Back at Kokoda

 

Hello everyone time to step back in time to 1942 and learn a little more about the battle on the Kokoda Track, I thought we were done with it, but I turned the page in my book, and I am back at Kokoda.

Late August found the Japanese withdrawing from Milne Bay and the Aussie’s withdrawing from Isurava, it was while under heavy fire from the Japanese that the Aussie retreated to Templeton’s Crossing.

By this time the Aussie’s were doing it tough with the appalling conditions and the lack of supplies the health of the men was shocking to say the least. Apart form battle wounds and the problems being able to treat them due to circumstances they were in, the men also had dysentery and malaria which of course was made worse by lack of food which made the men very weak, thus making it hard to fight off any disease.

Of course, in his safe Brisbane GHQ MacArthur still didn’t get how out numbered the allied forces were, he thought there were more allied men then Japanese, he was wrong. In reality there was around 400 Aussie up against 5,000 Japanese. He had the idea that the Aussie’s were inefficient jungle fighters due to the continued retreats.

When asked for more aircraft he refused.

He also relived some of the best commanders of their duties, ironically on the eve of success.

On the Kokoda track the supply lines were indifferent and would be trucked to Ower’s Corner which was at the start of the track. From there it was up to the carriers to transport the supplies on foot and mules.

The Papuan carriers played a vital role in the movement of supplies, when they reached an area called the Ubiri track it wasn’t possible for the pack animals to go any further. So, the local people carried these heavy loads the rest of the way. These amazing locals also carried the wounded down the track for medical treatment.

There was another method of dropping off supplies this was to fly them to Myola a relative flat area near Templeton’s Crossing, however, this was often unsuccessful due to the pilots being inexperienced in the type of flying needed.

A large percentage of supplies were lost in the jungle or damaged in the drop; it didn’t help that many of the supply planes had been damaged at Port Moresby during an air raid.