War in the Shadows: Bougainville 1944-1945

by Peter Medcalf

A UQP World War II Classic - a special release for ANZAC Day. Takes place in the jungles of Bougainville, in a similar theatre to Peter Pinney's great trilogy Signaller Johnston's Secret War (ISBN 0702229938). Lightening-quick gun battles and jungle ambushes; a young soldier's journey told in a gripping style with a signature Australian humour. Contains scenes reminiscent of the recent successful film Thin Red Line about the Pacific War. Originally published in a very modest edition in 1983 by the War Memorial. Now revised and updated with striking new illustrations.

170 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2000

Reviews

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

War in the Shadows, recounts nineteen-year-old infantryman Peter Medcalf’s experiences toward the end of WWII in Bougainville swamps and jungles. It was written in the 1980s, forty years after the events, but time didn’t appear to dull his memory and his description of his experiences seem to jump out of the pages. He describes the lot of the infantryman; always wet, eating bully beef and dog biscuits and drinking sweet tea. Contact with the enemy typically occurred at ranges of less than ten metres. He is dismissive of the cult of the hero and quite self-deprecating. The two events that stick out for me were his description of the friendly fire incident when one of his mates shot another Australian by mistake at a range of 400 metres. The other was the death of his close mate Fergie. Medcalf also writes about the insignificance of the Bougainville campaign that was heavily censored and seemingly without any strategic significance. Wonderfuly and honestly written, War in the Shadows is highly recommended. Long out of print, you might be lucky to pick up a copy at a second-hand bookstore.