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In the rugged mountains of Papua New Guinea 75 years ago, 625 Australians were killed, and more than 1,000 were injured in a three month
battle which also took the lives of thousands of Papua New Guinean, American and Japanese lives.
It was perhaps the most significant campaign fought by Australians during World War Two.After previously being thwarted in their effort to capture Port Moresby, the Japanese planned to use the Kokoda Trail to advance on the city and form a base for attacking the Australian mainland.
On 21 July 1942, the Japanese landed at Gona on the north coast of Papua. Soon, a full-scale offensive developed. In atrocious conditions, Australians fought a series of battles over the next four months. Supplies were scarce, and tropical diseases such as malaria affected the forces ability to fight.
The track runs over mountains and cuts through almost 100 kilometers of dense jungle. All supplies had to be carried as much of the track could only be covered on foot.
In January 1943, Japanese resistance on Papua finally ceased. When all was said and done, 600 Australians were killed and 1600 wounded. The Japanese had more than 10,000 fatalities.
The Kokoda Trail was a crucial point in stopping the Japanese advance across the Pacific and towards Australia.
Many Australians now walk the track to pay tribute to the bravery and dedication shown by the Australian soldiers. Even without the pressure of war and with a professional guide, walkers have died on the track, which takes around eight days to complete.
battle which also took the lives of thousands of Papua New Guinean, American and Japanese lives.
It was perhaps the most significant campaign fought by Australians during World War Two.After previously being thwarted in their effort to capture Port Moresby, the Japanese planned to use the Kokoda Trail to advance on the city and form a base for attacking the Australian mainland.
On 21 July 1942, the Japanese landed at Gona on the north coast of Papua. Soon, a full-scale offensive developed. In atrocious conditions, Australians fought a series of battles over the next four months. Supplies were scarce, and tropical diseases such as malaria affected the forces ability to fight.
The track runs over mountains and cuts through almost 100 kilometers of dense jungle. All supplies had to be carried as much of the track could only be covered on foot.
In January 1943, Japanese resistance on Papua finally ceased. When all was said and done, 600 Australians were killed and 1600 wounded. The Japanese had more than 10,000 fatalities.
The Kokoda Trail was a crucial point in stopping the Japanese advance across the Pacific and towards Australia.
Many Australians now walk the track to pay tribute to the bravery and dedication shown by the Australian soldiers. Even without the pressure of war and with a professional guide, walkers have died on the track, which takes around eight days to complete.
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Early in 1942, Japan decided to block the Allies from setting up bases in Australia. Operation MO would send a large invasion force to Port Moresby, the capital of New Guinea. From Port Moresby, the Japanese would be able to project air power beyond the northern tip of Australia and establish bases even further south. Two Battles a month apart were to thwart those plans.
The Battle of Midway is well known as the turning point in the Pacific war. However, if not for the Battle of the Coral Sea a month earlier in May, the three American carriers at Midway would have faced six Japanese carriers of the type that had devastated Pearl Harbor five months prior, instead of only four — and the Battle of Midway might have ended differently.
The four day Coral Sea skirmish was the world’s first all-carrier battle, and the first sea battle in which neither side could see the other. Both the U.S. and the Japanese navies thought they understood how to fight using carriers. Both discovered they were wrong. At the end of this painful learning experience, the United States had lost the 41,000-ton carrier Lexington, while Japan had lost only the 11,000-ton carrier Shoho.
The battle was a strategic victory for the allies. The Japanese invasion fleet turned back, saving the region that a Japanese air base at Port Moresby would have dominated. More importantly, Japan’s two newest carriers, Shokaku and Zuikaku, were damaged so much that they could not participate in the Battle of Midway. Their absence might have been a decisive factor.
After the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Japanese army continued to press south, but the Australians beat them back twice in New Guinea, and the U.S. held them off at Guadalcanal.
The Battle of Midway is well known as the turning point in the Pacific war. However, if not for the Battle of the Coral Sea a month earlier in May, the three American carriers at Midway would have faced six Japanese carriers of the type that had devastated Pearl Harbor five months prior, instead of only four — and the Battle of Midway might have ended differently.
