page_title: Cyril Clowes
section_title: Difficulties at Milne Bay
hierarchical_section_title: Cyril Clowes / Second World War / Difficulties at Milne Bay
caption_attribution_description: English: MILNE BAY, NEW GUINEA. 1942-09-21. ROYAL AUSTRALIAN ENGINEERS TROOPS REPAIRING THE BRIDGE ON THE MAIN ROUTE BETWEEN PONTOON WHARF AND THE GILI GILI - WAIGANI AREA. THE BRIDGE ENDS WERE WASHED AWAY AS A RESULT OF 10 INCHES OF RAIN IN 48 HOURS. MAJOR-GENERAL C. A. CLOWES (1), STANDS IN THE BACKGROUND.
context_page_description: Lieutenant General Cyril Albert Clowes, CBE, DSO, MC was an Australian soldier. He won the first land victory against the Japanese in the Second World War, at the Battle of Milne Bay, New Guinea. Like many other senior officers involved in the Papuan campaign, he was then transferred to a less important posting by General Sir Thomas Blamey.
context_section_description: Milne Bay is a very high rainfall area, and the all-pervading mud made transport a constant problem for Clowes. He had no barges or four-wheel drive vehicles for moving troops around. Milne Force included the highly trained 18th Infantry Brigade of the Australian 7th Division, but also the inexperienced and poorly-equipped 7th Militia Brigade. Of the total force of 8,824, only about 4,500 were infantry.
  Several times during the battle, urgent signals arrived from MacArthur and Blamey, warning of imminent Japanese reinforcements, and urging him to pursue and exterminate the enemy landing force immediately. However, Clowes' original orders confirmed that his priority was holding the completed airstrip at Gili Gili. He maintained a defensive perimeter there which was never penetrated, even while taking the fight to the enemy at some distance from this base. MacArthur was responding to inaccurate intelligence. Clowes had no choice but to heed the new intelligence, and try to relocate his forces to deal with threats that in fact did not materialise.
  At one point Rowell received orders from Blamey that the "landed force must be attacked with greatest vigor and destroyed as soon as possible". Rowell refused to relay this to Clowes, and instead wrote "Confident you have the situation well in hand and will administer stern punishment".
caption: Two Royal Australian Engineers with Clowes, Milne Bay, 21 September 1942
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