Editing Arnold Potts (section)

====Green Islands====
The battalions were spread out guarding airfields and naval installations on various neighbouring islands. Potts agitated for a more focused and aggressive role. He was aware that among his troops were men who had volunteered for overseas service four years previously.<ref name=Long93/> He also feared that a passive garrison role in the tropics would sap the fitness and discipline he had painstakingly instilled.<ref name=Edgar264>Edgar (1999), p. 264</ref> Potts did his homework, and proposed to Savige a four-point plan of action for the Brigade:
* General reconnaissance against nearby enemy territory, followed by attacks to root out enemy remnants:
* on [[Choiseul Island|Choiseul]] (believed to harbour 300 Japanese)
* at the northern end of Bougainville (1,300)
* and on [[Buka Island]] (1,000)<ref name=Long93/>

Savige rejected the plans. His justification in the official war history provides a fair and reasonable portrait of Potts, as seen from above in the chain of command: "Potts was a very gallant man and looked for fights, but looking without planning the ways and means to land and support troops on hostile shores was another thing. Further, Potts always found it difficult to envisage or accommodate himself to the overall plan of his commander ... Potts was a character apart from the rest. His personal courage was unsurpassed and his genial nature drew one to him. However, his zeal to be on patrol or with the leading section denied him control of operations which led him to countenance fear of some disaster overtaking his troops".<ref name=Edgar265>Edgar (1999), p. 265</ref>

Savige eventually realised the northern islands were so quiet, that the 23rd would be better deployed at [[Torokina]] in central Bougainville. This required MacArthur's approval, which took three months. The brigade passed the time enjoying the facilities that the American garrison troops had left behind, when they were transferred to more glamorous work re-conquering the [[Philippines]]. Potts went home on leave to [[Western Australia]] for nearly two months, rejoining the brigade at the end of January 1945. Shortly after he received a curt signal from II Corps HQ, asking why he had not nominated anyone for medals recently.<ref name=Edgar266>Edgar (1999), p. 266</ref>