The Kokoda Campaign 1942
Myth and Reality

Using extensive research and Japanese sources, Peter Williams seeks to explain what really happened during the Kokoda Campaign of 1942.

Peter Williams (Author)

9781107015944, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 2 March 2012

324 pages, 30 b/w illus. 8 colour illus. 10 maps
22.9 x 15.2 x 2.2 cm, 0.65 kg

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.

1. Introduction
2. Strategy
3. Military intelligence
4. The Nankai Shitai
5. From the landing to Deniki
6. Isurava
7. Guadalcanal and Milne Bay
8. The Japanese build-up
9. First Eora-Templetons
10. Efogi
11. Ioribaiwa
12. Japanese artillery
13. Malaria and dysentery
14. The Japanese supply crisis
15. Second Eora-Templetons
16. Oivi-Gorari
17. The war in the air
18. Conclusion.

Subject Areas: Second World War [HBWQ], Military history [HBW], Australasian & Pacific history [HBJM]