Author: James Brown
Publisher: Black Inc.
ISBN: 1922231355
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 126
Book Description
‘A century ago we got it wrong. We sent thousands of young Australians on a military operation that was barely more than a disaster. It’s right that a hundred years later we should feel strongly about that. But have we got our remembrance right? What lessons haven’t we learned about war, and what might be the cost of our Anzac obsession?’ Defence analyst and former army officer James Brown believes that Australia is expending too much time, money and emotion on the Anzac legend, and that today’s soldiers are suffering for it. Vividly evoking the war in Afghanistan, Brown reveals the experience of the modern soldier. He looks closely at the companies and clubs that trade on the Anzac story. He shows that Australians spend a lot more time looking after dead warriors than those who are alive. We focus on a cult of remembrance, instead of understanding a new world of soldiering and strategy. And we make it impossible to criticise the Australian Defence Force, even when it makes the same mistakes over and over. None of this is good for our soldiers or our ability to deal with a changing world. With respect and passion, Brown shines a new light on Anzac’s long shadow and calls for change. "Bold, original, challenging - James Brown tackles the burgenoning Anzac industry and asks Australians to re-examine how we think about the military and modern-day service." - Leigh Sales "The best book yet written, not just on Australia's Afghan war, but on war itself and the creator/destroyer myth of Anzac." - John Birmingham James Brown is a former Australian Army officer, who commanded a cavalry troop in Southern Iraq, served on the Australian taskforce headquarters in Baghdad, and was attached to Special Forces in Afghanistan. Today he is the Military Fellow at the Lowy Institute for International Policy where he works on strategic military issues and defence policy. He also chairs the NSW Government’s Contemporary Veterans Forum. He lives in Sydney.
Anzac's Long Shadow
Author: James Brown
Publisher: Black Inc.
ISBN: 1922231355
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 126
Book Description
‘A century ago we got it wrong. We sent thousands of young Australians on a military operation that was barely more than a disaster. It’s right that a hundred years later we should feel strongly about that. But have we got our remembrance right? What lessons haven’t we learned about war, and what might be the cost of our Anzac obsession?’ Defence analyst and former army officer James Brown believes that Australia is expending too much time, money and emotion on the Anzac legend, and that today’s soldiers are suffering for it. Vividly evoking the war in Afghanistan, Brown reveals the experience of the modern soldier. He looks closely at the companies and clubs that trade on the Anzac story. He shows that Australians spend a lot more time looking after dead warriors than those who are alive. We focus on a cult of remembrance, instead of understanding a new world of soldiering and strategy. And we make it impossible to criticise the Australian Defence Force, even when it makes the same mistakes over and over. None of this is good for our soldiers or our ability to deal with a changing world. With respect and passion, Brown shines a new light on Anzac’s long shadow and calls for change. "Bold, original, challenging - James Brown tackles the burgenoning Anzac industry and asks Australians to re-examine how we think about the military and modern-day service." - Leigh Sales "The best book yet written, not just on Australia's Afghan war, but on war itself and the creator/destroyer myth of Anzac." - John Birmingham James Brown is a former Australian Army officer, who commanded a cavalry troop in Southern Iraq, served on the Australian taskforce headquarters in Baghdad, and was attached to Special Forces in Afghanistan. Today he is the Military Fellow at the Lowy Institute for International Policy where he works on strategic military issues and defence policy. He also chairs the NSW Government’s Contemporary Veterans Forum. He lives in Sydney.
Publisher: Black Inc.
ISBN: 1922231355
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 126
Book Description
‘A century ago we got it wrong. We sent thousands of young Australians on a military operation that was barely more than a disaster. It’s right that a hundred years later we should feel strongly about that. But have we got our remembrance right? What lessons haven’t we learned about war, and what might be the cost of our Anzac obsession?’ Defence analyst and former army officer James Brown believes that Australia is expending too much time, money and emotion on the Anzac legend, and that today’s soldiers are suffering for it. Vividly evoking the war in Afghanistan, Brown reveals the experience of the modern soldier. He looks closely at the companies and clubs that trade on the Anzac story. He shows that Australians spend a lot more time looking after dead warriors than those who are alive. We focus on a cult of remembrance, instead of understanding a new world of soldiering and strategy. And we make it impossible to criticise the Australian Defence Force, even when it makes the same mistakes over and over. None of this is good for our soldiers or our ability to deal with a changing world. With respect and passion, Brown shines a new light on Anzac’s long shadow and calls for change. "Bold, original, challenging - James Brown tackles the burgenoning Anzac industry and asks Australians to re-examine how we think about the military and modern-day service." - Leigh Sales "The best book yet written, not just on Australia's Afghan war, but on war itself and the creator/destroyer myth of Anzac." - John Birmingham James Brown is a former Australian Army officer, who commanded a cavalry troop in Southern Iraq, served on the Australian taskforce headquarters in Baghdad, and was attached to Special Forces in Afghanistan. Today he is the Military Fellow at the Lowy Institute for International Policy where he works on strategic military issues and defence policy. He also chairs the NSW Government’s Contemporary Veterans Forum. He lives in Sydney.
