World War II (letter)
by Brian HarrisNews Weekly, September 19, 2009
Sir,
One thing was left out of James Bowen's account of the battle by the Japanese for Australia (
News Weekly, June 27, 2009).
That was the occasion when Australia's troops inflicted their first military defeat on the enemy in World War II and were greatly outnumbered on the Kokoda Trail quite apart from any American assistance at all.
Young Australian soldiers (17 to 18-years-olds) were involved in bloody fighting, in the mud and mountains of New Guinea and stopped the Japanese from taking Port Moresby.
Otherwise Mr Bowen's account is very good.
Brian Harris,
Hadfield, Vic.
