Tuesday, April 9, 2013 at 12:55PM Troops from 39th Battalion help unload transport ship, Malaita, which arrives in harbour early in the morning.
Another patrol returns from searching for the recently downed Japanese fighter pilot without success. They do report finding a crashed Kittyhawk in the jungle near Gaille.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013 at 12:53PM Commanding Officer and HQ officers 39th Battalion recce likely river crossings in their new area of operations near the 7-Mile aerodrome, while troops continue digging slit trenches and setting up machine gun emplacements around the airstrip.
Japanese forces occupy Ternate in Dutch New Guinea.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013 at 12:50PM D Company 39th Battalion rescues a downed RAAF P-40 fighter pilot from the sea off Moresby. They see the plane crash land in the ocean and immediately send native craft to find the pilot. They alert the RAAF tender which picks up the pilot safely.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013 at 12:49PM Troops of 39th Battalion attend Easter service at 8am and then head off to locate a Japanese fighter that had been shot down and crashed 7 miles east of Merigedda Mission. They find the plane and a parachute in the trees but no sign of the pilot.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013 at 12:47PM US Air Force P-40 fighters claim nine enemy planes shot dujring Japanese air raid on Darwin.
In Dutch New Guinea, Japanese forces capture the town of Sorong.