In the Shadow of Gallipoli
Author: Robert Bollard
Publisher: NewSouth
ISBN: 1742241441
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 230
Book Description
Fighting Anzacs have metamorphosed from flesh and blood into mythic icons. The war they fought in is distant and the resistance to it within Australia has been forgotten. In the Shadow of Gallipoli corrects this historical amnesia by looking at what was happening on the Australian home front during WWI. It shows that the war was a disaster, and many Australians knew it. Discontent and dissent grew into major revolt. Bollard considers the wartime strike wave, including the Great Strike of 1917, alongside the impact of international political events including the Easter Rising in Ireland and the Russian Revolution. The first year of peace was tumultuous as strikes and riots involving returned Anzacs shook Australia throughout 1919. This book uncovers the history that has been obscured by the shadow of Anzac. This is history from below at its best.
Publisher: NewSouth
ISBN: 1742241441
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 230
Book Description
Fighting Anzacs have metamorphosed from flesh and blood into mythic icons. The war they fought in is distant and the resistance to it within Australia has been forgotten. In the Shadow of Gallipoli corrects this historical amnesia by looking at what was happening on the Australian home front during WWI. It shows that the war was a disaster, and many Australians knew it. Discontent and dissent grew into major revolt. Bollard considers the wartime strike wave, including the Great Strike of 1917, alongside the impact of international political events including the Easter Rising in Ireland and the Russian Revolution. The first year of peace was tumultuous as strikes and riots involving returned Anzacs shook Australia throughout 1919. This book uncovers the history that has been obscured by the shadow of Anzac. This is history from below at its best.
Anzac Memories
Author: Alistair Thomson
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 314
Book Description
Anzac Memories was first published to acclaim in 1994 (OUP), and has achieved international renown for its pioneering contribution to the study of war memory and mythology. Michael McKernan wrote that the book gave 'as good a picture of the impact of the Great War on individuals and Australia as we are likely to get in this generation', and Michael Roper concluded that 'an immense achievement of this book is that it so clearly illuminates the historical processes that left men like my grandfather forever struggling to fashion myths which they could live by'. In this new edition Alistair Thomson explores how the Anzac legend has transformed over the past quarter century, how a 'post-memory' of the Great War creates new challenges and opportunities for making sense of the national past, and how veterans' war memories can still challenge and complicate national mythologies. He returns to a family war history that he could not write about twenty years ago because of the stigma of war and mental illness, and he uses newly-released Repatriation files to question his own earlier account of veterans post-war lives and memories and to think afresh about war and memory.
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 314
Book Description
Anzac Memories was first published to acclaim in 1994 (OUP), and has achieved international renown for its pioneering contribution to the study of war memory and mythology. Michael McKernan wrote that the book gave 'as good a picture of the impact of the Great War on individuals and Australia as we are likely to get in this generation', and Michael Roper concluded that 'an immense achievement of this book is that it so clearly illuminates the historical processes that left men like my grandfather forever struggling to fashion myths which they could live by'. In this new edition Alistair Thomson explores how the Anzac legend has transformed over the past quarter century, how a 'post-memory' of the Great War creates new challenges and opportunities for making sense of the national past, and how veterans' war memories can still challenge and complicate national mythologies. He returns to a family war history that he could not write about twenty years ago because of the stigma of war and mental illness, and he uses newly-released Repatriation files to question his own earlier account of veterans post-war lives and memories and to think afresh about war and memory.
