Aitape is a small town of about 18,000 people on the north coast of Papua New Guinea in the Sandaun Province.

First contact between the Aitape (Eitape) area and the outside world is believed to have occurred during the 15th century when large sailing expeditions arrived from China.

Both the Siau and Bakla would band together annually for major trading expeditions taking in the Aitape coastline to the south east areas around Wewak.

Still, the Germans built a solid prison at Aitape and installed a powerful radio station which maintained quality communication with Europe.

During the Second World War the town was occupied, along with the rest of the Territory of New Guinea, by the Imperial Japanese Army.

During the recapture American forces bypassed the Japanese 18th Army based at Wewak, taking Aitape on 22 April 1944.

There was little or no strategic gain to be had in doing so as the Japanese force based at Wewak no longer posed a real threat – cut off, short of supplies, and weakened from battle and diseases.

[2][3] Australian intelligence soldier Leonard Siffleet was beheaded by the Japanese on Aitape beach on 24 October 1943.

A magnitude 7.0 earthquake occurred offshore and triggered a large undersea landslide that generated the tsunami.