Atlas of Battles

battle, interwar and Second World War

Battle of Crater Hill

Battle of Crater Hill was a battle fought in 1944 at Finisterre Range, in what is now Papua New Guinea. Its exact site is not recorded; the atlas places it at Finisterre Range. It was part of World War II, which ran from 1939 to 1945. The recorded result: Allied victory.

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Finisterre Ranges, New Guinea. Members of "A" company, 2/9th infantry battalion digging in at "Green Sniper's Pimple" after the Japanese forces had been driven back during the battle for Shaggy Ridge.
Finisterre Ranges, New Guinea. Members of "A" company, 2/9th infantry battalion digging in at "Green Sniper's Pimple" after the Japanese forces had been driven back during the battle for Shaggy Ridge.. Australian War Memorial, ID Number: 064260, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought1944
WhereFinisterre Range, Papua New Guinea5.800S, 146.100E, placed at the location, approximate
OutcomeAllied victory
BelligerentsAustraliaagainstEmpire of Japan
Casualties and losses46 killed; 147 woundedand~ 500 killed
Part ofWorld War II1939 to 1945

Where it sits in World War II

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313 placed engagements of World War II in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date1944 (year precision)
to 1944
PlaceFinisterre Range, Papua New Guinea
5.800S, 146.100E
KindBattle, interwar and Second World War
Casualties and losses46 killed; 147 wounded~ 500 killed
Commanders
  • George Alan Vasey
  • Masutaro Nakai
Battle of Crater HillBattle of Crater HillBattle of KaiapitBattle of MadangBattle of John's Knoll–Trevor's RidgeLanding at NadzabBattle of SioBattle of KaiapitBattle of MadangBattle of John's Knoll–Trevor's RidgeLanding at NadzabLae100 km5.800S, 146.100E
Placed at Finisterre Range; the exact site is not recorded. with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1944

Battle of Crater Hill is one of 2,997 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 54 in present-day Papua New Guinea.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q4870804, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Shaggy Ridge, revision 1370589117, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.