Operation Squarepeg

In late January 1944, a force of New Zealand soldiers and Allied specialists undertook a daring, behind-the-lines reconnaissance of the Japanese-held Green Islands of Papua New Guinea. The Japanese contested the invasion with air power and inflicted heavy damage on the American cruiser USS St. Louis.

After a successful landing, the New Zealanders pushed inland and encountered fanatical Japanese defenders entrenched in thick jungle.

After the island was secured, Allied engineers, including the famed Seabees, built airfields, roads, and shipping facilities. The seizure of the Green Islands completed the encirclement of the main Japanese base in the South Pacific at Rabaul.

A memorable but overlooked action of the Pacific War, Operation Squarepeg involved a diverse force of Allied sailors, soldiers, and airmen that included Charles Lindbergh and future President of the United States, Richard Milhous Nixon.