Port Moresby

Port Moresby or Pot Mosbi in Tok Pisin, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea (PNG). It is located on the shores of the Gulf of Papua, on the southeastern coast of the island of New Guinea.

The place where the city was founded has been inhabited by the Motu-Koitabu people for centuries. The first European to see it was Captain John Moresby in 1873. It was named in honour of his father Admiral Sir Fairfax Moresby.

Port Moresby in Days of Infamy
With the US Navy severely crippled and forced back to the west coast after the invasion and conquest of Hawaii, Port Moresby fell with ease to the Japanese in May of 1942 and quickly became a major military base. Most people in Hawaii had never heard of the city nor knew where it was, while some Japanese had problems pronouncing the name.

By early 1943, the US were bombing the city as heavily as they could.