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The Kokoda Track

 
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The Kokoda Track - 11/6/2012 8:13:23 PM   
SuluSea


Posts: 1898
Joined: 11/17/2006
From: The Old Line State
Status: offline 		I stumbled onto this site while searching for reading material to populate my Christmas list and figured I'd share it for the people that doesn't know it exists. If you have time check the animated battle maps and the stirring video on the home page....


I'm finishing up Ghost Mountain Boys now and while I felt some didn't give it the highest marks here I found the read very entertaining although not as in depth as I'd like but maybe that's the beauty of it. While reading I really can't imagine a tougher place to fight a war. I'm not a MacArthur basher nor apologist but the more reading I have behind me the more questions I have of his leadership. Admittedly it's easy to do in hindsight.

For the record elements of the 126th Regiment of the 32nd Division trekked across the Kapa Kapa trail .

If anyone has any recommendations on the theater I'd love to hear them.

Thanks!






< Message edited by SuluSea -- 11/6/2012 8:31:40 PM >

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RE: The Kokoda Track - 11/7/2012 2:05:20 PM   
obvert


Posts: 3650
Joined: 1/17/2011
From: London, UK
Status: online 		Thanks for posting. I've been going through the animated batter. Really interesting to see it step by step in visuals. Great first hand accounts as well.



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RE: The Kokoda Track - 11/7/2012 2:30:46 PM   
Chickenboy


Posts: 14785
Joined: 6/29/2002
From: Twin Cities, MN
Status: offline 		Looks like the 2/126 had a tougher slog than some of the rest of the regiment. I think I'd rather be in the 1/126 and get flown to my singular airfield objective.

ETA: On second thought, they had to march through a nice little lowland swamp on their way to Dyke. Looks like they all had to 'embrace the suck'.

< Message edited by Chickenboy -- 11/7/2012 2:32:29 PM >

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RE: The Kokoda Track - 11/7/2012 5:44:37 PM   
Sredni

 

Posts: 690
Joined: 9/30/2004
From: Canada
Status: offline 		The highest elevation I've ever been is at marmot basin climbing from the knob chair to the top of the knob mountain peak. Now, I've never been in the best of shape (not overweight, just a slacker), but all I had to haul was winter gear and a snowboard and I found climbing at that elevation to be exhausting. Taking a couple steps and then pausing to rest made the climb take forever. The top elevation listed for marmot is 2,612 m (8,570 ft) on wikipedia, so similar to the height of the highest points of the kodaka trail.

I can't imagine how brutal it would have been with guns, ammo, and all the other gear a soldier has to carry.

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RE: The Kokoda Track - 11/8/2012 1:13:45 AM   
ctangus


Posts: 2151
Joined: 10/13/2005
From: Boston, Mass.
Status: offline 		I've read a little but not a lot about the war in New Guinea. With that caveat I would recommend Touched With Fire by Eric Bergerud.

It's probably not exactly what you're looking for - it covers ground combat in all of the Southern Pacific, not just New Guinea. (Add in the Solomons, basically.) It has a heavy emphasis on New Guinea, though, and in particular the contributions of the Aussies there.

It's also not a chronological history per se. It presents the chronology but is more focused on how & why the ground war developed there: the terrain, diseases - how that affected the men; how brutal and no-quarter the combat became & why; the effects of bad/good supply chains; more.... Lots of interviews from veterans too IIRC.

I found it a great read.

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RE: The Kokoda Track - 11/8/2012 1:33:27 AM   
SuluSea


Posts: 1898
Joined: 11/17/2006
From: The Old Line State
Status: offline 		I loved Touched With Fire by Bergerud , thanks for the recommendation though. It's killing me that Bergerud's Oil on the Water: The Naval War in the South Pacific has been delayed.




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RE: The Kokoda Track - 11/8/2012 2:05:47 AM   
Sardaukar


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quote:

ORIGINAL: SuluSea

I loved Touched With Fire by Bergerud , thanks for the recommendation though. It's killing me that Bergerud's Oil on the Water: The Naval War in the South Pacific has been delayed.



Same here.

To add, siege of Buna-Gona was one of the most vicious fighting in Pacific War. Lot of it was done without much artillery support. (Naval forces refused to enter uncharted shallow waters etc...for good reason, to land heavy equipment).


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RE: The Kokoda Track - 11/8/2012 11:16:24 PM   
jamesm

 

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quote:

ORIGINAL: SuluSea

I'm not a MacArthur basher nor apologist but the more reading I have behind me the more questions I have of his leadership.



But General Blamey deserves allot of criticism. He criticised the Australian Troops after the battle for not fighting hard enough to stop the Japanese, well they did enough even though they were poorly trained and equipped conscripts.

