Qualla: Battle of John's Knoll and Trevor's Ridge

Battle of John's Knoll and Trevor's Ridge: Introduction

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The knoll got its name because Lieutenant Bob Johns was the man holding it. That is how these things worked in the 2/27th Infantry Battalion in October 1943: you took a feature, the mapmakers wrote your name on it, and if you survived the fighting afterwards, the name stuck. John's Knoll and Trevor's Ridge were two small rises east of Shaggy Ridge in the Finisterre foothills of northern New Guinea. On 12 October 1943, they became the focal point of a two-day battle in which seven Australians died and two hundred Japanese soldiers died trying to take ground that, on any other map, would not have had a name at all.

Battle of John's Knoll and Trevor's Ridge: Offensive Patrolling

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Major General George Vasey had concentrated his Australian 7th Division in early October 1943, after the capture of Lae, and pushed his men up the Ramu Valley to Dumpu. From there, he ordered what the army called offensive patrolling: probing actions designed to find the Japanese...

Battle of John's Knoll and Trevor's Ridge: Why the Japanese Had to Attack

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The Japanese 78th Infantry Regiment, part of Major General Masutaro Nakai's detachment, held Shaggy Ridge and the Kankiryo Saddle. When the 2/27th seized John's Knoll, they cut one of the supply lines running forward from the Japanese main position along the Surinam River. Captai...

Battle of John's Knoll and Trevor's Ridge: The Morning of 12 October

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The Australians knew something was coming. They had heard movement through the night. In the grey light of early morning, Bishop sent out a patrol. It clashed briefly with the Japanese assault force in the haze. Then the machine guns and artillery opened up. Two companies, about ...

Battle of John's Knoll and Trevor's Ridge: Bishop's Decision

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

At the height of the fighting, Brigadier Dougherty gave permission for a withdrawal. Johns's platoon was understrength, ammunition was running low, and the weight of Japanese attack showed no sign of lifting. Lieutenant Colonel Bishop, on the ground and closer to the fight, read ...

Battle of John's Knoll and Trevor's Ridge: What it Bought

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Historian Philip Bradley later called John's Knoll a key defensive action of the campaign. It was a defensive victory with strategic consequences. The Japanese, having failed to reopen their supply route, had to shift from offence to defence. They pulled back toward their main po...