Ballale Island

Yesterday Comanche-5 flew to Ballale Island a remote uninhabited flat island located just 20 NM south of Bougainville. The opportunity to visit this place held a mixture of emotion and anticipation.

The Japanese Navy 18th Construction Battalion arrived at Ballale on November 3, 1942 to build an airstrip. Labour was augmented by 517 British POWs transported from Singapore. A significant number of Zero fighters and Betty bombers were later based from the airstrip. However the fortunes of war changed and Ballale was by-passed when allied forces leap-frogged from Honiara to attack Rabaul. Jananese forces hurriedly withdrew from Ballale abandoning most of their aircraft but not before they executed all of the remaining POWs. Many relics remain. One of many Zero aircraft reclaimed from the island jungles of Ballale in the late 60's was later used in the film "Tora Tora".

After the war, Australian Army personal landed on the island on November 10, 1945 and immediately located the grave of 57 POWs buried in shallow trenches. An atrocities commission was carried out on the island, that led to the discovery of a mass grave, 436 bodies were exhumed with artifacts identifying them as British artillerymen. The remains were re-interred in individual graves at Bomama War Cemetery near Port Moresby. The remainder of the 517 British POWs have never been found. Standing infront of the simple memorial stone at the airfield, with the temperature hovering around a  sweltering 45"C, one could only imagine the 'hell' those POWs endured to build that airbase….

Ballale also holds WWII history significance for another reason. After American forces had managed to crack the Japanese encryption code they learned of a trip by Admiral Yamamoto to fly from Rabaul to visit his troops on Ballale. American Cobra aircraft, flying a circular route from Henderson Field, intercepted the Japanese aircraft formation before it reached Ballale and shot down the Betty bomber that was carrying the Admiral. This event in April 1943 had a major effect on the changing tide of the Pacific war.

Ballale is not a place that's easily forgotten..visiting the island is a rare privilege….thank you BAZ.