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RE: The Kokoda Track - 11/9/2012 12:48:00 AM   
mike scholl 1

 

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quote:

ORIGINAL: jamesm


quote:

ORIGINAL: SuluSea

I'm not a MacArthur basher nor apologist but the more reading I have behind me the more questions I have of his leadership.



But General Blamey deserves allot of criticism. He criticised the Australian Troops after the battle for not fighting hard enough to stop the Japanese, well they did enough even though they were poorly trained and equipped conscripts.


Don't forget Kinney. His "the artillery in this Theatre flies" nonsense had a lot to do with the Buna debacle.

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RE: The Kokoda Track - 11/9/2012 5:03:10 AM   
JeffK


Posts: 4656
Joined: 1/26/2005
From: In a little tin hut in a big tin shed
Status: offline 		There are a number of Australian books about the fighting in this period, if interested I'll get a listing.
II/126 probably were sent on the worst possible track across the Owen Stanleys, plus they were far from a combat fit, battle hardened unit, especially having originally been trained for a NW Africa assignment. They probably were in a similar state to the Australian Militia Battalions before Kokoda.
Their effort at Gona/Buna was below expectations, Macarthur wanted to show those Aussies how to fight, but chose a Green, undertrained Division to fight in putrid jungle swamps at the end of a poor line of communication and with almost no artillery or armoured support.
Its a pity that Macarthur stayed in command, politics having a big say in his keeping his position.

Blamey was a competent staff officer, served well in WW1 but giving him first a Divisional command (6th Division on formation), a Corps command (I ANZAC in Greece) then made head of the Australian Army probably put him 2-3 steps above his abilities. Some of what he did was at the behest of his commander, Macarthur, but his condemning of 39 Bn was just plain stupid. Probably similar to Macarthur, it would have been too hard to sack him though much of the Army would have supported this decision.

I dont see Kenney has having a negative effect, there was no way to lift even 1 artillery regiment (Bn to you guys), THERE IS NO ROAD, there is a vilage on the map of Wairopi, named for the wire rope footbridge. Any ship borne movement was in the face of strong japanese air power from Gasmata, Rabaul & Lae and the lack of small shipping capable of these waters was a limiting factor.

The men of 6th & 7th Australian Divisions, 30 Bde & 32 & 41 US Divisions deserve similar accolades to those given to the marine & Army units who fought on Guadalcanal, maybe the Navy had better PR!

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RE: The Kokoda Track - 11/9/2012 5:05:04 AM   
Empire101


Posts: 1896
Joined: 5/20/2008
From: Coruscant
Status: offline 		Great site Sulusea.
Thanks for sharing.

One of my favourite reference books for this campaign is a dog-earred, much used copy of John Vaders excellent 'New Guinea: The Tide Is Stemmed'.

Vader sums up the campaign so well;

'Festering swamp and sodden jungle, snakes, crocodiles, myriads of scorpions, centipedes, ants, leeches, typhus bearing mites, malaria;
this stone age land of tropical diseases and appalling climate was the setting for a campaign that would cost the Japanese 100,000 lives.
And it was the Japanese who chose to campaign there.'

Every time I read it I'm appalled by the conditions, and inspired by so much stoicism and bravery.
By all accounts, it was a nightmare campaign for both sides from start to finish.






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RE: The Kokoda Track - 11/9/2012 6:01:14 AM   
Reg


Posts: 2096
Joined: 5/26/2000
From: Victoria, Australia
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: SuluSea

If anyone has any recommendations on the theater I'd love to hear them.



You might like to check this site out. (They should know.....)

39th AUSTRALIAN INFANTRY BATTALION ASSOCIATION 1941-1943

39th Australian Infantry Battalion Association: Recommended Reading

I have Raymond Paull's Retreat from Kokoda which was the definitive work on the subject for many years. Not bad but a bit Australia-centric and has been overtaken by recent research.

I also have Paul Ham's Kokoda. Very good.

The Bone Man of Kokoda was also an interesting read from a very different perspective.

Overall I'm not sure what to recommend as in recent years it has become a popular subject (as evidenced by that excellent website you linked to) and a large number of very good publications have come out. At least you will be spoiled for choice...




