Kokoda Air Strikes

Author : Anthony Cooper
Publisher : NewSouth
ISBN 13 : 1742241743
Total Pages : 573 pages
Book Rating : 4.46/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Kokoda Air Strikes written by Anthony Cooper and published by NewSouth. This book was released on 2014-07-01 with total page 573 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The author of the bestselling Darwin Spitfires casts a forensic eye over the role that Allied air forces played – or failed to play – in crucial World War II campaigns in New Guinea. This is the story of the early battles of the South West Pacific theatre – the Coral Sea, Kokoda, Milne Bay, Guadalcanal – presented as a single air campaign that began with the Japanese conquest of Rabaul in January 1942. It is a story of both Australian and American airmen who flew and fought in the face of adversity – with incomplete training, inadequate aircraft, and from poorly set up and exposed airfields. And they persisted despite extreme exhaustion, sickness, poor morale and the near certainty of being murdered by their Japanese captors if they went down in enemy territory.

Author : Craig Collie
Publisher : ReadHowYouWant.com
ISBN 13 : 1458716791
Total Pages : 514 pages
Book Rating : 4.98/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Path of Infinite Sorrow written by Craig Collie and published by ReadHowYouWant.com. This book was released on 2010-10-19 with total page 514 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Japanese.

Author : David W. Cameron
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1922765813
Total Pages : 475 pages
Book Rating : 4.19/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Retaking Kokoda written by David W. Cameron and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2022-11-30 with total page 475 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Author : Peter Williams
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1107015944
Total Pages : 323 pages
Book Rating : 4.44/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Kokoda Campaign 1942 written by Peter Williams and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2012-03-02 with total page 323 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The fighting on the Kokoda Track in World War II is second only to Gallipoli in the Australian national consciousness. The Kokoda campaign of 1942 has taken on mythical status in Australian military history. According to the legend, Australian soldiers were vastly outnumbered by the Japanese, who suffered great losses in battle and as a result of the harsh conditions of the Kokoda Track. In this important book, Peter Williams seeks to dispel the Kokoda myth. Using extensive research and Japanese sources, he explains what really happened on the Kokoda Track in 1942. Unlike most other books written from an Australian perspective, The Kokoda Campaign 1942: Myth and reality focuses on the strategies, tactics and battle plans of the Japanese and shows that the Australians were in fact rarely outnumbered. For the first time, this book combines narrative with careful analysis to present an undistorted picture of the events of the campaign. It is a must-read for anyone who is interested in the truth of the Kokoda campaign of 1942.

Author : David W. Cameron
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1922615684
Total Pages : 411 pages
Book Rating : 4.88/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Battle for Isurava written by David W. Cameron and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2022-03-01 with total page 411 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Author : Lex McAulay
Publisher : Random House Australia
ISBN 13 : 0091826284
Total Pages : 442 pages
Book Rating : 4.84/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Blood and Iron written by Lex McAulay and published by Random House Australia. This book was released on 1992 with total page 442 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An account of the campaign for the Kokoda Trail in Papua New Guinea during WWII. Written by a well-known military historian whose previous works include TThe Battle of the Bismarck Sea' and TThe Fighting First'. Paperback edition of a book first published in 1991.

Author : Peter J. Dean
Publisher : University Press of Kansas
ISBN 13 : 0700626042
Total Pages : 494 pages
Book Rating : 4.45/5 ( download)

