Kokoda Trail for Dummies, Australian Edition E-Book

Peter Williams

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 502

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2012

Beschreibung

Everything you need to know about the Kokoda Trail and its place in Australian history Interest in the Kokoda Trail is growing rapidly among many Australians, both for its attraction as a hiking destination and for its historical significance. Kokoda For Dummies offers a fast track tool for learning everything you need to know about this unique thoroughfare, in one concise volume. Part history book, part practical guide, Kokoda For Dummies is perfect both for those considering following our Diggers' footsteps along 'the track' or armchair travellers who want to learn about its history. Covering the full history of the Kokoda Trail, from its beginnings as an overland mail route to the fierce battles between the Australians and the Japanese that took place along its length during World War II, the book also includes important information on walking the trail yourself. From the steps you need to take to get ready to what to bring, Kokoda For Dummies is the definitive resource for anyone looking for a comprehensive overview of this significant landmark. * Focuses on walking the track as a pilgrimage and a history lesson for history buffs and hiking enthusiasts alike * Covers the health and safety concerns involved with walking the track, including a basic Kokoda itinerary * Contains eyewitness accounts of the Kokoda battles gleaned from interviews conducted with Australian and Japanese war veterans A comprehensive but accessible history of the Kokoda Trail and its significance to Australia, in one volume.

Leseprobe

Kokoda For Dummies®, Australian Edition

Table of Contents

Introduction

About This Book

Conventions Used in This Book

What You’re Not to Read

Foolish Assumptions

How This Book is Organised

Part I: The Essentials of Kokoda

Part II: Australians in Retreat

Part III: Fighting in the Jungle

Part IV: Chasing the Japanese Out of Papua

Part V: Walking the Kokoda Trail

Part VI: The Part of Tens

Icons Used in This Book

Where To Go From Here

Part I: The Essentials of Kokoda

Chapter 1: Understanding the Significance of the Kokoda Trail

Looking at the Track Before the War

Mining at Yodda

Posting the mail to Kokoda

Coming to Terms with the Military History of the Kokoda Trail

Saving Australia from invasion

Telling the story: History is made by the victors

Deciding Where the Track Tour Starts and Finishes

Starting from Owers’ Corner

Ending at Kokoda

Moving beyond the track to Buna, Gona and Sanananda

Including Milne Bay

Chapter 2: Reasons for Walking the Kokoda Trail

Honouring Heritage and Paying Homage

Remembering their deeds

Naming those to be honoured

Admiring Victoria Cross winners

Trekking in good company

Protecting Pilgrimage and Commemoration

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Department of Veterans’ Affairs

Kokoda Initiative: The joint venture between the Papua New Guinean and Australian governments

Walking the Kokoda Trail Today

The physical challenge

Don’t walk alone: Touring with others

Is the original Kokoda Trail the same as today’s track?

Doing Kokoda the restful way

Chapter 3: Finding Places of Military Importance

Completing the First Part: Port Moresby to Owers’ Corner

Seven Mile Strip

Bomana Cemetery

Koitaki

On the road to Owers’ Corner

Walking the Second Part: Owers’ Corner to Kokoda

Imita Ridge — end of retreat and beginning of the Australian advance

Ioribaiwa Ridge

Menari

Menari to Efogi

Efogi to Myola

Templeton’s Crossing

Eora

Isurava

Kokoda

Covering the Third Part: The North Coast

Oivi–Gorari

Crossing the Kumusi River

Awala

Popondetta

Gona

Sanananda

Buna

Noting Japanese Memorials

Part II: Australians in Retreat

Chapter 4: The Pacific War: Setting the Scene

Warring in Europe

Oiling the Wheels of War

The War in the Pacific

Clashing at Pearl Harbor

Pounding the Philippines

Terrorising Malaya and Singapore

Going Dutch

Invading Timor, Rabaul and Ambon

Heading for mainland New Guinea

Battle of the Coral Sea

Altering the Naval Balance: Midway

Chapter 5: The Papuan Campaign: Spies, Port Moresby and Guadalcanal

Understanding What the Japanese Knew

Discovering information

Mining other sources of information

Eavesdropping on radio broadcasts

Explaining the Japanese and Allied Strategy

Controlling sea lanes

Choosing between aircraft carriers and airfields

Finding airfields in Papua

Appreciating Why Port Moresby Was Important

A storage and supply area

Location, location

Taking Aim at Port Moresby

Considering the Role of Guadalcanal

Sinking ships and shooting down aircraft

Changing Japanese plans

Connecting Guadalcanal and Kokoda

Chapter 6: Building Up Troops and Assembling the Armies

Mobilising Australians and Local Allies

Installing the militia

Arrival of the AIF (Australian Imperial Force)

