Book Reviews

There are many books relating to Australia’s involvement of the War in the Pacific and in particular the Kokoda campaigns here is a list of books that we have found the most interesting and frequently refer to. Happy Reading!

Mud Over Blood

Stories from the 39th Infantry Battalion, 1941-43 Kokoda to Gona

Complied by Carl Johnson

ISBN 095810603-7
History House 2006

This is a wonderful book compiled by Carl Johnson, it gives the reader the perfect insight to what the men of the 39th went through on the Kokoda Track.

This book is made up of first hand accounts from the people who were there. The other great thing about it is you can put a face to the names as Carl as done a wonderful job compiling a pictorial album of many of the members of the 39th Battalion. This book is well worth a look.

 

 

To Kokoda And Beyond

The Story of the 39th Battalion 1941-1943

By Victor Austin

ISBN 0-522-84379-4
Melbourne University Press 1988

This book gives a complete account of the 39th Battalion with lots of personal stories. Compiled by Victor Austin who was a member of the 39th Battalion, this book also contains many photos some of which are not often published.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Men of the 2/14th Battalion
The Human Face of a Fighting Unit in the Second World War

By J.C. McAllester

ISBN 07-316-8581-4
2/14 Battalion Association 1990

Not only does this book tell many personal accounts of the individual members of the 2/14th but like To Kokoda and Beyond it is full of photographs not published anywhere else.

This is a hard book to come across but it is well worth the effort to track down.

  

 

 

Those Ragged Bloody Heroes

by Peter Brune

ISBN 1-86373-264-0
Allen & Unwin 1991

Peter Brune is quite simply the greatest historian of the Kokoda campaign, this book is what started me off on my quest for knowledge about the battles fought along the Kokoda Track. Those Ragged Bloody Heroes was written at a time when Kokoda was not as well known as it is today to many Australians.

Peter Brune’s passion and dedication to accuracy makes this book a must for anyone walking the Kokoda Track. Ragged Bloody Heroes is still available in most book shops.

  

 

 

 

A Bastard of a Place

The Australians in Papua

By Peter Brune

ISBN 1-74114-403-5
Allen & Unwin 2003

This book continues the account of Australians in Papua New Guinea and covers not only Kokoda but Milne Bay, Gone, Buna and Sanananda with the same historical accuracy as you would expect from Peter Brune.

If you wish to learn of the other battles that took place in New Guinea along with the Kokoda campaign then this book is certainly a must, you can still find this book sold in most good book stores.

  

 

 

Ralph Honner
Kokoda Hero

by Peter Brune

ISBN 978-174175-372-1
Allen & Unwin 2007

First published under the title We Band of Brothers this re-release is a biography of Lt Col Ralph Honner commander of the famous 39th Battalion. Peter Brune was friends with Ralph Honner and had access to his personal letters. This book is a great insight into a true Australian hero.

  

 

 

 

 

The Silent Men

by Peter Dornan

ISBN 1-86448-991
Allen & Unwin 1999

Following the story of a handful of men from the 2/14th Battalion who would all become members of the most highly decorated section within the British Empire. Bruce Kingsbury, Alan Avery, Harry Saunders, Teddy Bear, Stan and Butch Bisset to name a few. This is their story all the way from Syria to Gona.

  

 

 

 

 

 

Kokoda Commander

The Life of Major-General "Tubby" Alen

by Stuart Braga

ISBN 0-19-551638-9
Oxford University Press 2004

Kokoda Commander is the story of Major General Tubby Allen, a remarkable Australian who served his country in both the First and Second World Wars.

Arthur 'Tubby' Allen commanded 1000 men in battle at the age of 23 in the First World War. A generation later, he took the first Australian troops to the Second World War, and with them won two great battles in Libya in January 1941.

In the next six months, he led his troops in battle against three different enemies in three different continents: Africa, Europe, and Asia. In New Guinea in October 1942, he led the successful fightback along the Kokoda Trail that led to the defeat of the Japanese.

Major-General Allen became a legendary figure to thousands of Australian troops. However, by the end of 1942, despite his victories, his army career was virtually over. Within another two years, he was out of the army.

This book explores the myths surrounding his command and once and for all gives an accurate account of the skill and leadership of one of our great military commanders.

