ipl-logo

Battle Of Kokoda Essay

947 Words4 Pages

To what extent was the Battle of Kokoda a disaster?
To a large extent the Battle of Kokoda was not a disaster because it ended as a successful defence of Port Moresby and possibly Australia with the allies inflicting heavy casualties on the Japanese while suffering relatively few themselves. The campaign was an overall victory for the allies and caused the Japanese some of their first defeats in the war, stopping their momentum. Then again, if major problems with the allied supply lines hadn’t been resolved and the poorly trained and equipped Militia hadn’t been reinforced, the campaign could have been a disaster and ended as another allied defeat.
Casualties inflicted on the Japanese army were massive while the allies suffered relatively …show more content…

The victories during the Kokoda campaign, including the Battle of the Coral Sea (4th May, 1942) and Milne Bay (25th August – 7th September, 1942), were some of the first won against the Japanese. Defeating them at these locations was important for the allies because after losing every previous encounter that they had them, morale was low and the Japanese were beginning to look invincible. Beating them showed everyone that they weren’t invincible and that the allies could stop them and push them back. Another reason why the Kokoda campaign was an important victory is because it stopped the momentum the Japanese had built up over several years and turned the tide of the war in the allies’ favour. This helped them gain several victories against the Japanese such as the one on nearby …show more content…

During the fighting, Australian soldiers killed swathes of Japanese, including their commander, causing over 85% casualties in a force of at least 16,000 while only suffering 2500 dead themselves. The campaign ended as a crucial victory due to the multiple defeats it caused the Japanese which stopped their momentum and helped turn the tide of the war in the South Pacific in the allies’ favour. While the campaign was an overall success, it was far from perfect and it had its fair share of problems, mainly with the supplies at Myola, but also with the troops that were deployed. If it hadn’t been for the timely arrival of the AIF at Isurava, the Militia would have been annihilated and the Japanese would have marched straight into Port Moresby with dangerous consequences for Australia and the rest of the war

Show More
Related

  • Kokoda Campaign Research Paper

    321 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Kokoda Campaign was a World War II militant initiative, consisting of a series of sequential battles fought between the Japanese and predominantly Australian Allied forces. Kokoda itself, was a small village and airfield at the foothills of the Owen Stanley Mountain Range though, the Kokoda Trail was the setting at which these conflicts transpired. The mountainous road rose over 3000 meters, extending 200 kilometers across Australian territory New Guinea, from Gona in the north, to the administrative centre of Port Moresby in the south. The official commencement of the Kokoda Campaign was on the 21 July 1942, when the Japanese forces landed on the coast near Gona.

    Read More

  • How Did Rationing Regulations Affect Australia In 1942

    456 Words  | 2 Pages

    Australia and allies lost 900 people, 77 aircraft and a load of ships. Facilities were destroyed and the Japanese lost around 131 planes during the attacks. Australians were terrified that the Japanese would invade or attack more areas. You could feel the uneasiness of

    Read More

  • Research Paper On The Kokoda Track

    1060 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Kokoda track consisted of a sequence of battles that occurred in-between July and November during 1942. The countries that were involved in this part of the war were the Japanese and the Allies, mainly the Australians. The battles were initiated in the eastern area of Papua New Guinea. The Japanese arrived at Buna and Gona on the the North Coast of Papua New Guinea during July.

    Read More

  • Kokoda Film Analysis

    1448 Words  | 6 Pages

    The extent in which the film Kokoda (2006) accurately represents aspects of the Kokoda campaign is moderate. The Kokoda campaign lasted four months and consisted of battles fought between Japanese and Australian forces. The battles began when Japanese forces arrived at the north coast of Papua New Guinea in July 1942. Their strategy was to advance through a track over the Owen Stanley Range and occupy Port Moresby, in order to use it as a base for launch operations and threaten Australia. As a defence, Australia sent the newly formed 39th Battalion to cross the Kokoda Track and defeat the Japanese.

    Read More

  • To What Extent Was Kokoda A Disaster For Australian Soldiers

    864 Words  | 4 Pages

    The conditions and terrain in which they were fighting in were horrendous and overrun with diseases. Despite all this, the Australians were victorious; pushing the Japanese back to the north coast – and finally defeated them at Sanananda. The recruitment for Kokoda were young kids off the street, forced to be in the army with little to no training or fighting experience. To the AIF, they were known as ‘chocolate soldiers’ or ‘chocos’; because they thought they would “melt under pressure”.

