To Kokoda

by Nicholas Anderson

When the Japanese war machine swept through South-East Asia in early 1942, it was inevitable that conflict would reach Australian territory on the island of New Guinea. The ultimate Japanese target was Port Moresby. Conquering the capital would sever communication between Australia and her American ally and allow Japanese air power to threaten Australia's northern cities. When a seaborne invasion was thwarted at the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Nankai Shitai landed in Papua on 21 July and lunched an overland attack. Having captured the village of Kokoda with its vital airstrip, the Japanese headed for Port Moresby, traversing the treacherous Kokoda trail that winds across the might Owen Stanley Range. The Australian Army was ill prepared to confront the Japanese. Poorly equipped, undertrained, and unaccustomed to jungle warfare, the untested militia battalions were the first to face the battle-hardened invading forces. Later, when veteran AIF brigades were rushed forward to bolster the militia, they also fell in the path of the Japanese onslaught. But the over-extension of supply lines and disaster on Guadalcanal eventually cruel Japanese aspirations and the Kokoda campaign became a bloody and protracted struggle as the Australian troops fought to drive the Japanese off the Owen Stanleys and out of Papua. While the front-line troops were engaged in a bitter fight for survival, a power struggle erupted at the top of the Allied command hierarchy resulting in a series of sackings, the competing ambitions of the Allied commanders clouding their judgment at a critical time. It was under these conditions, against a determined enemy and on one of the harshest battlefields on earth, that the Australian forces began to learn the crucial lessons that would be needed to break the back of the Japanese Army in New Guinea.

186 pages, Paperback

Published March 31, 2016

About the author

Nicholas Anderson was the acting Senior Historian with the Australian Army History Unit, with more than ten years service to the Canberra-based Unit.

He was born in Bathurst and completed his high school at the Scots School Bathurst.

He holds degrees in degrees in Arts and Law from the University of Canberra, and a Masters in Philosophy from the University of New South Wales, attained for a research thesis on the Australian Army's collection and use of tactical intelligence in the Pacific Theatre during the Second World War.

His first book To Kokoda, is a narrative history of the Kokoda campaign.

His second book is The Battle of Milne Bay.

Nicholas has travelled extensively in Papua New Guinea, having visited, trekked and led groups to many of the WW2 battlefields.

Reviews

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually I would probably give this book 4.5 stars as it gives an excellent overview of the Kokoda Campaign, and has a multitude of maps and photos for each phase of the campaign. Unfortunately, Kokoda falls in the shadow of Guadalcanal so it is not as well-known although it is important in Australia because their men did the fighting under appalling conditions at times.

The author is careful to discuss some of the more controversial aspects of the campaign such as command replacements, supplies, and the troops themselves which consisted of both militia and AIF. I found the book to be informative about a topic I knew little about, and would recommend it to anyone who might be interested in one of the most grueling campaigns of the Pacific theatre. This book is part of the Australian Army Campaigns Series.