< Message edited by Reg -- 11/9/2012 6:20:54 AM >

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RE: The Kokoda Track - 11/9/2012 7:02:04 AM   
JeffK


Posts: 4656
Joined: 1/26/2005
From: In a little tin hut in a big tin shed
Status: offline 		I havent read some of these

Bloody Buna by Lida Mayo
To the bitter end : the Japanese defeat at Buna and Gona 1942-43 by Lex McAulay. (A good writer)
Blood and iron : the battle for Kokoda 1942 / Lex McAulay
Not a conquering hero : the Siege of Tobruk, Battles of Milne Bay, Buna, Shaggy Ridge by Frank Rolleston
Buna, Gona + Sanananda by Ian Hodges and Daniel Oakman.
The Buna-Gona campaign 1942-1943 / by W. H. J. (Bill) Phillips.
A bastard of a place : the Australians in Papua : Kokoda, Milne Bay, Gona, Buna, Sanananda /by Peter Brune
The spell broken : exploding the myth of Japanese invincibility : Milne Bay to Buna-Sanananda 1942-43 / Peter Brune
Those ragged bloody heroes : from the Kokoda Trail to Gona Beach 1942 / Peter Brune.
Gona's gone! : the battle of the beach-head 1942 / Peter Brune.
MacArthur strikes back : decision at Buna, New Guinea, 1942-1943 / Harry A. Gailey (Based on the title, could be interesting)
Mud over blood : stories from the 39th Infantry Battalion 1941-43, Kokoda to Gona / compiled by Carl Johnson.
To Kokoda and beyond : the story of the 39th Battalion, 1941-1943 / compiled by Victor Austin
The path of infinite sorrow : the Japanese on the Kokoda Track / Craig Collie & Hajime Marutani.
Warrior of Kokoda : a biography of Brigadier Arnold Potts / Bill Edgar.
Storm over Kokoda : Australia's epic battle for the skies of New Guinea, 1942 / Peter Ewer. P(75 Sqn)
Kokoda / Peter Fitzsimons.
Kokoda / Paul Ham
The bone man of Kokoda / Charles Happell. Bone man of Kokoda : the extraordinary story of Kokichi Nishimura and the Kokoda Track
Kokoda heroes / by David Horner
Kokoda commanders / by David Horner
The taste of defeat / selected and translated by Haruki Yoshida.
The architect of Kokoda : Bert Kienale, the man who made the KoKoda trail / Robyn Kienzle
Retreat from Kokoda / Raymond Paull ; foreword by Sir Sydney Rowell.
Kokoda to the sea : a history of the 1942 campaign in Papua / Frank Sublet.

Mosly from an Australian view, as Kokoda was seen as the WW2 equivalent of Gallipoli.



< Message edited by JeffK -- 11/9/2012 7:20:24 AM >

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RE: The Kokoda Track - 11/9/2012 10:55:26 AM   
Apollo11


Posts: 21608
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From: Zagreb, Croatia
Status: offline 		Hi all,

If you haven't seen it - there is recent Australian war move about Kokoda!

Kokoda (2006)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0481390/


Leo "Apollo11"

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RE: The Kokoda Track - 11/9/2012 1:55:21 PM   
SuluSea


Posts: 1898
Joined: 11/17/2006
From: The Old Line State
Status: offline 		Thanks all for the contributions. I'm not concerned about Aussiecentric I'd just like to learn . I've been wanting to watch Kokoda for some time the 39th Battalion looks entertaining as well. I've been frustrated by the regions on DVD & players but it looks like it's a simple trick to make the DVD player region free. Thanks Google!!



quote:

ORIGINAL: JeffK


The men of 6th & 7th Australian Divisions, 30 Bde & 32 & 41 US Divisions deserve similar accolades to those given to the marine & Army units who fought on Guadalcanal,


Hi Jeff, no question about it.

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RE: The Kokoda Track - 11/9/2012 3:38:12 PM   
Chickenboy


Posts: 14785
Joined: 6/29/2002
From: Twin Cities, MN
Status: offline 		Good stuff guys. I'll update my Amazon 'wish list' for Christmas now.

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RE: The Kokoda Track - 11/9/2012 9:00:38 PM   
Reg


Posts: 2096
Joined: 5/26/2000
From: Victoria, Australia
Status: offline
Don't for get the Official Histories downloadable from:

Australian War Memorial: Second World War Official Histories



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RE: The Kokoda Track - 11/9/2012 9:34:58 PM   
Chickenboy


Posts: 14785
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From: Twin Cities, MN
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Reg


Don't for get the Official Histories downloadable from:

Australian War Memorial: Second World War Official Histories




Thanks Reg! In downloadable .pdf format too! Outstanding.

I just read the chapter on the sandfly/Dengue fever complex (from the medical volumes). Interesting stuff.

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RE: The Kokoda Track - 11/9/2012 11:53:16 PM   
JeffK


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Status: offline 		I'm dissapointed I never got to that chapter

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RE: The Kokoda Track - 11/13/2012 11:00:15 PM   
Schanilec

 

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Status: offline 		Great stuff. Thanks boys.

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