Alexishafen, New Guinea. 2 May 1944. Two soldiers train their rifles on a distant target. Three ...

Alexishafen, New Guinea. 2 May 1944. Two soldiers train their rifles on a distant target. Three motor launches (MLs) were used to investigate positions north of Alexishafen thought to be occupied by the Japanese. Two of the crew of one of the launches fire their rifles during the attack. The MLs, carried Army officers to direct the ships fire, swept the coast from Alexishafen to a point twenty to thirty miles north and ran in close to shore to plaster a group of huts and gun positions. On the order the 2-pounder gun forward and the two Oerlikors guns, amidships and aft plus four Brownings on the bridge and the .50 calibre machine guns opened fire simultaneously on each of the three ships. The positions were destroyed.