Australian forces move from U.S. landing ship to beach at Tarakan.

Australian forces move from U.S. landing ship to beach at Tarakan. Australian troops march across a pontoon bridge from a U.S. Navy LST (landing ship, tanks)to the beach at Tarakan Island, off the east coast of Borneo, during the initial landings there April 30, 1945. A four-day naval bombardment by units of the U.S. Seventh Fleet and the Royal Australian Navy preceded the landing of Australian forces on Tarakan. By May 10, the Australian held about six square miles (15½ sq. km.) of the island, including the entire town area, an airfield and a coastal strip about five miles (9 km.) long. The oil wells at Tarakan, part of Dutch East Borneo, are estimated currently to produce about three and a half million barrels (540 metric tons) of fuel oil annually. These wells have been producing for the Japanese since January, 1942, when the enemy seized the island..