Posted on 06/06/2010 11:40:21 PM PDT by naturalman1975
A SIGNIFICANT Australian battlefield from the Kokoda campaign has been rediscovered, complete with the remains of Japanese soldiers plus weapons and military equipment left over from savage fighting in 1942.
Although known to local villagers, jungle reclaimed the site of the battle of Eora Creek.
That was until Kokoda track specialist Brian Freeman was guided to site in April, discovering that the pivotal clash of the Kokoda campaign occurred some distance further from Eora Creek than had been thought.
Mr Freeman said the plateau, which includes the battlefield, was a hunting ground for Alola village people but the battle site, covering some 600 square metres, had been avoided because of a belief that spirits of the dead were still present.
That means the site has apparently remained untouched since 1942.
"On our inaugural trek, we were hoping to find the remnants of a make-shift Japanese hospital and, potentially, relics of guns and ammunition. I never anticipated that we would find war dead," he said in a statement.
"As soon as we realised that Japanese and, potentially, Australian soldiers were buried at the site, we discussed with the villagers the need for those men to be identified and returned home."
The battle of Eora Creek was the single most costly clash of the Kokoda campaign, although different sources cite different casualty figures.
Mr Freeman's Lost Battlefield group says 79 Australians died and 145 were wounded, while the Australian War Memorial website says 99 were killed and 192 wounded.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.au ...
The Kokoda battlefield is located in an “isolated region of Papua New Guinea”.
See this alternate report for more detail:
“The Lost Battlefield of the Kokoda Campaign Discovered After 68 Years”
TANKS A BUNCH,,,
Interesting to me because my Dad was at Port Moresby
at this time,,,(P-39/P-40 crew chief),,,
He was at the airfield near the Lonoki(SP) River,,,
I don’t have a map but I think that “track” ran from his
area around that big mountain to the north,,,(IIRC),,,
Digger did strikes in that AO to block the Japs from hitting
the airfields,,,
The part I don’t understand is that place is so thick that
This had to be a head on attack,,,
I have to think this area was bombed/burned/? before
this battle happened...?...
The Japanese held the Australian soldiers in very high regard, and rightfully so.
They didn’t have as much respect for the capabilities of the individual American fighting man, but by the end of the war, I am certain they came around...
Wow, that's about 20 by 30 meters. That is close in!
I have “Kokoda” on DVD. It is a full length movie made by the Aussies. Good stuff - highly recommended.
The jungle conditions were gritty, nasty and brutal.
As usual, our friends down under know how to make a good movie.
Thanks for that recommendation...
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