The Treasury Islands fighting is less famous than Bougainville but reveals the strategic arithmetic of dispersed garrisons. For New Zealand, it was the first amphibious operation since Gallipoli, giving the landing significance beyond its small place on the map. Japan had roughly fifty aircraft in the area at some points, although arrivals, servicing, and availability make any exact figure provisional. Aircraft, jungle terrain, improvised movement, and local positions forced the attackers to commit a brigade and time far out of proportion to the defenders' numbers. Japanese strength and casualty records remain uncertain because ad hoc transfers and later document loss make exact accounting difficult.
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The Treasury Islands show how a small garrison consumes a brigade
A relatively small Japanese force delayed a much larger New Zealand formation on the route toward Bougainville, demonstrating the economy of force created by island defence.