Fought across the vast wilderness of the Owen Stanley Mountains, The Kokdoa Track Campaign was Japan's final, great attempt to capture Port Moresby, the last major allied base north of Australia. Led by Major General Horii, the 10,000 strong elite South Seas Force forged a path through the mountains in the face of dogged and determined resistance from the outnumbered Australian defenders. Lured into a trap by the Australian generals, by the time the Japanese men could see the search lights at Port Moresby, they were starving. In an epic counteroffensive, the Australians would recapture Kokoda, and decisively defeat Horii in one final encounter at Oivi-Gorari. Isurava, Ioribaiwa, Eora Creek, Templeton's Crossing and Oivi; battles have been etched into the annals of Australian military history, are undoubtedly actions that, taken together, constitute one of the greatest campaigns ever fought by the Australian army.
Kokoda, the defining battle for Australia during World War 2, is a testament to the courage and resilience of our soldiers. But there's an untold story of heroes who played a pivotal role during the grueling Kokoda Campaign – the local natives turned porters. In this program, we delve into the heart-wrenching history of Kokoda, where more Australians perished in the harsh conditions of Papua New Guinea than in any other campaign of the war. The steep, inhospitable terrain tested the limits of human endurance.
On the 21st of July 1942 forces of the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) landed at Gona, on the northern coast of what was then the Australian Territory of Papua, now Papua New Guinea. This landing by the Japanese marked the opening of the Kokoda Campaign – a campaign by Australian forces of the New Guinea Force, based around the 7th Division – to defend Port Moresby, delay the IJA advance until additional Allied forces could muster, and ultimately defeat the IJA forces in Papua. Following the IJA landing, the Japanese quickly advanced inland, seeking an overland route across the Owen Stanley Mountain Range to capture Port Moresby. The most direct and traversable route was the Kokoda Trail, a pathway that snaked through the dense, mountainous and nearly impenetrable jungle of Papua New Guinea. The Kokoda Trail was to become the scene of one of the most well-known campaigns of Australian military history.
Owers’ Corner, about 50km from Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea, is visited by thousands of Australian pilgrims every year, yet it is not a church. It is forever consecrated in the hearts of Australians, yet it is not Australian soil. It is Australia’s most important military victory, yet it’s relatively unknown. Our men at Kokoda represented the very best of not just Australian values but the highest values of humanity as well. As you watch the program, you’ll discover that we all walk on a track. And for us, it’s not the Kokoda Track; it’s the track of life. We honour the heroes of the Kokoda Campaign.