Flying in the squadrons

Calling in the navy

Preparing the Papuans

Sending in the Americans

Enter: MacArthur

Training in Toowoomba: Yanks Down Under

Engineering victory

Engaging the Japanese Army

Drawing on experience gained in China

Counting up the Japanese

From Kyoto to Kokoda: Getting supplies to the Japanese on the track

The Emperor’s Navy

Fighting Advantages: Arming Each Side

Chapter 7: Making a Fighting Retreat: Kokoda and Deniki

Watching the Japanese Advance

Marching to Kokoda

Escaping from Oivi

Standing at Kokoda

Losing Kokoda: The death of Colonel Owen

Retaking Kokoda temporarily

Digging in at Deniki

Considering the Next Moves

Sending in the Australian Imperial Forces

Arrival of the Nankai Shitai

Counting Casualties up to Deniki

Chapter 8: Entering the Mountains

Standing at Isurava

Massing the forces

Describing the battlefield

Losing Isurava

Heading back to the rest house

Getting away from Isurava

Rearguards and Vanguards: Struggling for Possession

Entering Eora

Reaching Templeton’s Crossing

Making it to Myola Ridge

Being Blindsided at Efogi

Fighting back at Mission Ridge

Being defeated at Brigade Hill

Escaping to Menari

Losing the 2/27th Infantry Battalion

Sacking Brigadier Potts

Defending Ioribaiwa Ridge

Flanking the flankers

The brigadier blunders

Seeing the lights of Port Moresby

Part III: Fighting In the Jungle

Chapter 9: Understanding Jungle Warfare

Defining the Tactics of Jungle War

Moving in the jungle

Owning the track

Masters of camouflage

Getting lost in the dark

An infantryman’s war

Patrolling the Jungle

Using Weapons in the Jungle

Artillery

Machine guns

Mortars

Rifles

Grenades

Bayonet

Flying Over the Jungle

Bombing the Japanese

Interfering with Japanese supplies

Chapter 10: Feeling Hungry and Sick in the Jungle

Addressing Problems of Supply

Voluntary and conscripted labour

Sourcing beans and bullets

Playing airdrop roulette

Harnessing horses

Weathering the Wet

Getting the wounded out

Building bridges

Catching Tropical Diseases

Managing malaria

Running from dysentery

Infecting the enemy

Part IV: Chasing the Japanese Out of Papua

Chapter 11: Turning the Tide Against the Japanese

Defeating the Japanese For the First Time

Landing on the wrong beach

Failing to seize Allied airfields

Trouncing the Japanese

Advancing to Eora

Chasing the Japanese

Defeating the Stanley Detachment

Taking Templeton’s Crossing

Capturing Eora

Sacking the commander — again

Retaking Kokoda

Raising the flag and handing out medals

Flying in burgoo, bombs and bullets

Exploiting the Decisive Moment: The Battle of Oivi–Gorari

Failing against the Japanese guns

Outmanoeuvring for victory

Chasing the Japanese across the Kumusi River

The death of General Horii

Chapter 12: Besieging the Japanese

Advancing to the Sea

Bunkering: The Battle of the Beachhead

Gathering the combatants

First attempts fail

Casting about blame

Progressing Towards Victory, December 1942

Winning the air battle

Gona’s gone

On the central front

Buna busted

Winning the Battle of Buna–Gona, January 1943

‘Like an old time charge’

Sanananda snaps

Escaping towards Salamaua

Finishing off the war in Papua

Understanding What the Australians Did Next

Chapter 13: Defeating the Japanese Army: Why the Allies Won

Working Out What the Allied Victory in Papua Achieved

Understanding Why the Australians Won in Papua

The big battalions

The Battle at Guadalcanal

Bushido versus Bluey: Keeping up morale

Learning From the Battle of Kokoda

Moving and fighting

Eating and shooting

Keeping fit

Counting Casualties at Kokoda

Calculating Kokoda battle casualties

Evaluating the cost of victory

Part V: Walking the Kokoda Trail

Chapter 14: Preparing For the Big Walk

Checking Your Commitment

Evaluating Why You’re Trekking: History or Heart Rate

Searching for history

Pumping up your heart rate

Working Out Which Direction to Walk

Going Along the Track with Others

Choosing a trekking company

Carrying your own pack or hiring a porter

Getting along with others

Taking on training

Chapter 15: Packing Your Kit and Organising the Paperwork

Arranging Your Paperwork

Getting medical clearance

Checking your passport

Applying for a visa

Writing your will

Buying travel insurance

Sorting out malaria medication and other immunisations

Setting up a contingency plan

Listing the Equipment You Need

Packing general supplies

Bringing some basic medical goods

Choosing insect protection

Keeping energy levels high

Staying hydrated

Getting a good night’s sleep

Finding Something to Wear

Picking clothes for the walk

Caring for your feet

Sidestepping chafing

Taking Basic Sanitary Precautions

Being careful with food and water

Watching out for other insect-borne illnesses

Staying away from HIV

Chapter 16: Respecting the Locals and Keeping Yourself Safe

Climate Change — But Not the Global Type!

