In case some of the fellas here missed this thread in the book section:

http://forums.accuratereloadin...891002702#6891002702

You guys down in Oz have to be so proud of these men! Has anyone made the trip north to Moresby and visited the bloody track?

A mate of mine went last year and spent ANZAC day on the track. He visited some of the new battle fields that have been found. Hard trek and spent a lot of time training for it.

Bakes, sounds like it is still a track, and not a paved highway, thank God.

I have walked, crawled the Kokoda. It pays to read about the Track first. If you go with a great company they will take you to the battle sites and explain what went on. Not many dry eyes.

I have read many books on Kokoda but not Fitzs.

Now for a bit of bragging. The Japs suffered their first defeat at Milne Bay, at the hands of the Aust army. However the diggers had superior numbers, artilery and aircover. Not taking anything away from them as they had no jungle fighting training.

In the early 80's I think the Japanese survivors of the Kokoda arranged a get together with the 39th Battalion survivors. The Son in law of Tojo was on the track and organised it. When asked by a reporter why they wanted to meet the 39th he said "We were Japans Elite force. We thiught we were fighting 10,000 Australian Army troops -meaning regular army- not 680 untrained milita.

The Japanese Govt sent a high ranking officer from Japan, -I do not know what rank he was, woud of been Colnel or above- to Col. Honers funeral. He saluted the coffin, turne and bowed to the family and left. Not many had that mark of respect shown to them by the Japanese.

303: Thank you for that intel. I am impressed. I would love to visit this sacred place some day.
I still cannot believe how Blamey insulted the survivors of the 39th.
Fitz's book is a good story, but I cannot think it is in any way definitive. What is the best book you have read to date on this campaign?

G'Day Fella's,

Bill, Thank You for posting this book review!

I'm not a big fan of individuals that garner importance thru association, and I find Peter Fitzsimmons a bit that way.

Two of my Uncles were in PNG during WWII. One, Lindsay was at Milne Bay and Sandy was sent to a number of places there, given his specialty.

Lest We Forget!
Homer

quote:

Originally posted by Bill/Oregon:
303: Thank you for that intel. I am impressed. I would love to visit this sacred place some day.
I still cannot believe how Blamey insulted the survivors of the 39th.
Fitz's book is a good story, but I cannot think it is in any way definitive. What is the best book you have read to date on this campaign?

Bill, two of the best I have read are "Those Ragged Bloody Heroes' by Peter Brune publisher allen & Unwin. The other is "A Bastard of a Place" from memory. I don't have this book now-lent it to a mate, last I saw of it. So can not give you the details.

A couple of points most forget is the 39th was by themselves untill part way through the battles of Isuarvra when the 2/14AIF joined them (Equive of regular army but most of the AIF were war time volunteers)and did no better than the 39th. the 2/14 had fought in the middle east but non were jungle warfare trained and their leaders had zero idea on how the japs worked.
The 53rd Milita were there but discraced themselves. In a way it was understandable. They had less training and command than the 39th and had literaly been shanghied from Sydeny, so moral was non existant. Once properly trained and with good leadership they were later regarded as one of the best batalions in PNG.

The only allied General who did, and in effwect was never beaten by the Japanese was the Bennet Gordon commander of the 8th Divison that was surrendered at Singapore. He escaped and made his way back to Aust but was ostrasised for leaving his men and Blamey hated his guts. Whole seperate topic this is. If you want i can give you a rought outline.

'A Bastard of a Place' is also by Peter Brune.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G...ennett_%28general%29

There's so much I don't know about the Pacific Theatre in World War II.

quote:

Originally posted by Bill/Oregon:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G...ennett_%28general%29

There's so much I don't know about the Pacific Theatre in World War II.

As an aside and to help understand why the original findings in the inquiries into Bennett were technicaly wrong. No Australian Army Commander, or unit comander for that fact has ever been oblidged to follow the orders of an officer from another country. There is more to this but takes a bit to explain all contingencies that conver this.

In the Malayan campaing the Australians only had to fall back once the enemy went around them. In Singapore they were spread out with 30mts or more between pits. Thin on the ground. Bennett told Percival etc where and why the Japs would attack- johore straight was wide and shallow opposite the Australian, narrow and deep where Percival said they would cross.

This came about because of the Breaker Morant affair in the Boer War. Hence my forum mane.

Old thread, but I ran across this short documentary that won an Academy Award in 1942. God rest these brave mens' souls.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WZURx5w0Ps

Glad this was brought back forward.

My reading list has an addition or two

quote:

Originally posted by Rule 303:
We thought we were fighting 10,000 Australian Army troops -meaning regular army- not 680 untrained militia.

And a reason to not continue to disarm the civilian population to this day.

TC, might want to read Paul Ham's version rather than the one by Fitzsimmons. I have his book, "Sandakan," about the 1944 Borneo death marches, in my to-read stack.

I am not a military buff. I have not read this book.

But Peter Fitzsimmons is a real character. A former Wallaby (national rugby player), a very entertaining speaker and a guy who comes across on TV as genuine.

I find his narrations to be informative without personal hype. That is BIG plus from me.

Peter Fitzsimmons is a bandana wearing anti gun wanka.

bald headed anti gun wanker

quote:

Originally posted by Bakes:
Peter Fitzsimmons is a bandana wearing anti gun wanka.

And not a historian's arse - doesn't even do his own research.

As one actual historian, Professor Peter Stanley, Director of the Centre for Historical Research at the National Museum of Australia, said “FitzSimons’ style is that of a graphic novel without the pictures... cartoon history by the kilogram.”

Or as another reviewer of a Fitzsimons book put it:
"...FitzSimons' shortcomings as a writer and as a historian are often all too readily apparent. At times he descends into cheap stereotypes and forced vernacular. ... At its worst, the effect is that of a war comic rendered in prose."

I've never managed to get very far into one of his books, I'd have to admit. I've opened a couple and got a few pages in, but put them down in disgust. I wrote to him once about a glaring error about what "enfilade" actually meant, but he didn't reply. I'm pretty sure he actually doesn't care about accuracy.

That and his attitudes about gun ownership and other things I hold dear, and I'm damn sure not a penny of my money will go towards his books, or him.

SDan:

Most anti's don't give a damn about accuracy, or honesty either most of the time.

George