kokoda trail - great aussie battlers

Kokoda Trail – Great Aussie Battlers


The focus of this report is the Australian involvement in the Second World War and more specifically in the Battle for the Kokoda Trail. New Guinea is situated just north off the Cape York Peninsula of Australia and is closer to Australia than Brisbane is to Sydney. The Australian soldiers that fought in Papua New Guinea were part of the 39th Australian Infantry Battalion which existed from 1941 to 1943. This battalion was largely composed of relatively untrained 18-19 year old young men who found themselves on the forefront of Australia’s defence. The Australian’s were fighting against the Japanese, a well developed military orientated nation who seemed to have misunderstood the abilities of the Australian soldiers. The combat in Papua New Guinea was one of ambush and was fought in dense jungle. Both the Australians and the Japanese were affected heavily by disease, lack of reinforcements and food and water, in some cases both sides were...