Taking Care of Practical Matters

Getting from the airport to your hotel

Changing money

Negotiating Immigration

Pleasing customs officials

Leaving the airport

Taking care of valuables

Celebrating before you start walking

Meeting the Locals

No mobile phone, no meetings, no stress

Smile and say hello

Being Sensible When You’re Not On the Track

Watching out for hazards

Going out alone and staying out late

Shopping around

Handling cash in public

Bringing home souvenirs

Travelling To and From the Track

Relating to the Papuans on the Track

Meeting your porters

Showing respect for your porters

Avoiding overloading your porters

Displaying Appropriate Behaviour On the Track

Part VI: The Part of Tens

Chapter 17: Ten Legends about the Kokoda Trail

The Japanese Weren’t Little

The Australians Were Outnumbered

The Japanese Thought a Road Over the Mountains Existed

The Australians Inflicted Huge Casualties on the Japanese

The Australians’ Fighting Retreat Saved Port Moresby

General Horii’s White Horse

United States Troops Were No Good at Buna

The Japanese at Buna Should’ve Been Left to Starve

The Papuans Willingly Fought with the Australians

Leeches, Crocs, Snakes and Spiders

Chapter 18: Ten Things to Look For On the Kokoda Trail

Australian 25-Pounder Field Gun, Owers’ Corner

The Golden Stairs

Japanese Trenches, Above Ofi Creek

Ammunition Dump, Myola 1

Crashed P-40 fighter, Myola 2

Stakes In the Ground, Brigade Hill and Templeton’s Crossing

Bede Tongs’s Plaque, Eora Creek

Japanese Mountain Gun Position, Eora Creek

Con’s Rock, Isurava Rest House

Crashed Japanese Plane, Isurava

Chapter 19: Ten Veteran Stories

Mal Bishop

Ryozo Kawate

Matt Power

Honda Minoru

Neil Russell

Hori Kameji

Paul Cullen

Bernie Lewis

Mrs Tsukamoto Yukiko

Allen Sullivan

Appendix

Sorting Out Wars, Campaigns and Battles

Working Out the Difference Between Actions and Engagements

Making Sense of Different Army Structures

Australian and American Armies

The Japanese Army

Learning Jargon

Kokoda For Dummies®, Australian Edition

by Dr Peter Williams

Kokoda For Dummies®, Australian Edition

Published byWiley Publishing Australia Pty Ltd42 McDougall Street Milton, Qld 4064

Copyright © 2012 Wiley Publishing Australia Pty Ltd

The moral rights of the author have been asserted.

National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication data:

Author: Williams, Peter

Title: Kokoda For Dummies / Peter Williams.

Edition: Australian ed.

ISBN: 9780730376996 (pbk.)

Notes: Includes index.

Subjects: World War, 1939–1945 — Campaigns — Papua New Guinea.

World War, 1939–1945 — Campaigns — Papua New Guinea — Kokoda.

World War, 1939–1945 — Participation, Australian.

World War, 1939–1945 — Participation, Japanese.

World War, 1939–1945 — Australia.

Kokoda Trail (Papua New Guinea) — History.

Kokoda Trail (Papua New Guinea) — Description and travel.

Dewey Number: 940.5426561

All rights reserved. No part of this book, including interior design, cover design and icons, may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means (electronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Contracts & Licensing section of John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd, 42 McDougall Street, Milton, Qld 4064, or email [email protected].

Cover image: © Australian War Memorial Archive, AWM 027081

Typeset by diacriTech, Chennai, India

Printed in China by Printplus Limited

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About the Author

Dr Peter Williams is the author of six books and websites on Australian military history including The Battle of Anzac Ridge 1915 (2006), Australia’s Involvement in the Korean War (2010) and The Kokoda Campaign 1942: Myth and Reality (2012). Before he became a military historian, Peter was a teacher of history and English in Australia and Japan. He lives in Canberra where he is a researcher for the Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal.

Dedication

I dedicate this book to my wife, Sammy, who, over the years, has become a reluctant expert on things Kokoda.

