The Battles for Kokoda Plateau: Three Weeks of Hell Defending the Gateway to the Owen Stanleys

by David W. Cameron

On July 21, 1942, a large Japanese reconnaissance mission landed along the north-eastern coastline of Papua, soon turning into an all-out attempt to capture Port Morseby. This is the powerful story of the three weeks of battle by a small Australian militia force to keep the Japanese at bay. Outnumbered by at least three to one, they fought to hold the Kokoda Plateau—the gateway to the Owen Stanleys. Desperately short of ammunition and food and stranded in the fetid swamps and lowland jungles, they did everything they could to keep the Kokoda airstrip out of Japanese hands. Not far away, desperately trying to reach the Australians, were two groups of Anglican missionaries trapped behind enemy lines. With each passing day the parties grew, joined by lost Australian soldiers and downed U.S. airmen. Using letters, diaries, and other first-hand accounts, David W. Cameron has for the first time written a detailed, compelling account of what occurred at the northern foot of the Owen Stanleys in late July and early August 1942. 

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War II, Military History

432 pages, Paperback

First published March 31, 2020

About the author

David W. Cameron is a Canberra based author and has written several books on Australian military and convict history and human and primate evolution including over 60 internationally peer reviewed papers for various journals and book chapters. He received 1st Class Honours in Prehistoric Archaeology at the University of Sydney and later went on to complete his Ph.D. in palaeoanthropology at the Australian National University.

He is a former Australian Research Council (ARC) Post Doctorial Fellow at the Australian National University (School of Archaeology) and an ARC QEII Fellow at the University of Sydney (Department of Anatomy and Histology). He has participated and led several international fieldwork teams in Australia, the Middle East (Turkey, Jordan, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates); Europe (Hungary) and Asia (Vietnam and India) and has participated in many conferences and museum studies throughout the world.

Reviews

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent account of the fighting on the Kokoda track prior to the AIF reinforcements arriving. The book goes into great detail on not only the 39th Battalion's actions but those of the Royal Papuan Constabulary and Papuan Infantry Battalion.
The plight of the missionaries of Gona and Sangara and the other civilians with them makes for some unpleasant reading but is an important part to the story. Never forgive, never forget.

Highly recommend.

[Jonathon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific book, one of the best I’ve read on Kokoda.

[Scifi66 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A detailed and focused account on Japanese landings at Buna/Gona and the first part of the Kokoda campaign in PNG. It is a "bottom-up" account with lots of diary and letter accounts backing up the narrative. This is not a strategic overview but lots of local tactical skirmishes of a few men up to several companies fighting in the battles for Kokoda. It is gritty, flavourful and at times traumatic when the Japanese capture fleeing missionaries and downed airmen. It is still surprising how poorly trained and equipped militia troops managed to delay the Japanese, especially with the worse than useless Generals in Australia and Port Moresby.

[Mark Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sure a significant battle but a dreary book... seems like a list of local events & therefore hard to see any strategic view