Shaggy Ridge - Real bad country

[Rising Sun*]

Shaggy Ridge was an important battle in New Guinea by Australians against the Japanese, but it's notable also for the terrain.

You settle in with your company on the razorback leading to the two forward pimples. The ridge falls away in sheer declivities and the top is, in places, no more than a few inches wide. The forward platoon holds a sand-bagged sniper's post and beyond that the Japs hold Intermediate Pimple and Green Sniper Pimple. There is no way of advance along the top. Men can move only in single file where the path is so narrow.
http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-battles/ww2/shaggy-ridge.htm


The terrain. The first picture doesn't give you a real sense of it.


http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/6015/shaggyridgeqt3.jpg



Here's some detail around the top third of the previous picture, with the ringed areas being some of the weapon pits with men in them.

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/4596/shaggyridgedetailbigmenwr0.jpg



Here's some clear detail, which shows what lousy terrain it was to attack. There was only one way to get up there and displace the enemy.

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/3566/shaggyridgedetaillg0.jpg



Some of the Australians who fought there.


http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/5459/shaggyridgesoldiersom2.jpg



In how many places have you seen those sorts of faces and eyes before?

[Chevan]

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/5459/shaggyridgesoldiersom2.jpg



In how many places have you seen those sorts of faces and eyes before?

Oh nice guys;)
Let me guess mate..ummmn ... yea... "The Pirates of Caribbean" ;)
Yes the second guy from the left definitely shoted in this film.

P.S. Good infor mate.

[Digger]

I knew diggers who fought in New Guinea and their descriptions of the conditions and the terrain are actually worse than the photographs.

digger

[Rising Sun*]

I knew diggers who fought in New Guinea and their descriptions of the conditions and the terrain are actually worse than the photographs.

digger


Definitely.

Here's an AWM pic of some lucky Aussies at Sanananda. They're lucky because they've constructed a bridge to keep them out of the water in the swamp. A lot of others just had to sit in the water.

http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/760/sananandald7.jpg

The AWM caption is: Sanananda Track, Papua, January 1943: Australians of the 2/7th Cavalry Regiment in a waterlogged fox hole. They are in a forward position less than 30 yards from enemy positions and the photographer who took this picture could hear the Japanese soldiers talking.
http://ajrp.awm.gov.au/ajrp/ajrp2.nsf/research-print/883BA42EEFB9119ACA256946001EF8AE?OpenDocument

[Digger]

Quite simply, a bastard of a place to live in let alone fight a war.

digger