The four day Coral Sea skirmish was the world’s first all-carrier battle, and the first sea battle in which neither side could see the other. Both the U.S. and the Japanese navies thought they understood how to fight using carriers. Both discovered they were wrong. At the end of this painful learning experience, the United States had lost the 41,000-ton carrier Lexington, while Japan had lost only the 11,000-ton carrier Shoho.
The battle was a strategic victory for the allies. The Japanese invasion fleet turned back, saving the region that a Japanese air base at Port Moresby would have dominated. More importantly, Japan’s two newest carriers, Shokaku and Zuikaku, were damaged so much that they could not participate in the Battle of Midway. Their absence might have been a decisive factor.
After the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Japanese army continued to press south, but the Australians beat them back twice in New Guinea, and the U.S. held them off at Guadalcanal.
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On the night of 29 May 1942, five large Japanese submarines positioned themselves 56 kilometers north-east of Sydney Heads. At 3.00 am the next day one of the submarines launched a reconnaissance aircraft. After circling Sydney Harbor the aircraft returned to its submarine, reporting the presence of 'battleships and cruisers' moored in the harbor. The flotilla's commanding officer decided to attack the harbor with midget submarines the next night. The next day the five submarines approached to within 11 kilometers of Sydney Heads, and at about 4.30 pm they released three midget submarines which then began their approach to Sydney Harbor.
The outer-harbor defenses detected the entry of the first midget submarine at about 8.00 pm, but it was not identified until it became entangled in an anti-torpedo net that was suspended between George's Head and Green Point. Before HMAS Yarroma was able to open fire the submarine's two crew members destroyed their vessel with demolition charges and killed themselves.
The second submarine entered the harbor at about 9.48 pm and headed west towards the Harbor Bridge, causing a general alarm to be issued by the Naval Officer in Charge, Sydney. About 200 meters from Garden Island the submarine was fired on by the heavy cruiser USS Chicago. The submarine then fired its two torpedoes at the cruiser. One torpedo ran ashore on Garden Island but failed to explode. The other passed under the Dutch submarine K9 and struck the harbor bed beneath the depot ship HMAS Kuttabul where it exploded, killing 21 sailors (19 Royal Australian Navy and 2 Royal Navy). The submarine then slipped out of the harbor, its mission complete.
The third submarine was sighted by HMAS Yandra at the entrance to the harbor and was depth-charged. Some four hours later, having recovered, it entered the harbor but it was subsequently attacked with depth charges and sunk in Taylor Bay by vessels of the Royal Australian Navy. Both members of the submarine's crew committed suicide.
The two submarines that were recovered were identical, and their remains were used to reconstruct a complete submarine, which toured New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia before being delivered to the Australian War Memorial in Canberra in 1943, where it remains on display.
The outer-harbor defenses detected the entry of the first midget submarine at about 8.00 pm, but it was not identified until it became entangled in an anti-torpedo net that was suspended between George's Head and Green Point. Before HMAS Yarroma was able to open fire the submarine's two crew members destroyed their vessel with demolition charges and killed themselves.
The second submarine entered the harbor at about 9.48 pm and headed west towards the Harbor Bridge, causing a general alarm to be issued by the Naval Officer in Charge, Sydney. About 200 meters from Garden Island the submarine was fired on by the heavy cruiser USS Chicago. The submarine then fired its two torpedoes at the cruiser. One torpedo ran ashore on Garden Island but failed to explode. The other passed under the Dutch submarine K9 and struck the harbor bed beneath the depot ship HMAS Kuttabul where it exploded, killing 21 sailors (19 Royal Australian Navy and 2 Royal Navy). The submarine then slipped out of the harbor, its mission complete.
The third submarine was sighted by HMAS Yandra at the entrance to the harbor and was depth-charged. Some four hours later, having recovered, it entered the harbor but it was subsequently attacked with depth charges and sunk in Taylor Bay by vessels of the Royal Australian Navy. Both members of the submarine's crew committed suicide.
The two submarines that were recovered were identical, and their remains were used to reconstruct a complete submarine, which toured New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia before being delivered to the Australian War Memorial in Canberra in 1943, where it remains on display.