The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia
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Deboyne Island (152.352E
10.716S) is located in the Louisiade Archipelago off
the southeast tip of New
Guinea. Extremely
primitive, with no facilities, it had an undeveloped anchorage suitable
for a
seaplane base. Just to the west
is the northern entrance to Jomard Passage (152.12E
10.83S), which connects the Coral
Sea with the Solomon Sea south of New Britain.
The Japanese seized the island on 5 May 1942, during the Battle of the Coral Sea, and the Allies raided the landing force with a handful of medium and heavy bombers four days later, but the island played little strategic role in the war.
Misima to the east was the site of a gold mine that had been worked since 1904 and was still in production when war broke out.
References
Papua
New Guinea Mineral Resources Authority (accessed 2010-8-7)
The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia © 2007, 2010
by Kent G.
Budge. Index