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Download or read book MacArthur's Coalition written by Peter J. Dean and published by University Press of Kansas. This book was released on 2018-04-03 with total page 494 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From 1942–1945 the Allies’ war in the Southwest Pacific was effectively a bilateral coalition between the United States and Australia under the command of General Douglas MacArthur. By charting the evolution of the military effectiveness of the US-Australian alliance, MacArthur’s Coalition puts the relationship between the United States and Australia at the center of the war against Japan. Drawing on new primary source material, Peter J. Dean has written the first substantial book-length treatment of the coalition as a combined military force. This expansive and ambitious book provides a fresh perspective on the Pacific War by providing a close-up, in-depth account of operations in the Southwest Pacific from the Kokoda Trail campaign to the reconquest of the Philippines and Borneo. Dean’s work takes the reader deep into the key military headquarters in the Southwest Pacific and reveals the discussions, debates, and arguments between key commanders and staff officers during the course of planning and waging a monumental conflict. Drawing upon archival records across three continents, Dean brings the qualities of these senior officers to life by exploring the critical importance of personalities and leadership in overcoming cultural, doctrinal, and organizational divides in the largely unequal alliance. Set against the practicalities of fighting a fanatical enemy in some of the most inhospitable terrain in the war, his book shows how, despite these divides and MacArthur’s difficult personality, the US-Australian coalition was able to forge a highly effective and ultimately triumphant fighting machine. With its unprecedented view of the joint nature of operations in the Southwest Pacific and its focus on frontline commanders and units in forging a successful fighting force, MacArthur’s Coalition illuminates a critical aspect of the Allied victory in World War II.

Author : Michael Veitch
Publisher : Hachette Australia
ISBN 13 : 0733633641
Total Pages : 352 pages
Book Rating : 4.45/5 ( download)

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Download or read book 44 Days written by Michael Veitch and published by Hachette Australia. This book was released on 2016-07-26 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'Brilliantly researched and sympathetically told, 44 DAYS is more than just a fitting tribute to brave but overlooked heroes. It's also a top read.' DAILY TELEGRAPH In March and April 1942, RAAF 75 Squadron bravely defended Port Moresby for 44 days when Australia truly stood alone against the Japanese. This group of raw young recruits scrambled ceaselessly in their Kittyhawk fighters to an extraordinary and heroic battle, the story of which has been left largely untold. The recruits had almost nothing going for them against the Japanese war machine, except for one extraordinary leader named John Jackson, a balding, tubby Queenslander - at 35 possibly the oldest fighter pilot in the world - who said little, led from the front, and who had absolutely no sense of physical fear. Time and time again this brave group were hurled into battle, against all odds and logic, and succeeded in mauling a far superior enemy - whilst also fighting against the air force hierarchy. After relentless attack, the squadron was almost wiped out by the time relief came, having succeeded in their mission - but also paying a terrible price. Michael Veitch, actor, presenter and critically acclaimed author, brings to life the incredible exploits and tragic sacrifices of this courageous squadron of Australian heroes.

Author : Douglas MacArthur
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 390 pages
Book Rating : 4.57/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Reports of General MacArthur: Japanese operations in the Southwest Pacific area (2 pts) written by Douglas MacArthur and published by . This book was released on 1966 with total page 390 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Author : Michael Veitch
Publisher : Hachette Australia
ISBN 13 : 0733640567
Total Pages : 271 pages
Book Rating : 4.68/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Turning Point written by Michael Veitch and published by Hachette Australia. This book was released on 2019-07-23 with total page 271 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Battle for Milne Bay - Japan's first defeat on land in the Second World War - was a defining moment in the evolution of the indomitable Australian fighting spirit. For the men of the AIF, the militia and the RAAF, it was the turning point in the Pacific, and their finest - though now largely forgotten - hour. Forgotten, until now. In August 1942, Japan's forces were unstoppable. Having conquered vast swathes of south-east Asia - Malaya, Singapore, the Dutch East Indies - and now invading New Guinea, many feared the Empire of the Rising Sun stood poised to knock down Australia's northern door. But first they needed Port Moresby. In the still of an August night, Japanese marines sailed quietly into Milne Bay, a long, malaria-ridden dead end at the far eastern tip of Papua, to unleash an audacious pincer movement. Unbeknown to them, however, a secret airstrip had been carved out of a coconut plantation by US Engineers, and a garrison of Australian troops had been established, supported by two locally based squadrons of RAAF Kittyhawks, including the men of the famed 75 Squadron. The scene was set for one of the most decisive and vicious battles of the war. For ten days and nights Australia's soldiers and airmen fought the elite of Japan's forces along a sodden jungle track, and forced them back step by muddy, bloody step. In Turning Point, bestselling author Michael Veitch brings to life the incredible exploits and tragic sacrifices of these Australian heroes.