How Did Kokoda Destroy Australia

On the 22nd of July 1942, Japanese forces advanced toward Port Moresby in an attempt to isolate Australia from the United States. A battle in which Australia would be fighting in the fear of invasion. Japanese forces attempted to advance through the mountains of the Owen Stanley Range to enclose

Port Moresby. Kokoda was an important turning point for Australia as it was the battle that ended Japan’s dominance and permitted the Allies to go on the offensive. Kokoda, although not the first triumph against Japan, it marked the first major retreat of Japanese ground forces during the Pacific War allowing American forces to ‘island hop’ and fundamentally win the war. The conditions suffered by both Japanese and Allied forces were abhorrent. Although

This attack was strategically designed to destroy America’s Naval Fleet to enable Japan to control the Pacific and its resources. With the American Fleet (apart from its air craft carriers) disabled, Japan continued this aggression by taking Singapore in February 1942, capturing 80000 allied troops including 15000 Australians. Darwin was bombed on 19 February 1942 (by 188 Planes launched from the aircraft carriers used in Pearl Harbour killing 243 people). It is against this background that Port Moresby was so important. With the majority of Australia’s troops and war resources situated in the African and European theatre, under the direction of Britain, Australians felt and were vulnerable from their near neighbour. Japan has little to no resources necessary to mount and maintain a war. The Japanese invasions of their near neighbours were conducted to secure access to oil, rubber, tin and iron (Figure 1). It is against this backdrop that Port Moresby was so important to be defended. Port Moresby could be a launching pad for an invasion into Australia as it had a Deep Harbour, a reliable water supply and an airfield. From Port Moresby, Japan could launch air and amphibious operations. The Battle of the Coral Sea was triggered by a Japanese attempt to move an invasion force from Rabual to capture Port Moresby. Allied success in code breaking meant that the

The Jungles were barely penetrable, often negotiated only on hands and knees-steeply rising ridges, deep mud, ravines, moss, tree roots, vines, constant wet and mud slides. The rain kept the troops sodden for days, or even weeks, which led to sickness and disease. Malaria was one of the most common diseases among Aussie troops. In the stifling heat and permanently wet jungle, mosquitoes that carried malaria bred continuously. At times, half the troops in a battalion would be shivering and shaking with malaria. The Australian Soldiers had only a singular uniform not designed for tropical conditions. With a lack of nutritious food, fresh water, dry clothing, lodgings. Australian soldiers suffered from Malaria, dysentery, multiple leeches under their leggings and in their boots, disease from fleas, malnutrition, depression and feet reduced to a pulp from the constant wet. Physically the pathetically young warriors of the 39th were in poor shape. “Worn out by strenuous fighting and exhausting movement, and weakened by lack of food and sleep and shelter, many had literally come to a standstill. Practically every day torrential rain fell all through the afternoon and night, cascading into their cheerless weapons pits and soaking the clothes they wore - the only ones they had. In these they shivered through the long chill vigil of the lonely nights when they were required to stand