Kokoda Track

Key Facts
The Kokoda Track Campaign consisted of a series of desperate battles fought in Papua New Guinea,
over 117 days from the 21st of July to the 16th of November 1942, resulting in a win to the Allies,
the first time the Japanese army was forced to withdraw. The war was fought by divisions of the
Australian and American armies totalling 30,000 troops while the Japanese had 13,500 troops,
although for the first part of the campaign Australia had only a poorly trained and equipped militia
supported by elements of the Papuan Infantry Battalion, and were outnumbered five to one. Over
614 Australians died while 16000 were injured and a staggering 4000 were affected by tropical
diseases.
 
The Japanese landed at Gona, on the north-eastern coast of Papua New Guinea, approximately
200km from their objective: Port Moresby, passing through the village of Kokoda.
The 96km Kokoda Track was an isolated, single-file rugged, steep and muddy trail, set in the tropical
heat of the Owen Stanley Mountain Range, with mountains as high as 2190 meters.
 
Port Moresby was Australia's main base in Papua New Guinea. The base was ideal as it had access to
fresh water, military airfields and storage facilities. It was also surrounded by a mountain range,
making it a secure stronghold.
 
The Japanese regarded Port Moresby as a secure base to mount air raids far into Australia, which
would've cut Australia off from the US.
 
Involvement
Australia was responsible for defending Port Moresby from Japanese intruders. Japan had taken
over many Asian countries and was deciding to eventually take over Australia.
Shortly before the start of the Kokoda Campaign, Australian Troops, known as the Militia were sent
to Port Moresby instead of the AIF. Most troops in the Militia were under the age of 21 and had only
a few months of training. Australia's best troops, known as the AIF, were fighting in Europe and
Africa, assisting Great Britain at the time.
When the Australian Militia arrived at Port Moresby by ship, they started building airfields as no one
expected to be fighting in the jungle. People believed that the battles were going to be naval and
airborne. The Japanese initially tried to take Port Moresby by a naval attack on 8th of May, 1942 but
this was repulsed as part of the battle of the Coral Seas, forcing the Japanese to invade by land. Later
on, Australia recalled 20,000 AIF troops to come back from Europe and Northern Africa and help out
in Australia and New Guinea.
 
 
 
Acts of Bravery and Cruelty
Cruelty
The Kokoda campaign revealed the dark side of many Japanese soldiers. Near the end of the
campaign, many Japanese soldiers showed signs of death by malnutrition. Some of these troops
relied on eating grass, wood and seeds. Australian soldiers had found evidence of cannibalism by the
Japanese soldiers and other Japanese soldiers acknowledged that they had relied on cannibalism.
The Japanese had also executed two female missionaries at Buna, 21st of July.
 
Bravery
The local tribesmen in New Guinea showed acts of remarkable courage and bravery, helping bring
back injured Australian Soldiers from the front line. The Australians called them 'The Fuzzy Wuzzy
Angels' as a mark of respect. The Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels had worked non-stop to help save lives even
though they didn't have to help and had only native weapons to defend themselves. These heroes
also carried supplies to the Front Line
 
During the battle of Isurava, the men of the 39th Militia were facing high odds, they were
undertrained, poorly equipped and were horribly sick with tropical diseases. The only thing that
helped them carry on was their spirit. Luckily an experienced AIF battalion came to their aid just in
time, helping them fight one of the bloodiest battles of the Kokoda Campaign. Even with the AIF,
they were still outnumbered six to one. The Japanese had 2600 soldiers while Australia only had 400.
The fighting was savage. An amazing act of bravery occurred three days into the battle, when private
Bruce Kingsbury, whose platoon had just been decimated, rushed forward with his Bren gun, driving
back the enemy's attack. He shocked the Japanese, clearing a path for another platoon to follow but
he was then killed by a Japanese sniper. Kingsbury was awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery,
the first for an Australian in the Pacific War.
 
 
Impacts for Australia
The Kokoda track is regarded by many Australians as the Gallipoli of World War 2 and it was maybe
the most significant campaign for Australia in World War 2. The campaign stopped Japan from
ceasing control of Port Moresby and it marked the turning point of Japan's push towards Australia,
along with the Battle of Midway and Guadalcanal, this was the start of Japan's eventual defeat.
 
The Kokoda Campaign made Australia re-think their strategies of relying on naval power and for
providing better training and equipment for its soldiers.
 
Kokoda not only saved Australia from a possible invasion but it boosted Australian pride and showed
Australians that they did not have to rely on Britain. Their poorly trained and badly equipped militia
held back a much larger Japanese army, regarded as the best at jungle warfare.
 
Conclusion
The Kokoda Track has become a symbolic icon and nowadays the battle inspires 5,000 Australians to
walk the mentally and physically challenging Kokoda Track every year. The Isurava Memorial is
engraved with the words courage, endurance, sacrifice and mateship, which sums up the special
qualities that the brave, young Australian soldiers demonstrated, and their heroic victory inspired a
nation.
Bibliography
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kokoda_Track_campaign (Accessed: 15 September
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