Lonesome Pine
Author: Simon Cameron
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1922132314
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 194
Book Description
One of the most famous assaults of the Gallipoli campaign took place over four bloody days in August 1915 across an area no bigger than a football field. On a small plateau in Gallipoli known as Lone Pine — named for the lonesome pine that stood there — this fierce battle was fought. In the late afternoon of 6 August 1915, the Australians orchestrated an attack aimed at breaking the Turkish stronghold on Lone Pine. The fighting on both sides during these attacks and counter-attacks involved throwing bombs over hastily erected barriers, mad dashes through the trenches, firing off a few shots at close range, hand-to-hand combat, tripping over the dead and avoiding the dying and wounded. Four days of intense fighting and close combat resulted in the loss of thousands of lives on both sides. In this short period of time, seven of Australia’s nine Gallipoli VCs were earned — a powerful tribute to the courage and sacrifice of the soldiers involved. Simon Cameron’s painstakingly researched account, Lonesome Pine, allows us to now gain a greater understanding of the sacrifice of so many in such a short period of time. This book describes the days leading up to the attack and the horror of the battle in gripping detail, as well as giving an insight into the lives of the men who fought, died in and survived the Battle of Lone Pine.
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1922132314
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 194
Book Description
One of the most famous assaults of the Gallipoli campaign took place over four bloody days in August 1915 across an area no bigger than a football field. On a small plateau in Gallipoli known as Lone Pine — named for the lonesome pine that stood there — this fierce battle was fought. In the late afternoon of 6 August 1915, the Australians orchestrated an attack aimed at breaking the Turkish stronghold on Lone Pine. The fighting on both sides during these attacks and counter-attacks involved throwing bombs over hastily erected barriers, mad dashes through the trenches, firing off a few shots at close range, hand-to-hand combat, tripping over the dead and avoiding the dying and wounded. Four days of intense fighting and close combat resulted in the loss of thousands of lives on both sides. In this short period of time, seven of Australia’s nine Gallipoli VCs were earned — a powerful tribute to the courage and sacrifice of the soldiers involved. Simon Cameron’s painstakingly researched account, Lonesome Pine, allows us to now gain a greater understanding of the sacrifice of so many in such a short period of time. This book describes the days leading up to the attack and the horror of the battle in gripping detail, as well as giving an insight into the lives of the men who fought, died in and survived the Battle of Lone Pine.
ANZACS on the Western Front
Author: Peter Pedersen
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 111823832X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 658
Book Description
A lavishly illustrated account of the ANZACs involvement in the Western Front--complete with walking and driving tours of 28 battlefields With rare photographs and documents from the Australian War Memorial archive and extensive travel information, this is the most comprehensive guide to the battlefields of the Western Front on the market. Every chapter covers not just the battles, but the often larger-than-life personalities who took part in them. Following a chronological order from 1916 through 1918, the book leads readers through every major engagement the Australian and New Zealanders fought in and includes tactical considerations and extracts from the personal diaries of soldiers. This is the perfect book for anyone who wants to explore the battlefields of the Western Front, either in-person or from the comfort of home.
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 111823832X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 658
Book Description
A lavishly illustrated account of the ANZACs involvement in the Western Front--complete with walking and driving tours of 28 battlefields With rare photographs and documents from the Australian War Memorial archive and extensive travel information, this is the most comprehensive guide to the battlefields of the Western Front on the market. Every chapter covers not just the battles, but the often larger-than-life personalities who took part in them. Following a chronological order from 1916 through 1918, the book leads readers through every major engagement the Australian and New Zealanders fought in and includes tactical considerations and extracts from the personal diaries of soldiers. This is the perfect book for anyone who wants to explore the battlefields of the Western Front, either in-person or from the comfort of home.
Gona's Gone!
Author: David W. Cameron
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1922896632
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 515
Book Description
With the Australian troops crossing of the Kumusi River in mid-November 1942, after pushing the Japanese back along the Kokoda Track to the north coast of Papua New Guinea, the time had come to face the entrenched Japanese at their beachheads at Gona, Sanananda and Buna. The Japanese were determined to fight to the last man in the defence of these critical positions. The first beach to be captured by the Australians was Gona, which fell on 9 December after bitter fighting. This, however, was not the end of the fighting around this beachhead as just west of Gona, on the opposite side of Gona Creek a larger Japanese Force had been landed which was intent on not only reinforcing Gona, but also Sanananda and Buna, both located east of Gona. The fighting west of Gona Creek would be just a brutal and deadly as the fighting to take the Gona Beachhead. Even so, after this fighting Australian and American troops, operating together for the first time in the Pacific War, were still bogged down in the battles to take Sanananda and Buna, the fighting at these beachheads would continue into January 1943.
