New Guinea Campaign
On July 21st 1942, Japanese invaded Papua New Guineas north coast, making a goal to take control of the town of Port Moresby in the South. This would give them a base to launch bombing raids against allied bases in northern Australia and aid their plan to cut off supply lines between Australia and the United States. The Japanese plans to capture Port Moresby via seaborne invasion were interrupted by the battle of the Coral Sea. To get there over the land, they had to take the Kokoda trail, which is a 90 km walking trail through dense rainforest. The trail went from the village of Wairopi, on the edge of the Owen Stanley Mountains and ending at Owers’ corner which was not far from Port Moresby. The trail was very narrow, meaning that it could only be travelled single file and on foot. During the three months from July to September the Japanese were advancing rapidly, succeeding in pushing Australia’s 39th Infantry Battalion and members of Papuan Infantry Battalion back to Imita ridge in the south of the trail. Field guns, planted by Australia, held up the Japanese at Ioribaiwa. The Australians were struggling in keep up with the Japanese due to their inexperience in jungle warfare, the weather conditions, the difficult terrain, tropical diseases, outdated maps that gave them little knowledge of the area, the poor intelligence, ammunitions shortages, exhaustion from the walking and difficulty obtaining the supplies to help them.
The Australians were finally able to replenish their supplies when jeeps gained road access at Owers’ corner, the Japanese, though, were relying on uncertain supplies from Gona. A further boost in the Australian soldier’s efforts was brought on when reinforcements from the Middle East arrived. The Australians pushed the Japanese all the way back to the beaches of the north coast, where the Australians were faced with 9000 Japanese armed with machine guns and Mortars. It took the Allied troops until 23 January 1943 to defeat the Japanese and claim victory. This victory, with another victory in Papua New Guinea started the Japanese retreat on land.
Around 600 Australian’s died, 1,600 were injured and around another 4000 contracted tropical diseased from the New Guinea Campaign.
The Australians were finally able to replenish their supplies when jeeps gained road access at Owers’ corner, the Japanese, though, were relying on uncertain supplies from Gona. A further boost in the Australian soldier’s efforts was brought on when reinforcements from the Middle East arrived. The Australians pushed the Japanese all the way back to the beaches of the north coast, where the Australians were faced with 9000 Japanese armed with machine guns and Mortars. It took the Allied troops until 23 January 1943 to defeat the Japanese and claim victory. This victory, with another victory in Papua New Guinea started the Japanese retreat on land.
Around 600 Australian’s died, 1,600 were injured and around another 4000 contracted tropical diseased from the New Guinea Campaign.
I was one of a party of considerable size, who were cut off in the dense jungle for fourteen long weary days without food. All I had to eat for the first ten days was one tin of bully beef, one packet of hard biscuits, half pound dehydrated ration and a little chocolate ration. - An Australian Soldiers account of conditions on the Kokoda trail
|