Having been planned by General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander of the South West Pacific Area, to take place in three stages preparatory bombardment, forced landings, advance the objective of the operation was to enable the Allies to establish " an advanced fleet base " in order to enable subsequent naval operations, to capture the vast oil and rubber supplies available in the area and to re-establish British civil administration . with about 8, 800 of these in North Borneo.
42.
An attempt to return at was forestalled by a German counter-attack by parts of II Battalion and III Battalion, IR 183 of the 183rd Division at which was intended to reinforce the line between Contalmaison and Pozi�res but was repulsed with many casualties . but Colonel Schultze, the commander of IR 183 was wounded and a delay to find a replacement led to the attack beginning at long after the preparatory bombardment had ended and the attackers only reached trenches between the " Roerdergraben " and " Quergraben"