Author’s Acknowledgements

Without Gary Traynor, this book couldn’t have been completed. Gary guides tours to Australian battlefields at Gallipoli and in Papua New Guinea and has walked Kokoda ten times. Drawing on his experiences, he contributed Chapters 14, 15, 16 and 18.

Thank you also to my editor, Catherine Spedding, and the team at Wiley.

Publisher’s Acknowledgements

We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our online registration form located at http://dummies.custhelp.com.

Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

Acquisitions, Editorial and Media Development

Project Editor: Catherine Spedding

Acquisitions Editor: Rebecca Crisp

Editorial Manager: Hannah Bennett

Special Contributor: Gary Traynor

Production

Graphics: diacriTech

Cartoons: Glenn Lumsden

Proofreader: Charlotte Duff

Indexer: Don Jordan, Antipodes Indexing

The author and publisher would like to thank the following copyright holders, organisations and individuals for their permission to reproduce copyright material in this book:

• Pages 36 and 173: Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 1 — Army — Vol 5. South-West Pacific Area — First Year: Kokoda to Wau (1st edition, 1959) Author: Dudley McCarthy. Reproduced with permission of the Australian War Memorial.

• Pages 44, 47, 231, 251 and 274: Photos courtesy of the author. © Peter Williams.

• Page 181: By Arrangement with the Licensor, The David Campbell Estate c/-Curtis Brown (Aust) Pty Ltd.

Every effort has been made to trace the ownership of copyright material. Information that enables the publisher to rectify any error or omission in subsequent editions is welcome. In such cases, please contact the Permissions Section of John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Introduction

Australians are fond of their military history, but this fondness wasn’t always so. When I was growing up in the 1960s, our wars — Vietnam was going on then — were rarely the subjects of television documentaries, movies and books as they are today. Now, websites are also devoted to warfare and new books appear every week. This is all very good news for authors and fans of military history.

The two campaigns Australians want to know most about are Gallipoli in 1915 and Kokoda in 1942. When I began writing military history, those were the two topics I decided to tackle first. I wanted to understand the nuts and bolts of strategy and tactics, battles and armies, how they’re supplied and what makes some soldiers stand and die while others run away. Early on I learned that to best understand a battle you have to visit the place where it was fought. What I share in this book is based on my experiences travelling to the battlefields in Papua New Guinea.

About This Book

Seven years ago I began studying the fighting on the Kokoda Trail. Kokoda For Dummies is a summary of what I’ve learnt so far, as well as a practical guide for those who are considering walking the track. Do walk the track. I’ve never met anyone who regretted it.

I talk about more than just the fighting on the track because understanding the other events in Papua in the six months Australians fought there is important. The final report of the Battles Nomenclature Committee in 1958 divided the war in Papua from July 1942 to January 1943 into three battles. The battle I focus on in Kokoda For Dummies is the Battle of Kokoda. The other battles I examine are the Battle of Milne Bay and the Battle of Buna–Gona, which was fought after Kokoda and saw the destruction of the Japanese force that had advanced along the track. In official jargon the fights along the track were not battles, they were called ‘actions’ or ‘engagements’. I call them battles though because everybody else does.

Some of the questions this book answers are:

Why did fighting occur along the track at all?

What were the Australians and Japanese trying to achieve?

How did the training and preparation of the armies affect the outcome of the battles?

What kinds of weapons did the armies have?

What was fighting in the mountainous jungle on the track really like?

How do I prepare to walk the track and what will I see there?

Conventions Used in This Book

In this book, I’ve used a number of conventions:

Armies use a lot of technical words, like battalion and battery or company and casualty clearing station, to describe their structure. They have another list of tricky words to describe what they do: Flanking the enemy, making a pinning attack, bombarding. You don’t need to know them all and I’ve used them only where necessary. Some of these technical words are explained in the Appendix.

Names are written in their correct order. Australian and American people put their family name (surname) last, Japanese names have the family name first.

I use the term Buna to describe the Japanese base in Papua. Buna is not strictly accurate because the Japanese base was spread over a large area and the centre was at Giruwa, near Buna. Buna itself was one of the less important parts of the base; however, Buna is a name a lot of Australians know so I’ve used it.

When I use the word Kokoda I’m talking about the track or the fighting in general. When I mean the village of Kokoda after which the fighting was named, I make that clear. I also use Kokoda Trail — the official term — or track, not Kokoda Track.

I use the terms used in 1942, when the north part of Papua New Guinea was called the Territory of New Guinea and the south part the Territory of Papua. If I use the term ‘New Guinea’, I am referring generally to the whole modern country.

