Japanese Retreat
Brian Freeman was able to tell apart the Australian and Japanese soldiers based on the way the bodies were positioned across the field. In addition, he also distinguished between the forces using the weaponry. It appears that 70 Australians were killed in action, though hundreds more must have been wounded by the encounter. Regardless, the Diggers successfully drove the Japanese into retreating. They then buried some of the Imperial Japanese soldiers in what appeared to be a mass grave. However, there were many corpses that had been left in the spot they died.
Japanese Retreat
Unique Site
The site holds incredible importance as it was the only battle site where the deceased soldiers and weapons had remained untouched ever since the fight took place. The fact that the area was safely tucked away under the canopy of the jungle helped it stay intact for almost seven decades. The Alolo villagers discovered it since they often hunted in the surrounding area. It was kept as a village secret in an attempt to show respect to the spirits.
Unique Site
