Can someone tell me why during the New Guinea Campaign the Japanese didn't occupy Wau after they had succcessfully occupied Lae and Salamaua?
They took all the territory unopposed and Wau had an airfield that was very usefull. Is it simply because it was up the hill and into the jungle? I understand maybe they just wanted to occupy the coast and the idea was that anything at Wau would be unable to counter them anyway but wasn't it still a tactical failure to not at least attempt it earlier? Wipe out the threat and use the airfield? They wre harassed by the Kanga force pretty quickly, making them regret it.
Later on when the Japanese were driven back they did finally try to take it but by then it was much better defended.
How much would the Japanese efforts have improved if they had taken Wae and surrounding towns early on?
Wouldn't they have been able to put up a better coverage by air and better be able to defend their captured territory tactically?
Also, if they had taken it isn't it possible they could have marched towards the southern coast from there(Bulldog track) instead of/as well as Kokoda?
They took all the territory unopposed and Wau had an airfield that was very usefull. Is it simply because it was up the hill and into the jungle? I understand maybe they just wanted to occupy the coast and the idea was that anything at Wau would be unable to counter them anyway but wasn't it still a tactical failure to not at least attempt it earlier? Wipe out the threat and use the airfield? They wre harassed by the Kanga force pretty quickly, making them regret it.
Later on when the Japanese were driven back they did finally try to take it but by then it was much better defended.
How much would the Japanese efforts have improved if they had taken Wae and surrounding towns early on?
Wouldn't they have been able to put up a better coverage by air and better be able to defend their captured territory tactically?
Also, if they had taken it isn't it possible they could have marched towards the southern coast from there(Bulldog track) instead of/as well as Kokoda?