Kokoda's Forgotten Battlefields
Kokoda’s Forgotten Battlefields
The forgotten battlefields of the Kokoda Trail Campaign have been recently been rediscovered.
Thousands of Australian trekkers now have the opportunity to trek on the recently rediscovered forgotten battlefields of the Kokoda Trail Campaign just a few kilometres north of Kokoda. The opening of these areas will extend the Kokoda Track all the way from Owers Corner to the Kumusi River north of Kokoda.
These forgotten Kokoda battlefields are some of the most crucial and strategically significant sections of the Kokoda Trail Campaign, and have remained overgrown and forgotten for nearly 68 years.
There discovery provides an incredible insight into the 39th Battalions initial conflicts with the Japanese and the subsequent ferocious battles with the Japanese on the Australian’s advance back across the Kokoda Track.
Kokoda Spirit trekking Company Managing Director Wayne Wetherall was assisted in his research and investigation by the traditional landowners in the area, believes the reopening of this section of the Kokoda Track is extremely important to Australia’s history and a fantastic opportunity for the local communities to benefit from the tourism that it will develop.
The villages of Awala, Gorari and Oivi north of Kokoda are the areas that the 39th Battalion led by Captain Sam Templeton first engaged the Japanese, and holds a special place in Australian history.
The 39th Battalion was the first Australian Company to cross the Kokoda Track and Captain Sam Templeton was the first Australian Officer to lead his men into battle at Awala and he was the first Australian Officer to die in battle at Oivi.
The original Kokoda Track that Captain Sam Templeton and members of B Company of the 39th Battalion walked, commenced at McDonalds Corner at Ilolo, continued through Uberi, Iorabaiwa, Nauro, Menari, Efogi, Kagi across Mt Bellamy to Eora Creek Crossing (Templeton’s Crossing) then onto Deniki and Kokoda.
The 39th Battalion spent 5 days in Kokoda before moving forward to the Kumusi then onto Awala. Awala north of the Kumusi River is where the 11th and 12th Platoons from the 39th Battalion first engaged the Japanese in the battle of the Kokoda Track. The 39th Battalion continued to engage and fight the Japanese back from Awala, across the Kumusi, through Gorari and Oivi then onto Kokoda and Deniki.
On the Australians advance back across the track, the Australians occupied Kokoda unopposed before again engaging the Japanese in a massive battle at Oivi and Gorari.
The areas of Oivi, Gorari, Wairopi and Awala are significant and strategically important to the Australians overall success on the Kokoda Track.
Had the 39th Battalion and Templeton’s men in B Company failed in the initial fighting at Awala, Wairopi, Gorari and Oivi, then the course of the Kokoda Trail Campaign and Australia’s history could be very different. They took on the might of the Japanese Army and inflicted physical, logistical and psychological wounds on them that would eventually become terminal to the Japanese.
The "Kokoda Trail" and "Kokoda Track" have been used interchangeably since the Second World War and the former was adopted by the Battles Nomenclature Committee as the official British Commonwealth battle honour in October 1957.
This “Kokoda” battle honour was awarded to ten Australian infantry battalions as well as to the Pacific Island Regiment and includes the Kokoda Track/Trail in its entirety. The Battles Nomenclature Committee understands the Kokoda Trail Campaign Honours, covers the complete Kokoda Trail from Ower's Corner, approximately 40 km north-east of Port Moresby, to the small village of Wairopi, on the northern side of the Owen Stanley Mountain range.
Over the past couple of years thousands of trekkers have been regularly walking from Owers Corner to Kokoda or from Kokoda back to Owers Corner in the mistaken belief that they are covering all the track, trails and battle sites of the Kokoda Trail Campaign. With the opening of these forgotten battlefields north of Kokoda, trekkers will now be able to trek and visit the Kokoda Trail Campaign in its entirety from Owers Corner to Wairopi.
Further on from Wairopi, a crossing point on the Kumusi River, the Kokoda Trail was connected to the settlements of Buna, Gona and Sanananda on the north coast.
Wayne Wetherall commented that it is a great honour to be able to walk on these forgotten sections of the Kokoda Track, where the 39th Battalion first fought the Japanese 68 years ago. You can really feel the spirit of the diggers, it really is sacred ground. It is important to remember and talk about these places. I just hope it will now find its rightful place in Australia’s history.