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1922896632
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 515
Book Description
With the Australian troops crossing of the Kumusi River in mid-November 1942, after pushing the Japanese back along the Kokoda Track to the north coast of Papua New Guinea, the time had come to face the entrenched Japanese at their beachheads at Gona, Sanananda and Buna. The Japanese were determined to fight to the last man in the defence of these critical positions. The first beach to be captured by the Australians was Gona, which fell on 9 December after bitter fighting. This, however, was not the end of the fighting around this beachhead as just west of Gona, on the opposite side of Gona Creek a larger Japanese Force had been landed which was intent on not only reinforcing Gona, but also Sanananda and Buna, both located east of Gona. The fighting west of Gona Creek would be just a brutal and deadly as the fighting to take the Gona Beachhead. Even so, after this fighting Australian and American troops, operating together for the first time in the Pacific War, were still bogged down in the battles to take Sanananda and Buna, the fighting at these beachheads would continue into January 1943.
Retaking Kokoda
Author: David W. Cameron
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1922765813
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 475
Book Description
Japanese Major General Horii Tomitarô, commanding the South Seas Force, had the Australians on the back foot. Australia was holding the last defendable ridge in the Owen Stanley ranges, Imita Ridge. Horii to his distress was then given orders from Imperial Headquarters in Tokyo that he was to fall back across the mountains to the Japanese beachheads at Gona, Sanananda, and Buna, leaving a force between Templeton’s Crossing and Eora Creek to stop any Australian advance through the mountains. The Japanese, unknown to the Australians evacuated Ioribaiwa Ridge just before they launched their attacks and to their amazement on storming the heights, the Australians encountered no resistance – the Japanese had gone. This, however, did not mean the fighting on the Kokoda Track was over, far from it. Three more desperate actions would be fought by the Australians and Japanese, before the decisive battles for the Japanese beachheads could be decided – the battles for Templeton’s Crossing, Eora Creek, and finally the Oivi-Gorari positions on the northern lowland plains. Just 15-kilometres east lay the Kumusi River, the last geographical barrier before reaching the strongly fortified Japanese beachheads themselves.
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1922765813
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 475
Book Description
Japanese Major General Horii Tomitarô, commanding the South Seas Force, had the Australians on the back foot. Australia was holding the last defendable ridge in the Owen Stanley ranges, Imita Ridge. Horii to his distress was then given orders from Imperial Headquarters in Tokyo that he was to fall back across the mountains to the Japanese beachheads at Gona, Sanananda, and Buna, leaving a force between Templeton’s Crossing and Eora Creek to stop any Australian advance through the mountains. The Japanese, unknown to the Australians evacuated Ioribaiwa Ridge just before they launched their attacks and to their amazement on storming the heights, the Australians encountered no resistance – the Japanese had gone. This, however, did not mean the fighting on the Kokoda Track was over, far from it. Three more desperate actions would be fought by the Australians and Japanese, before the decisive battles for the Japanese beachheads could be decided – the battles for Templeton’s Crossing, Eora Creek, and finally the Oivi-Gorari positions on the northern lowland plains. Just 15-kilometres east lay the Kumusi River, the last geographical barrier before reaching the strongly fortified Japanese beachheads themselves.
Bloody Buna
Author: David W. Cameron
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1923004719
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 483
Book Description
With the Australian troops crossing of the Kumusi River in mid-November, after pushing the Japanese back along the Kokoda Track, the time had come to face the entrenched Japanese at their beachhead at Gona, Sanananda and Buna. The end of the Kokoda Campaign in mid-November 1942 marked a turning point for the Australians, but the fighting was far from over. Within days, the battles for the three Japanese beachheads would commence. These battles where the first combined large-scale operation between Australian and American troops against the Japanese and would prove to be among the fiercest of the Pacific War. At Buna, the final battles to take 'New' and 'Old' air strips by the Australians, along with the ongoing American attacks to take the infamous 'Triangle,' proved to be a brutal and deadly bloodbath for all concerned. Amidst the crocodile-infested swamps and lowland jungle with dozens of Japanese bunkers and pillboxes with supporting artillery, the Australians who fought at all three beachheads faced an unprecedented toll, suffering more killed or wounded than in any other campaign of the Pacific war. In the face of relentless combat, the Allied forces at Buna suffered staggering casualties, with 2817 men lost at Buna. The American 32nd Division sustained 1954 casualties, including 353 killed (18%), 1508 wounded, and 93 missing amounting to around 40 per cent casualties over a six week period. The Australian 18th Infantry Brigade and supporting elements suffered 863 casualties, with 267 killed (31%), 557 wounded, and 39 missing amounting to around 60 per cent casualties over just three weeks of fighting. As the battle raged on, the Japanese suffered significant losses, with a minimum of 1390 men killed at Buna. The true number of their dead, lost in history, is likely much higher, with conservative estimates suggesting around 3000 fatalities. “Bloody Buna" sheds light on the untold sacrifices and heroism displayed by the Australian and American troops as they clashed with the Japanese in one of the most vicious chapters of the Pacific War.
