Porton A Deadly Trap ' by A. Davidson & the Battle Survivors. The Australians suffered just one defeat during the Bougainville campaign, at the Porton Plantation in the island’s northern sector. An amphibious landing on the night of 8–9 June 1945, the landing was in the wrong place, an essential supply barge was grounded on the rough coral that surrounded the beach, and the Japanese were able to get in reinforcements that gave them control over the area. Dozens of Australian troops were stranded on the beach, and when rescue craft were sent in to get the men, they also became stuck on reefs. Men tried to swim through the shark-infested water to safe ground. When the ordeal was over, 27 men had been killed or were missing, and 69 were wounded. After the author's visit to Bougainville and the battlefield at Porton Plantation, meeting with survivors of that battle who gave graphic descriptions of the short and bloody encounter. Further research revealed that Porton was a futile and unnecessary operation with a casualty rate of 56 per cent and it was never made public. The real story is told using the Official Reports and eye-witness testimonies of the survivors.