Lark Force

E177549

Lark Force was an Australian Army formation deployed to defend Rabaul in New Britain during World War II, ultimately overwhelmed by Japanese forces in 1942.

All labels observed (2)

Label Occurrences
Lark Force canonical 2
Sparrow Force 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Australian Army formation
airSupport limited RAAF presence
allegiance Allied powers
assignedRole garrison force
branch Australian Army
casualtiesDescription high killed, missing, and POW losses
codeName Lark Force
commemoration remembered in Australian war memorials
componentUnit 17th Anti-Tank Battery
2/10th Field Ambulance
2/22nd Battalion
New Guinea Volunteer Rifles detachment
anti-aircraft units at Rabaul
coastal artillery units at Rabaul
conflict Second World War
linked to: World War II
country Australia
dateOverrun 1942-01-23
engagement Battle of Rabaul (1942)
linked to: Invasion of Rabaul
engagementOutcome defeat at Rabaul
fate overrun by Japanese forces
formedBy Australian Army
garrisonArea Rabaul and surrounding areas of New Britain
historicalEra World War II Pacific campaign
linked to: Pacific War
legacy symbol of early Australian defeats in Pacific War
locationDeployed New Britain
Rabaul
Territory of New Guinea
logisticalSituation isolated and poorly reinforced
navalSupport minimal Royal Australian Navy support
notableEvent Tol Plantation massacre
sinking of Montevideo Maru
opponent Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Navy
partOf Second Australian Imperial Force
POWTransportShip Montevideo Maru
primaryMission defence of Rabaul
resultOfDeployment heavy casualties
large number of prisoners of war
statusAfterJanuary1942 destroyed as a fighting formation
strategicPurpose forward outpost against Japanese expansion
strengthApproximate 1400 personnel
supportedBy Royal Australian Air Force units at Rabaul
theatre Pacific War
typeOfOperation static defence
underCommandOf Australian 8th Division (higher command context)
yearDeployedToRabaul 1941

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Invasion of Rabaul opponent Lark Force
Battle of Timor (1942) involvedMilitaryUnit Sparrow Force
linked to: Lark Force
Lark Force codeName Lark Force