The Kokoda Campaign and the Defence of Australia
Australia was the last stop for Japan securing the west pacific. To
prevent Japan from securing this major section of the asia-pacific and allowing
total domination, Australia had to protect itself and its surrounding
countries. By winning the Kokoda campaign, Australia turned the tide of war
against Japan and forced them to retreat back to their homeland through a series
of attacks in conjunction with America and New Zealand.
The Kokoda Track was the entry point into
Australia. It was the last line of defence and the last wall that needed to
fall before Japan invaded the land down under. Japanese planes could not fly
that far and would run out of fuel and supplies after attacks. Without a proper
base close to Australia, they could not successfully take over the
British-loyal country. Australia had to protect itself and people as the threat
of a domination and enslavement of it's people was now at large. This threat
came to such an extent that the current Prime Minister of the time John Curtin
published a column in the West Australian, on the 17th of February 1942,
empowering people to do the best they could to aid the war effort
"...resistance to an enemy threatening to invade our own shore…the hours
previously devoted to sport and leisure must now be give to the duties of
war". The government had become so desperate and vulnerable now that they
had to take help as it came. In an article in the Herald, on the 27th of
December 1941, the government described the assistance and importance of
winning this war "...determined that Australia shall not go and we shall
exert all our energies...with the United States as its keystone...until the
tide of battle swings against the enemy." If Australia did not win the
war, the Japanese would have easy pickings on America as well as its future
enemy, Britain. The winning of the Kokoda battle, literally determined which
side of the war would win.
To win the war, the Australian people had to embark
on a treacherous journey through the rocky Owen-Stanley ranges while being
attacked from the north. They had barely any equipment and to rely mainly on
the locals to provide them with medicine. First aid and fresh food and water.
Nevertheless, the terrain and the weather was their worst enemy. It rained
often, drenching the soldiers in pools of mud and presenting freezing cold
temperatures. This environment is shown
in the video below.
Youtube Video: "Kokoda Track Conditions - What is it like under foot"
This video show clearly how difficult and dense the bushland
was. The environment was harsh and unforgiving.
They had to travel
through dense jungle while being shot at by the Japanese. This is described in Jack
Boland (A soldier who was active in the Kokoda campaign) in a diary entry “… I
took a step forward and as I did so a shot rang out to my right.. that’s the
spot where Dave got hit…” (Taken from: www.aaac.100megsfree5.com/ww2kokodaremembered.htm).
Australian soldiers experienced tremendous hardship as they struggled to
overcome the forests and defeat the Japanese all while being shot at. The
terrain was a mess and the Japanese offensives firing was no help to that.
Australian soldiers truly experienced the worst of the worst.
The success of the Kokoda Campaign meant that
Australia was protected and away from danger as well as the defeat of the
Japanese planned expansion attack. In addition, it also secured the success of
the defeat of Germany and Italy. The Kokoda campaign allowed Australia to show
assertiveness as well as create a strong connection with the people of New
Guinea and America. This then in turn allowed Australia to push Japanese forces
back and remove their control over most of the Asian-pacific region. For the
short term, this meant that Australia was not in a vulnerable position anymore
and for the long term, this meant that the tide of war turned against Japan and
that peace was soon to be relished. This promise of peace was shown in the
Sydney Morning Heralds announcement of peace in 1945 titled "Japan
Capitulates|Delirious Joy In Australia|Plans For Surrender". These joys
were highlighted also by the fact that the united states was now to become a
major ally as depicted by a poster labelled "Australian-American
co-operation" that shows the Prime Minister Robert Menzies and the
President Roosevelt shaking hands. By successfully defeating the Japanese and
winning the Kokoda campaign, Australia was able to protect itself and its
people, closen ties with America, turn the tide of war, prevent thousands more
deaths and create a new image of peace, perseverance and resistance.
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