawar Airfield {{convert|10|mi|km}} to the north{{cite web |url=https://www.pacificwrecks.com/airfields/indonesia/sawar/index.html |title=Sawar Airfield |work=Index to Air Bases - Research Report No. 85, I.G. No 9185 |publisher=Pacific Wrecks |date=1944-07-30 |access-date=2020-03-29}} and Wakde, an island just off shore of Toem {{convert|8|mi|km}} to the south,{{cite book |url=https://www.6thinfantry.com/about/a-brief-history-of-the-u-s-army-6th-infantry-division/ |title=A Brief History of the 6th Infantry Division |chapter=The Battle for Lone Tree Hill, Maffin Bay, New Guinea |first=Thomas E. |last=Price |publisher=National Association of the 6th Infantry Division, Inc. |date=1996 |access-date=2020-03-29}} took place after the opening phase of the campaign, which saw landings at Hollandia and the Aitape in late April.Smith, pp. 53 & 232

Following the loss of Hollandia, to the east, in April 1944, the {{convert|26|mi|km}} of coastline and surrounding area of Toem-Wakde-Sarmi was an isolated coastal salient for the Japanese.Smith, p. 232 Nevertheless, elements of the Japanese 223rd and 224th Infantry Regiments, commanded by Lieutenant General Hachiro Tagami, were concentrated at Lone Tree Hill, overlooking Maffin Bay, and were blocking any further advance toward Sarmi, by the 158th Regimental Combat Team of the U.S. Army.Smith, pp. 232–238 The Japanese were in well-prepared positions, which included fortified caves. Meanwhile, the main body of the Japanese 223rd Infantry Regiment had outflanked the U.S. units, and a battalion of the Japanese 224th Infantry Regiment, was retreating from Hollandia, towards the Toem-Wakde-Sarmi area.{{Cn|date=September 2020}}

Lone Tree Hill rose from a flat, coastal plain about {{convert|6000|ft|m}} west of the main jetty in Maffin Bay. The hill was named for a single tree depicted on its crest by U.S. maps; it was a coral formation, covered with dense tropical rain forest and undergrowth. It was about {{convert|175|ft|m}} high, {{convert|3600|ft|m}} long north to south, and {{convert|3300|ft|m}} wide east to west.{{Cn|date=September 2020}} The north side was characterized by a steep slope. The eastern slope was fronted by a short, twisting stream which the Americans named Snaky River.Smith, p. 264

On 14 June, U.S. General Walter Krueger sent the U.S. 6th Infantry Division to relieve the 158th RCT.Smith, p. 262 After ten days of hard fighting, the US forces took Lone Tree Hill. The Japanese suffered more than 1,000 dead, including some trapped in collapsed caves. The U.S. Army suffered about 700 battle and 500 non-battle casualties. By 1 September, there were still around 2,000 Japanese troops in the area, but they no longer posed a threat to Allied operations. With Lone Tree Hill in American possession, Maffin Bay became a major staging base for six subsequent battles: Biak, Noemfoor, Sansapor, Leyte and Luzon.{{Cn|date=September 2020}}