Kokoda

[Herakles]

After the Nth. Africa campaign, Churchill ordered the Australian 9th Div to Burma to join the 14th Army. This was against the demand of the Australian PM John Curtin. But he was barking into the wind.

Curtain made 3 demands and all were ignored. So he gave the order that the troop ships return to Australia. By then they were well on the way to Burma. The Australian Cabinet was fearful of upsetting Churchill and Curtain found himself isolated but took the decision nonetheless.

Somehow they managed to return safely despite the ships not being escorted. It was done in complete secrecy with no radio contact. After a period of jungle training at Canungra, they were sent to relieve the Militia troops in New Guinea. The rest is history.

[Warlord]

There´s an interesting thread about Buna-Gona-Sanananda farther down War against Japan, that perfectly matches this subject.

The Koalas (sorry for using the term, but after explanation I just couldn´t resist to laugh my gut out ) proved themselves, sadly with a few bitter exceptions, more like enraged crocs for the Northern Swampland, fighting the Nip inch by inch, regardless of sacrifice, with gear that belonged more to a museum than to a modern battlefield, inflicting huge numbers of casualties and causing a delay that was later to prove decisive.

Everlasting glory to the brave amateurs that held back the yellow tide while the battle-blooded Diggers came back to keep the fight going.