  

Warrior of Kokoda

by Bill Edgar

ISBN 1-86448-908-1
Allen & Unwin 1999

Warrior of Kokoda is the biography of Brigadier Arnold Potts who commanded the 21st Brigade on Brigade Hill. This book is well written and tells the story of a man who lead the fighting withdrawal of Maroubra force across the Kokoda Track. This story has all the drama of Pott’s dismissal by the Australian High Command and the politics that went with it.

  

 

 

 

 

 

Retreat from Kokoda

by Raymond Paull

ASIN: B0017TOHSY

Panther 1960

Written in an era when the battles of Kokoda were still fresh in people’s minds, Retreat from Kokoda is one of the early books about the campaign. In paper back this book can sometimes be found in second hand book stores, it is well worth the read and leaves out all the political correctness that sometimes subdues the truth.

  

 

 

 

The Knights of Kokoda

by Geoffrey Scott

Horwitz Publications 1963

Another book written not long after the war, The Knights of Kokoda is a great read, in paper back format and only 130 pages it still hits home the story of Kokoda. Recommended by men who were actually there. Very hard to come by so if you can get your hands on a copy hang on to it.

  

 

 

 

 

 

Kokoda

by Peter Fitzsimons

ISBN 0-7336-1615-1
Hodder 2004

This is a great beginner’s book for people who want to learn the history without to many confusing military abbreviations and numbers. Peter Fitzsimons has put the story of Kokoda in and easy read format and is great for everyone from school kids to veterans.

From an historical point of view it is a great read just for the interviews with Stan Bisset. It also did a lot for getting the message out there to the general public.

  

 

 

 

Kokoda

by Paul Ham

ISBN 0-7322-7693-4
Harper Collins 2004

This book tells the story from both sides with interviews not just from the Australian Diggers but also from the side of the Japanese. Paul Ham has done a wonderful job and if you are serious about learning the history of Kokoda then this book is more than a worthwhile read. You can easily find this in most book shops.

  

 

 

 

 

 

Field Guide to the Kokoda Track

by Bill James

ISBN 0-9775704-0-1
Kokoda Press 2006

You can not trek Kokoda without this guide. The pages of my copy are stuck together with the mud of the Kokoda Track as this book is a vital part of my kit. I will always remember Bill James and Stan Bisset doing a rendition of Danny Boy on stage together in Sydney.

This book is well researched and contains a water proof map. With detailed descriptions of the various battle sites and interviews with many veterans this is truly a book that you must purchase.

It is available direct from http://www.kokodapress.com.au/

  

 

New Guinea 1942-44

by Timothy Hall

ISBN 0-454-00321-8
Methuen Australia 1981

There is one chapter in this book that would make any Australians blood boil if they read it, Cannibals and Revenge. Which deals with Australian soldiers been eaten by the Japanese. This book gives a great overview of all the New Guinea campaigns.

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

The Bone Man of Kokoda

by Charles Happell

ISBN 978-14050-3836-2
Macmillan 2007

This is the remarkable story of Kokichi Nishimura who fought with the infamous 144th Regiment along the Kokoda Track and how he returned after the war to find the remains of his lost comrades. All of our trekker's who pass by the small memorial built by Nishimura in the village of Efogi, usually hear his story from our resident guide Stanley.

Now for the first time everyone can put a face to the name and understand the extremes one person will go to in order to fulfill a promise. Author Charles Happell has done a wonderful job, this book is a must read for any Kokoda enthusiast.

 

 

 

The Architect of Kokoda

Bert Kienzle - The Man Who Made the Kokoda Track

By Robyn Kienzle

ISBN: 9780733627637
Hachette Australia

This excellent book describes Bert Kienzle and his progression from a young boy in Fiji, to his family's internment in the First World War as German sympathisers, to his early work in New Guinea and then development of plantations and gold mines in the Kokoda area in the north of the country.

His knowledge of Papua-New Guinea was crucial in helping Australia's unprepared army, firstly retreat in the face of fierce opposition and then turn and attack with such ferocity that the Japanese were eventually forced out of the territory.

Robyn Kienzle, daughter-in-law has done much to fill in a gap in the Kokoda story and give Bert Kienzle the recognition he justly deserves.