What You’re Not to Read

The fighting in Papua was full of fascinating facts, stories and personalities that aren’t vital to following the main story of Kokoda. I’ve placed some of these stories in sidebars — the shaded boxes — where I also include excerpts from interviews with war veterans, both Australian and Japanese. You can skip the sidebars and not lose the thread, but I think they’re too good to miss out on.

Foolish Assumptions

Many books about Kokoda or some aspect of it have been published and more appear each day. Some are technical and hard to understand and some are simple. Working out which is which can be difficult. I assume you’ve picked up this book because

You plan to walk the track and you want to know if you should, what you will see and how to get ready.

You want an overview of Kokoda that answers the where, what, when, who and how kinds of questions.

You want a ready reference so you can look up a battle quickly.

You wish you knew more about Kokoda, so you can join in on conversations.

How This Book is Organised

This book is divided into six parts. I start by explaining the significance of the track and convincing you to walk the track if you haven’t already. Then I talk about the battles and the practical steps you have to take before the trip if you want to see the battle sites.

Part I: The Essentials of Kokoda

In this part, I tell you the basic information you need to make sense of the rest of the book. I explain why the track is significant, why you should go, what you will find and who has done it before you.

Part II: Australians in Retreat

Australia and its Allies did a lot of retreating in the first ten months after Japan invaded Asia and the Pacific in December 1942. Here I explain the plans and objectives of both sides, and what went right with the Japanese plan and what went wrong with the Allied plan. I talk about what the Allies did in the war in the Pacific before the Japanese arrived in Papua and how we came to be fighting there. Part II ends at the end of the Australian retreat, at Imita Ridge 40 kilometres from Port Moresby.

Part III: Fighting in the Jungle

Here I take a break from describing what happened and explain how war in the jungle is different from any other kind of warfare. I write about tactics and disease, supply and patrolling, and describe what the nitty gritty of jungle fighting was like.

Part IV: Chasing the Japanese Out of Papua

After Imita Ridge in September 1942, the Australians went on the attack. I examine the four months of the Australian advance, from when we began driving the Japanese back along the track to January 1943 when the Japanese force in Papua was finally destroyed at the Battle of Buna–Gona.

Part V: Walking the Kokoda Trail

This is the part that helps you decide if you’re going to walk the track. Walking the track isn’t easy and requires preparation. Here you learn about the practical stuff, how much training to do, what you should take with you and how to avoid illness.

Part VI: The Part of Tens

In this part, I explain the common myths about the fighting in Papua. If you’ve read a bit about the fighting, you may be surprised by some of these myths. I also list ten things to look out for along the track and include ten interesting stories from Australian and Japanese veterans. The part of tens is a great place to start reading if you want to see if you’ll like this book.

Icons Used in This Book

Icons are those little pictures in the left margin. The picture on each gives you a clue to the content. Here’s what they mean:

This icon shows where to go to find, or avoid, discussion about military strategy, tactics formation and doctrine.

This icon points you to interesting details that illuminate the story.

You may not want to read the technical details of organisation of equipment, especially if you’re pressed for time. You can skip over the technical stuff, but it’s difficult for me to imagine that many readers don’t want to know how many rounds a .303 Lee-Enfield rifle held in its magazine.

When I want to summarise the key points I’ve just made at length I use this icon to point out an easy-to-remember sentence or two that captures the essence of the key points.

This icon serves as a warning, telling you to avoid something that’s potentially harmful. Take heed!

This bulls-eye alerts you to on-target advice, insights or recommendations.

These highlight excerpts from interviews with Kokoda veterans that explain in their own words what being on the track was really like.

Where To Go From Here

You can go anywhere you like from here because I’ve written the book so each part or chapter makes sense without having to read the other parts. Consult the table of contents to see where you want to go next. If you just want to read about the fighting, go to Parts II to IV. If you want to begin training for the track right now, go to Part V.

Part I

The Essentials of Kokoda

Glenn Lumsden

‘I can’t believe my great-granddad did all this AND had people shooting at him as well.’

In this part . . .

When I first went to Papua New Guinea in 1980, I wanted to see the Australian battlefields of World War II. I recall considering going to Kokoda but it didn’t stand out in my mind. Instead I went to Buna, Lae, Shaggy Ridge, Finschhafen, Rabaul and Bougainville. Something has changed in 30 years because I can’t now imagine a tourist, who wants to see where famous battles were fought in Papua New Guinea, who wouldn’t have the Kokoda Trail at the top of the list.

In this part, I explore what has changed, what now gives that word ‘Kokoda’ a little magic, and why Kokoda is one of the best-known words in Australian military history. I explain why you should go to the track and what you’re likely to see when you do.