Operation Goodtime and the Battle of the Treasury Islands, 1943

A force of New Zealanders and Americans invaded the Treasury Islands in the South Pacific on October 27, 1943, retaking them from their Japanese occupiers. Codenamed Operation Goodtime, the action marked the first time New Zealand forces took part in an opposed landing since Gallipoli in 1915. In an unusual allocation of troops in the American-dominated theater, New Zealand provided the fighting men and America the air, naval, and logistical support. Confronting extreme risks against a determined Japanese foe, the Allies nevertheless succeeded with relatively few casualties. Because of the need for operational security, Operation Goodtime received little publicity and has been relegated to a footnote in the history of the war in the Pacific. This is the first complete account of the Allied seizure of the Treasury Islands.

Reg Newell has a doctoral degree from Massey University, Palmerston North (with a dissertation on New Zealand’s Third Division in the Pacific) and continues researching the Pacific War. He lives in Upper Hutt, New Zealand.

Reg Newell
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 249
Bibliographic Info: 33 photos, chronology, appendices, glossary, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2012
pISBN: 978-0-7864-6849-2
eISBN: 978-1-4766-0030-7
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      vi
Preface      1

1. Meeting on Mono      3
2. The Opposing Forces      13
3. The Gamble      41
4. The Downed Aviators, the Treasury Islanders and the Japanese      64
5. The Cowan Patrols      82
6. Invasion: 27 October 1943      96
7. Goodtime—The Air Aspects      139
8. Loganforce at Soanatalu—Desperate Defense: 29 October to 3 November 1943      144
9. Consolidation and Elimination of Japanese Defenders      150
10. Aftermath and Legacies      187

APPENDICES
A: Composition of 8 Brigade, 3 NZ Division      201
B: United States Forces: The Land Component      202
C: The Allied Naval Component      202
D: The Japanese Order of Battle and Weaponry      203
E: Distances to the Treasury Islands in Nautical Miles      204
F: Beaching Times      204
G: Weapons of 8 Brigade, 3 NZ Division      205
H: Uniforms and Personal Equipment of 3 NZ Division      207
I: Amphibious Operations Vessels      207
J: Order of Battle: Goodtime Assault Landings      208
Chronology      209
Glossary      211
Chapter Notes      221
Bibliography      233
Index      237

“Newell provides an intricate and detailed narrative of the Allied diversion in the Treasury Islands, filling a gap in the historiography that had been left unfilled by other scholars”—H-Net Reviews; “written in an extremely readable style that will appeal to anyone interested in gaining a fuller appreciation of the contribution of the New Zealand armed services to World War II”—Massey.