    Read More

  • How Did Kokoda Invade Australia

    1166 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Battle of Kokoda was a Japanese attempt to isolate Australia from their allies of the US so that they could not use their resources and weaponry. Kokoda was a direct result of other failed attempts by the Japanese for example, the Battle of Coral Sea. Kokoda gave the Australian military the opportunity to fight a forward defensive battle on foreign soil rather than an attempt to repel an enemy from its sovereign soil, within its victory it assisted in improving the moral of both the soldiers and its citizenry by providing a much needed victory that showed the Japanese could be defeated. Additionally, it was the first occasion where the new alliance between the Australian and American forces was tested and with this the alliance was cemented not only for world war to but continuing to present

    Read More

  • Kokoda Trail Essay

    1039 Words  | 5 Pages

    This was so important for the Pacific war as it marked the first time that the Japanese had been stopped in their advance across the pacific and stopped the Japanese from capturing Port Moresby. If the Japanese were able to successfully capture Port Moresby, then it would have put Australia at risk as the Japanese could have then invaded or attacked Australia. The Kokoda campaign is also significant for its use of military tactics that As significant as the Kokoda campaign was for the Pacific War, there was also many other campaigns and battles that were also extremely significant such as the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Siege of Tobruk, the Battle of Milne Bay, the Battle of the Bismarck Sea, and the Battle of Guadalcanal all of which were only a few of the many important battles that helped the success and safety of Australia and were vital to the allies attempt to overtake the axis powers. While, these battles the Australians were involved with were extremely helpful and vital to the Australians success in the war but the Kokoda campaign was significant in its own way for its use of military tactics such as jungle warfare and fire and movement where one of the group makes their way toward the enemy while another fires, to keep the enemy distracted and it saved Australia from being

    Read More

  • The Kokoda Track Campaign

    130 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Pacific war during World War II was the battle fought in the Pacific and East Asia, which resulted in approximately 26,000,000 casualties. A major battle of the Pacific war was the Kokoda track campaign. Kokoda consisted of a series of battles fought between July and November 1942 between the Japanese army and the Allied forces including the Australians and Americans. The battles were fought on the mountainous Kokoda track along the Owen Stanley Range which is in the southeast of Papua New Guinea. The Japanese troops objective in the Kokoda campaign was the capture of Port Moresby to enable an expansion of Japanese people to Australia .

    Read More

  • What Were The Short And Long Term Consequences Of Kokoda

    794 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Kokoda campaign was caused by conflicts, such as the possible invasion of Australia and the blocking of shipping from Australia to the allies, and cooperation, such as between Australia and the US Navy. The Kokoda campaign was started to capture Port Moresby which is extremely close to Australia. This causes examples of conflicts

    Read More

  • Battle For Kokoda Essay

    831 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Battle for Kokoda, as a campaign overall, was a disaster to a large extent. This can be seen in the lack of preparation by the Australian troops, such as the supply drops and the AIF troops being sent to an unnecessary location. In addition to this, the terrain and conditions of the track had not been taken into account, which made the battle much harder both physically and strategically. However, possibly the worst mistake was the rivalry between commanders, and the way they treated the Battle for Kokoda like a game, instead of a real battle where people were dying because of their errors.

    Read More

  • Kokoda Disaster

    515 Words  | 3 Pages

    To what extent was the Battle for Kokoda a Disaster? To a small extent the Battle of Kokoda was a disaster. While there were some disastrous aspects of the campaign, the overall success of the campaign shows that it was not a disaster, but a victory. During the first part of the campaign, admittedly, the Australians made some mistakes, but some mistakes don’t equal a disaster, especially once the odds turned in their favour in the second part of their campaign.

    Read More

  • The Significance Of The Kokoda Campaign

    921 Words  | 4 Pages

    Pacific, which resulted in approximately 26,000,000 casualties. A major battle of the Pacific war was the Kokoda track campaign. Kokoda involved a series of battles fought between July and November 1942 between the Japanese troops and the Allied forces including the Australians and Americans. The battles were fought on the mountainous Kokoda track along the Owen Stanley Range which is in the southeast of Papua New Guinea. The Japanese troops objective in the Kokoda campaign was to capture Port Moresby, in order to allow an expansion of Japanese people to Australia.

    Read More

  • Iwo Jima Essay

    1309 Words  | 6 Pages

    The Battle of Iwo Jima was one of the bloodiest battles of World War Two. Iwo Jima had air stips that both the United States and the Japanese wanted to help them during World War Two. This battle did not end up going exactly as planned for either country. Both countries had their own strategy but neither succeeded. The Battle of Iwo Jima is an important battle to know about when discussing World War Two.

    Read More

  • Battle Of Fromelles Essay

    857 Words  | 4 Pages

    However, even with this in mind, the battle was a significant one, for both good and bad reasons, and this cannot be denied. Through the sheer number of soldiers lost, all the way to the depiction of the Australian spirit in preserving the memories of these men, it is clear that the battle served a purpose, in the

    Read More

  • Battle Of Midway Essay

    1249 Words  | 5 Pages

    “When first spotted by our screening ships and combat air control, they were still not visible from the carriers, but they soon appeared as tiny dark specks in the blue sky, little above the horizon...” Mitsuo Fuchida, a Japanese captain in the Japanese Navy during World War 2 recalled about the Battle of Midway. The Battle of Midway took place on the island of Midway Atoll on June 4 - June 7, 1942, and was a conflict between Japan and United States of America. The Japanese Navy tried to take over the Midway Atoll, but unbeknownst to them, the U.S cracked the code and surprised them at the Midway Atoll with their navy. The code the U.S received on plans the Japanese Navy had made to siege the island of Midway Atoll caused the Battle of Midway and

    Read More

More about Battle Of Kokoda Essay

Open Document