THE KOKODA

CAMPAIGN
A map of northern Australia, New Guinea and Papua showing areas under Japanese control and
the three Japanese attempts to seize Port Moresby
The campaign in New Guinea in 1942 was the most
important that Australian soldiers have ever been
involved in
It was the only time in our history, Australians were
defending their own territory
New Guinea had been an Australian territory since
1920
The campaign along what became known as the
Kokoda Track, was some of the toughest Australian
soldiers have ever experienced.
Australians believed the Japanese were preparing to invade
Australia
PNG was probably planned just to be a base to defend their newly
captured countries.
Japanese wanted to prevent Port Moresby from being used by the
United States and Australian forces as a military base
Success on the Kokoda Track in 1942 was believed to save Australia
from a Japanese invasion and greatly assisted the Allied effort to
push the Japanese back.
The Kokoda campaign marked the moment when the war had
clearly turned against the Japanese in favour of the Allies .
 TIMELINE
February 1942 - The fall of Singapore to the Japanese

March 1942 - Japanese then advanced and occupy Indonesia

May 1942 - Battle of the Coral Sea to prevent Japanese capturing Port

Moresby in Papua New Guinea

June1942 – 400 Australian militia sent just north of the Owen Stanley

Ranges to secure the airfield at Kokoda

July 1942 – 60000 Japanese land at Gona on the north coast march

towards Kokoda
 KOKODA CAMPAIGN
TIMELINE
29 July - First Battle at Kokoda . Japanese capture Kokoda

26 August – Battle of Isurava. Japanese forced back Australian

troops

26 August – Battle at Milne Bay - Japan's first land defeat of

World War II
Kokoda itself was just a small village about half-way across New
Guinea but whole campaign became named after it.
Kokoda was of strategic importance for two reasons:
It was an area of relatively flat land, where an airstrip had been
built.
It was near the northern edge of the mountain range and it was
thought that it could be easily defended.
However, this part of Papua New Guinea provided some of the
toughest terrain in the world in which to fight.
A photograph of the Golden Stairs. This was the initial climb from Owers’ Corner up to Imita Ridge. Army engineers
had cut out 3000 steps.
 MURDER AND ABUSE OF FUZZY WUZZY
ANGELS
Whilst most of the PNG locals willingly aided the Australian
forces. This was not always the case. The Australian Army at
times used violence and intimidation to force local people into
compliance.
They used execution by hanging and torture to control any
villages unsupportive of the Australian Army. They also
punished and killed any who escaped and were later
recaptured.
In an Australian Government inquiry that followed the
executions, the Army deceived the government by grossly
understating the number of executions carried out by the
Australian Army.
KOKODA TIMELINE
Milne
Bay
A map of northern Australia, New Guinea and Papua showing areas under Japanese control and
the three Japanese attempts to seize Port Moresby
Source 2
Source 3
Source 6