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1923004719
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 483
Book Description
With the Australian troops crossing of the Kumusi River in mid-November, after pushing the Japanese back along the Kokoda Track, the time had come to face the entrenched Japanese at their beachhead at Gona, Sanananda and Buna. The end of the Kokoda Campaign in mid-November 1942 marked a turning point for the Australians, but the fighting was far from over. Within days, the battles for the three Japanese beachheads would commence. These battles where the first combined large-scale operation between Australian and American troops against the Japanese and would prove to be among the fiercest of the Pacific War. At Buna, the final battles to take 'New' and 'Old' air strips by the Australians, along with the ongoing American attacks to take the infamous 'Triangle,' proved to be a brutal and deadly bloodbath for all concerned. Amidst the crocodile-infested swamps and lowland jungle with dozens of Japanese bunkers and pillboxes with supporting artillery, the Australians who fought at all three beachheads faced an unprecedented toll, suffering more killed or wounded than in any other campaign of the Pacific war. In the face of relentless combat, the Allied forces at Buna suffered staggering casualties, with 2817 men lost at Buna. The American 32nd Division sustained 1954 casualties, including 353 killed (18%), 1508 wounded, and 93 missing amounting to around 40 per cent casualties over a six week period. The Australian 18th Infantry Brigade and supporting elements suffered 863 casualties, with 267 killed (31%), 557 wounded, and 39 missing amounting to around 60 per cent casualties over just three weeks of fighting. As the battle raged on, the Japanese suffered significant losses, with a minimum of 1390 men killed at Buna. The true number of their dead, lost in history, is likely much higher, with conservative estimates suggesting around 3000 fatalities. “Bloody Buna" sheds light on the untold sacrifices and heroism displayed by the Australian and American troops as they clashed with the Japanese in one of the most vicious chapters of the Pacific War.
The Battle for Isurava
Author: David W. Cameron
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1922615684
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 411
Book Description
Within 24 hours of the Japanese invasion of northern New Guinea at Gona in July 1942, the Australian militiamen of ‘B’ Company, 39th Battalion, spent four weeks fighting a delaying action against a crack Japanese force outnumbered by three to one. By mid-August, the rest of the battalion had arrived, and these men took up a position at Isurava, in the heart of the cloud covered mountains and jungles of the Owen Stanley Range. At Isurava, this small militia force of the 39th Battalion now numbering around 300 men was determined to make a stand against a crack Japanese force of the 144th Regiment and supporting elements, numbering at least 1500. Then on the day the Japanese launched their attack, to the great relief of these militiamen, reinforcements from the 2nd AIF who had fought with great distinction in the Middle East began to arrive in the afternoon having spent days struggling up the track from Port Moresby. Even so, the Australians were still outnumbered, as the Japanese also received reinforcements, and unlike the Japanese, the Australians had no supporting artillery or medium machineguns. The battle for Isurava would be the defining battle of the Kokoda Campaign and has rightfully been described as Australia’s Thermopylae. It was here that Australia’s first Victoria Cross in the Pacific war was awarded when the Japanese conducted several ferocious attacks against the Australian perimetre. Private Bruce Kingsbury led an Australian counterattack, rushing forward sweeping the Japanese positions with his Bren gun, saving he situation when all seemed lost — he was killed leading the charge. Another two men were also nominated for the VC during the fighting at Isurava. The outnumbered and poorly equipped Australians managed to hold back the Japanese advance for almost a week; only then did these battle scared and weary men begin a month long fighting withdraw towards Ioribaiwa Ridge just north of Port Morsby. However, their sacrifice provided time for the Australian 25th Brigade to be brought forward — finally forcing the Japanese to withdrawal just as they glimpsed the lights of Port Morseby.