Visit http://www.kokodaspirit.com
The forgotten battlefields of the Kokoda Trail Campaign have been recently been rediscovered.
Thousands of Australian trekkers now have the opportunity to trek on the recently rediscovered forgotten battlefields of the Kokoda Trail Campaign just a few kilometres north of Kokoda. The opening of these areas will extend the Kokoda Track all the way from Owers Corner to the Kumusi River north of Kokoda.
These forgotten Kokoda battlefields are some of the most crucial and strategically significant sections of the Kokoda Trail Campaign, and have remained overgrown and forgotten for nearly 68 years.
There discovery provides an incredible insight into the 39th Battalions initial conflicts with the Japanese and the subsequent ferocious battles with the Japanese on the Australian’s advance back across the Kokoda Track.
Kokoda Spirit trekking Company Managing Director Wayne Wetherall was assisted in his research and investigation by the traditional landowners in the area, believes the reopening of this section of the Kokoda Track is extremely important to Australia’s history and a fantastic opportunity for the local communities to benefit from the tourism that it will develop.
The villages of Awala, Gorari and Oivi north of Kokoda are the areas that the 39th Battalion led by Captain Sam Templeton first engaged the Japanese, and holds a special place in Australian history.
The 39th Battalion was the first Australian Company to cross the Kokoda Track and Captain Sam Templeton was the first Australian Officer to lead his men into battle at Awala and he was the first Australian Officer to die in battle at Oivi.
The original Kokoda Track that Captain Sam Templeton and members of B Company of the 39th Battalion walked, commenced at McDonalds Corner at Ilolo, continued through Uberi, Iorabaiwa, Nauro, Menari, Efogi, Kagi across Mt Bellamy to Eora Creek Crossing (Templeton’s Crossing) then onto Deniki and Kokoda.
The 39th Battalion spent 5 days in Kokoda before moving forward to the Kumusi then onto Awala. Awala north of the Kumusi River is where the 11th and 12th Platoons from the 39th Battalion first engaged the Japanese in the battle of the Kokoda Track. The 39th Battalion continued to engage and fight the Japanese back from Awala, across the Kumusi, through Gorari and Oivi then onto Kokoda and Deniki.
On the Australians advance back across the track, the Australians occupied Kokoda unopposed before again engaging the Japanese in a massive battle at Oivi and Gorari.
The areas of Oivi, Gorari, Wairopi and Awala are significant and strategically important to the Australians overall success on the Kokoda Track.
Had the 39th Battalion and Templeton’s men in B Company failed in the initial fighting at Awala, Wairopi, Gorari and Oivi, then the course of the Kokoda Trail Campaign and Australia’s history could be very different. They took on the might of the Japanese Army and inflicted physical, logistical and psychological wounds on them that would eventually become terminal to the Japanese.
The "Kokoda Trail" and "Kokoda Track" have been used interchangeably since the Second World War and the former was adopted by the Battles Nomenclature Committee as the official British Commonwealth battle honour in October 1957.
This “Kokoda” battle honour was awarded to ten Australian infantry battalions as well as to the Pacific Island Regiment and includes the Kokoda Track/Trail in its entirety. The Battles Nomenclature Committee understands the Kokoda Trail Campaign Honours, covers the complete Kokoda Trail from Ower's Corner, approximately 40 km north-east of Port Moresby, to the small village of Wairopi, on the northern side of the Owen Stanley Mountain range.
Over the past couple of years thousands of trekkers have been regularly walking from Owers Corner to Kokoda or from Kokoda back to Owers Corner in the mistaken belief that they are covering all the track, trails and battle sites of the Kokoda Trail Campaign. With the opening of these forgotten battlefields north of Kokoda, trekkers will now be able to trek and visit the Kokoda Trail Campaign in its entirety from Owers Corner to Wairopi.
Further on from Wairopi, a crossing point on the Kumusi River, the Kokoda Trail was connected to the settlements of Buna, Gona and Sanananda on the north coast.
Wayne Wetherall commented that it is a great honour to be able to walk on these forgotten sections of the Kokoda Track, where the 39th Battalion first fought the Japanese 68 years ago. You can really feel the spirit of the diggers, it really is sacred ground. It is important to remember and talk about these places. I just hope it will now find its rightful place in Australia’s history.
Visit http://www.kokodaspirit.com
posted by Wayne's Kokoda Spirit Blog at
9:35 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home