The Toughest Fighting in the World: The Australian and American Campaign for New Guinea in World War II

by George Johnston

A Classic Firsthand Account of the Struggle to Stop the Japanese Advance Toward Australia in 1942
Following their attacks on Pearl Harbor, the Dutch East Indies, and the Philippines, the Japanese invaded New Guinea in early 1942 as part of their attempt to create a Pacific empire. Control of New Guinea would enable Japan to establish large army, air force, and naval bases in close proximity to Australia. The Australians, with American cooperation, began a counterattack in earnest. The mountainous terrain covered with nearly impenetrable tropical forest and full of natural hazards resulted in an exceedingly grueling battleground. The struggle for New Guinea, one of the major campaigns of World War II, lasted the entire war, with the crucial fighting occurring in the first year. In The Toughest Fighting in the World , first published in 1943, Australian war correspondent George H. Johnston recorded the efforts of both the Australian and American troops, aided by the New Guinea native people, throughout 1942 as they fought a series of vicious and bitter battles against a determined foe. In one of the classic accounts of combat in World War II, the author makes a compelling case that the hardships endured by the soldiers in New Guinea from both nature and the enemy were among the most severe in the war.

Genres: History, World War II, Military History

256 pages, Paperback

First published September 30, 2011

About the author

George Henry Johnston was an Australia journalist, war correspondent and novelist. He published some thirty works, several of which were written in collaboration with his wife, the writer Charmian Clift.

Reviews

[Jon Zug · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the drawbacks of reading a history book is that they are so often written from the perspective of knowing how things turned out. That is why they call it history, I understand. But how about reading history when it is written as it is happening and is published after everything has come to fruition. That is The Toughest Fighting in the World, and it is a superb little read. Dealing primarily with the Aussie fight in New Guinea, particularly the brutal combat in the Owen Stanley mountains along the Kakoda Trail, the book is written from the "it's happening now" perspective when the issue was still very much in doubt. The desperation of the times really comes through in Johnston's writing, and if reading history can have you on the edge of your seat, this book does just that. Having lived in Port Moresby for a time in my life, it was very rewarding to me to read about a place I have visited and what it was like during WWII. Anyone interested in this portion of the campaigns of the South Pacific will find this an important addition to their WWII library.

[Matthew Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew nothing of the New Guinea campaign and didn’t become aware of it until I met an Aussie in Saigon who told me he was on his way to hike the Kokoda Trail. That didn’t mean anything to me but he told me I should read about it. As an American, the European Theater gets a lot of play. In the Pacific, we only hear about Guadalcanal, Midway, and Iwo Jima. What the men of the Australian, Dutch, and American forces did in the jungles of Papua is equally inspiring and worthy of equal recognition. That this book was written in the present tense without knowledge of the outcome makes it even more interesting.

[Stevejs298 · Rating 4 out of 5]

An informative and well written book. This is one of the better books that I have read on war from the standpoint of articulating how difficult merely surviving can be especially in jungle warfare, as well as the extraordinary bravery and self-sacrifice needed on the individual level to win a conflict. The author, an Australian war correspondent, tells the stories from the perspective of an Australian, without diminishing the importance of the US in this conflict.

[Randall Laws · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best on this phase of the war

Can't read and reread this book enough. Fantastic writing style of a real newspaper correspondent you don't see anywhere today. Brings this story home in a unique way.

[Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally published in 1943, Australian journalist's account of the invasion and defense of New Guinea. Based on his dispatches as a war correspondent for various Australian newspapers. The Americans he writes about are my Father's division.

[K B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting reading regarding the air war but doesn't do well covering the ground war.