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1922615684
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 411
Book Description
Within 24 hours of the Japanese invasion of northern New Guinea at Gona in July 1942, the Australian militiamen of ‘B’ Company, 39th Battalion, spent four weeks fighting a delaying action against a crack Japanese force outnumbered by three to one. By mid-August, the rest of the battalion had arrived, and these men took up a position at Isurava, in the heart of the cloud covered mountains and jungles of the Owen Stanley Range. At Isurava, this small militia force of the 39th Battalion now numbering around 300 men was determined to make a stand against a crack Japanese force of the 144th Regiment and supporting elements, numbering at least 1500. Then on the day the Japanese launched their attack, to the great relief of these militiamen, reinforcements from the 2nd AIF who had fought with great distinction in the Middle East began to arrive in the afternoon having spent days struggling up the track from Port Moresby. Even so, the Australians were still outnumbered, as the Japanese also received reinforcements, and unlike the Japanese, the Australians had no supporting artillery or medium machineguns. The battle for Isurava would be the defining battle of the Kokoda Campaign and has rightfully been described as Australia’s Thermopylae. It was here that Australia’s first Victoria Cross in the Pacific war was awarded when the Japanese conducted several ferocious attacks against the Australian perimetre. Private Bruce Kingsbury led an Australian counterattack, rushing forward sweeping the Japanese positions with his Bren gun, saving he situation when all seemed lost — he was killed leading the charge. Another two men were also nominated for the VC during the fighting at Isurava. The outnumbered and poorly equipped Australians managed to hold back the Japanese advance for almost a week; only then did these battle scared and weary men begin a month long fighting withdraw towards Ioribaiwa Ridge just north of Port Morsby. However, their sacrifice provided time for the Australian 25th Brigade to be brought forward — finally forcing the Japanese to withdrawal just as they glimpsed the lights of Port Morseby.
Saving Port Moresby
Author: David W. Cameron
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1922765627
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 460
Book Description
Commemorating the 80th Anniversary of the Battles in New Guinea David W. Cameron one of Australia's leading military historians new Kokoda Campaign series will take you from the Battle for Isurava to Port Morseby and finally the retaking of Kokoda. For the first time, these significant battles of Australian troops are comprehensively explored. After taking Kokoda Plateau in late July 1942, Japanese forces entered the Owen Stanley Range, their mission was to capture Port Moresby. After the battles for Deniki and Isurava, the Japanese pushed south through the mountains. The Australians were in a determined fighting withdrawal. After a delaying action at Templeton’s Crossing, they took up a position along Mission Ridge, south of Efogi Village. After two days of bloody hand-to-hand fighting, in a battle known as ‘Butcher’s Corner’, the Australians were again forced to withdraw. After further delaying actions, fewer than 300 Australians took up a position on Ioribaiwa Ridge, just 50-kilometres north of Port Moresby. They were reinforced by the 25th Brigade. After a week of fighting, the Japanese cut through the 25th, forcing the Australians to fall back to Imita Ridge, the last defensible ridge in the Owen Stanleys – immediately behind lay Port Moresby.
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1922765627
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 460
Book Description
Commemorating the 80th Anniversary of the Battles in New Guinea David W. Cameron one of Australia's leading military historians new Kokoda Campaign series will take you from the Battle for Isurava to Port Morseby and finally the retaking of Kokoda. For the first time, these significant battles of Australian troops are comprehensively explored. After taking Kokoda Plateau in late July 1942, Japanese forces entered the Owen Stanley Range, their mission was to capture Port Moresby. After the battles for Deniki and Isurava, the Japanese pushed south through the mountains. The Australians were in a determined fighting withdrawal. After a delaying action at Templeton’s Crossing, they took up a position along Mission Ridge, south of Efogi Village. After two days of bloody hand-to-hand fighting, in a battle known as ‘Butcher’s Corner’, the Australians were again forced to withdraw. After further delaying actions, fewer than 300 Australians took up a position on Ioribaiwa Ridge, just 50-kilometres north of Port Moresby. They were reinforced by the 25th Brigade. After a week of fighting, the Japanese cut through the 25th, forcing the Australians to fall back to Imita Ridge, the last defensible ridge in the Owen Stanleys – immediately behind lay Port Moresby.