World Battlefronts: BATTLE OF THE PACIFIC: Operation Foo-Foo

Until now, Allied arrows of invasion in the Pacific have headed inevitably (if sometimes deviously) toward Japan. Last week, at the bottom of the Allied line of attack, Australians jabbed a small but significant arrow away from Japan and straight toward the Japs' stolen empire. Landing on the swampy, oil-rich island of Tarakan off Borneo's northeast coast, Aussie troops drove the Japanese off an airstrip. Soon Allied planes would be using it to work over the South China Sea, Borneo and The Netherlands East Indies.

The operations plan was known as "Foo-Foo." In preparation the Australian First Tactical Air Force had...