Biak, battle for

Biak, battle for, fought during the New Guinea campaign on this island 56 km. (35 mi.) long off the northern coast of Dutch New Guinea when reinforced elements of the 41st US Division landed there on 27 May 1944. A key Japanese air base, its airfields were needed to support MacArthur's advance on the Philippines, but it was stubbornly defended by 11,400 Japanese. About 1,200 reinforcements were also landed, though two Japanese destroyers were lost in the process. The Americans' progress was slow and on 14 June MacArthur, who had already announced victory on Biak, approved the replacement of the task force commander by Lt-General Eichelberger. He quickly turned the battle around but Ibdi Pocket, brilliantly defended, held out until 28 July, and it was not until an amphibious landing was made at Wardo Bay on 17 August that all remaining Japanese resistance was quelled. US battle casualties were 400 killed and 2,000 wounded. Non-battle casualties exceeded 7,000, most of whom suffered from scrub typhus or an undiagnosed fever (see also medicine).