United States Troops in Papua, 1944

Photo: Associated Press

The photo above is of US soldiers posing with Japanese artillery in Papua on May 17, 1944. Papua was one of the Indonesian territories that became the battlefield of World War II, and the only area where US troops clashed with Japanese troops.

Japan built its defense base in Papua to prepare for the Allied attack led by the United States. The city of Jayapura, which was then called Hollandia, became a bone of contention for both parties. Initially, Japan was the first to control the city, but the United States army managed to seize it and make Papua as a military base to launch attacks against Japanese troops in the Philippines.

Many victims fell from both sides and were buried in Papua. Decades later the governments of both countries are trying to return the remains of their soldiers to their respective countries. When research was carried out to bring home the skeletons, objects unique to the two countries were found. At the base of the United States army found bottles of Coca-Cola, while at the base of the Japanese army found bottles of Sake.

Until now, we can still find remnants of World War II in Papua such as various military vehicles and defense bunkers.