Australian Army Museum of Western Australia > Records

World War 2, South West Pacific, North East Indonesia, Morotai, 1945

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1945

Overview

View of large number of vehicles parked near sea, Morotai, with ships at sea

Historical information

The Battle of Morotai, part of the Pacific War, began on 15 September 1944, and continued until the end of the war in August 1945. The fighting started when United States and Australian forces landed on the southwest corner of Morotai, a small island in the Netherlands East Indies (NEI), which the Allies needed as a base to support the liberation of the Philippines later that year. The invading forces greatly outnumbered the island's Japanese defenders and secured their objectives in two weeks. Intermittent fighting continued until the end of the war, with the Japanese troops suffering heavy loss of life from disease and starvation.
Morotai's development into an Allied base began shortly after the landing, and two major airfields were ready for use in October. These and other base facilities played an important role in the Liberation of the Philippines during 1944 and 1945.. The island's base facilities were further expanded in 1945 to support the Australian-led Borneo Campaign.
Morotai was the scene of a number of surrender ceremonies following the surrender of Japan. On 9 September 1945, Australian General Thomas Blamey accepted the surrender of the Japanese Second Army at a ceremony held on the I Corps' sports ground at Morotai

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-32-P2013.13.2b

Item type

Photographs

Themes

War and Conflict
War and Conflict > World War 2

Year

1945

Australian Army Museum of Western Australia

Organisation Details
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