ANZAC Area facts for kids
Quick facts for kids ANZAC Area (Command) |
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South Pacific Lines of Communication to Australia 1942
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| Active | 27 January – 22 April 1942 |
| Country |  Australia New Zealand United States |
| Allegiance | Allies of World War II |
| Branch | Navy |
| Type | Multinational naval air and sea support |
| Role | Defense of Australia and Commonwealth territories |
| Engagements | World War II
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| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Herbert Fairfax Leary |
The ANZAC Area, also known as the ANZAC Command, was a short-lived naval (sea-based) military command. It was created for the Allied forces defending the waters northeast of Australia. This included the Fiji Islands, New Hebrides, and New Caledonia. It operated during the early parts of the Pacific Campaign in World War II.
The command was set up on January 27, 1942. United States Navy Vice Admiral Herbert Fairfax Leary was in charge. This command existed at the same time as the Allied ABDA command. The ABDA command was focused on defending Allied lands in Southeast Asia and the Southwest Pacific from Japanese attacks.
The ANZAC Area command was created by the United States and Allied military leaders. This happened on January 29, 1942. It was a response to Australia's request for a command just for its protection. This request came after the fall of Singapore and Rabaul. During these events, the ABDA Command was busy with Java, and U.S. forces were focused on Hawaii.
Creating the ANZAC Command
Australia's Prime Minister, John Curtin, wanted stronger defenses for Australia. This was because Japan was advancing quickly in the ABDA area. The U.S. Pacific fleet was focused on Hawaii and the central Pacific. The U.S. Navy had not taken full responsibility for the sea routes leading to Australia.
The fall of Rabaul on January 23, 1942, worried Australia greatly. Earlier, Admiral King had suggested a command for these sea routes. It would use air and naval forces from Australia and New Zealand. An American officer would lead it under the Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet.
This plan was shared with the Australian government on January 8. For unknown reasons, it was delayed for about two weeks. Prime Minister Curtin finally agreed after Rabaul was captured. The ANZAC Area command was officially established on January 29, 1942.
Admiral Chester Nimitz received a message on January 29. It said that Admiral Leary would command the ANZAC Force. This force would operate within the ANZAC Area. The United States would guide the overall strategy.
U.S. officers, helped by Australian and New Zealand officers, would lead the force. It would include ships of various types. Other Australian and New Zealand naval ships would remain under their own governments.
The ANZAC area covered the east coast of Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, New Caledonia, New Hebrides, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, and Fiji. Admiral Leary reported directly to U.S. Fleet commander Admiral Ernest King. Most of the naval forces were from the Royal Australian Navy. However, the United States and New Zealand also sent warships.
The main naval group was called the ANZAC Squadron. It was led by UK Rear Admiral John Gregory Crace. Vice Admiral Herbert F. Leary took overall command on February 7 in Wellington, New Zealand. He then set up his main office in Melbourne on February 11.
Forces in the Command
Unlike the ABDA command, the ANZAC command was only for naval and air forces. It was not responsible for defending land areas.
The original plan for forces included one aircraft carrier from Britain, HMS Hermes. However, this ship stayed in the Indian Ocean. It was called back two days after leaving for Australia. The United States was to provide one heavy or new light cruiser and two destroyers. New Zealand was to provide two light cruisers and an armed merchant cruiser.
Australia was to provide two heavy cruisers, HMAS Australia and HMAS Canberra. They also provided HMAS Adelaide, a light cruiser. Three armed merchant cruisers, HMAS Kanimbla, HMAS Manoora and HMAS Westralia, were also included. Two destroyers, two anti-submarine patrol vessels, and six anti-submarine corvettes were also planned. Even the Australian ships had issues. Canberra was being repaired, and Adelaide and the armed merchant cruisers were busy with convoy duties.
United States Army B-17 bombers, redirected from Hawaii, arrived in February. They provided air support for the naval forces. This B-17 squadron flew twelve missions from Fiji. Then, they moved to Townsville. There, under Royal Australian Air Force command, they made the first American bomber raid on Rabaul on February 23.
Important Events
Soon after the command started, a very large troop convoy moved through the area. This was Task Force 6184, also called Poppy Force. It carried about 15,000 troops to secure New Caledonia. This island was vital for air and sea routes in the South Pacific.
These troops later formed the Americal Division after arriving in New Caledonia. The convoy left New York in late January. It traveled through the ANZAC area on its way to Melbourne. Some troops for Australia got off there. Others for New Caledonia reorganized and boarded new ships. This new convoy, ZK-7, left on March 7 and arrived six days later.
The convoy was so important that the Pacific Fleet sent many forces to the ANZAC area. This included the carrier USS Lexington. It was protected by cruisers USS Indianapolis, USS Minneapolis, USS Pensacola and USS San Francisco, and ten destroyers.
On March 10, Lexington joined USS Yorktown and her escort ships. They failed to stop Japanese forces heading for Lae and Salamaua in New Guinea. However, their planes attacked these Japanese forces from the Gulf of Papua. They sank four ships and damaged others. The next day, the B-17s from Townsville made a less effective raid.
Work on Army airfields continued at Fiji and two in New Caledonia. These were Plaine Des Gaiacs and Tontouta. Work also continued at Townsville in Australia. Ground forces, like the large "Poppy Force," were sent to the islands for local defense. These efforts continued throughout the ANZAC Area command's existence. They also continued into the formation of the unified South Pacific Area command.
Command Changes
The ANZAC Area command began to change after Singapore fell. Leaders discussed how to divide responsibilities between the British and the United States. Prime Minister Churchill and President Roosevelt made a big decision. They agreed on a general line that divided the Southwest Pacific Area (command) from the British-led South East Asia Command.
The United States' areas of responsibility became the Southwest Pacific and Pacific Ocean Areas. The ANZAC command was split between these new areas. Admiral King argued that New Zealand should not be part of the Southwest Pacific command. He saw it as a key link in the island bases from Hawaii. He felt this was a naval problem, not an Army one.
Differences between Army and Navy ideas were settled between March 9 and 16. The South Pacific Area, a sub-area of the Pacific Ocean Areas, would have its own commander under Admiral Nimitz. It would keep some of the international features of the old ANZAC command.
The ANZAC command was absorbed and renamed on April 18, 1942. It became part of the South West Pacific Area (command) under United States Army General Douglas MacArthur. It also became part of the South Pacific Area Command. This new command was in effect, but not fully ready, by the time of the Battle of the Coral Sea.
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See Also
- Battle for Australia
- New Guinea Campaign
- Pacific War
- South West Pacific Area (command)
- South Pacific Area
