19 December 1942

Allied Commander in Chief, Gen Douglas MacArthur issues a communiqué claiming a great Allied victory at Buna, ignoring the fact that only Australian troops had taken part.

The Australian 18^th Brigade, victor at Milne Bay, has achieved in days what the Americans have failed to do in six weeks. They have broken into the tight Japanese positions on the eastern side of Buna and forced the enemy to retreat westward to the Buna Government station.

The vaunted Japanese Army’s aura of invincibility is again shattered.