¤ ¤
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This place is visited
by thousands of Australian
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pilgrims every
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year. Yet it's not a church.
It's forever consecrated in the
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hearts of Australians, yet
it's not Australian soil. It is
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Australia's most important
military victory yet it's
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relatively unknown. This is
Ower's Corner in the foothills
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of the Ower Stanley Mountain
range about 60 km from Port
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Moresby, the capital of Papua
New Guinea. For many brave men
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this was their last contact with
civilization. Ower's Corner is
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the southern end of the Kokoda
Track. For almost 100 km it
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winds its path through some
of the most rugged and isolated
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terrain on earth. Here a rag-tag
group of young Australian men
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fought a series of disparate and
vicious battles. Many gave their
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lives for the freedom of
Australia. This is their story.
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We're going to look at the
importance and symbolism of the
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Kokoda campaign and what we
can learn from it personally.
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¤ ¤
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Today the Ower Stanley mountain
range and the Kokoda Track look
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peaceful and serene. It's hard
to imagine that for Australia
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this Track was the scene of one
of the bloodiest campaigns of
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World War II
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and that what young Australians
did here changed the course of
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the war and probably saved
Australia. In February 1942,
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Japanese Prime Minister Tojo
stated that the Japanese policy
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was to crush Australia. The
forces of Imperial Japan had
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advanced victoriously through
southwestern Asia and after the
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fall of Singapore in February
1942, Australia was effectively
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isolated. Japanese forces bombed
Darwin and planned a naval
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attack to capture Port Moresby
and make Australia extremely
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vulnerable.
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But the American naval victories
in the battle of the Corral Sea
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in early May and at Midway
in early June had broken the
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dominance of the Japanese Navy
in the Pacific. Japan's goal was
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still to establish a stronghold
in Port Moresby and if it
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couldn't do it through its navy,
it would do it through its army.
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Marching over land along the
Kokoda Track and across the Ower
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Stanley Ranges from the northern
shore of Papua New Guinea.
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If they succeeded in this,
and established the base in Port
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Moresby the Australian mainland
would have come under dire
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threat. The Kokoda Track or
trail with a precarious jungle
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path that ran for about 100 km
from here at Owen's Corner near
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Port Moresby over the rugged
Ower Stanley Mountain Range to
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the small village of Wirupe on
the north side of the mountains
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linking a number of native
villages along the way including
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Menari, Efogi, Isuarava,
Deniki, Gorari and Kokoda.
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Well, we're on the Kokoda Track
following in the footsteps of
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the Marugra force and we're
experiencing just a little of
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the hellish conditions of the
mud, rain, mosquitoes, leaches
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and steep terrain that
they endured. The members of the
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Marugra force were called chocos
or chocolate soldiers and that's
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because they were undertrained
conscripts and it was thought
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that they would melt like
chocolate in the heat of battle
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or at the first sight of the
Japanese. Unknown to them, the
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Japanese had already landed
on the 21st of July 1942 here in
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the Garner Sanananda region on
the northern coast of New Guinea
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And here they established a
strong defensive position. The
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initial Japanese landing force
consisted of 2300 men including
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a crack company of marines.
Their orders were to establish a
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beachhead here and then move
inland and secure Kokoda. More
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importantly there was an
aerodrome, the only one between
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the north coast and Port Moresby
Their orders were then to cross
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the Ower Stanley Range along the
Kokoda track while building a
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road for the Japanese forces who
would follow along behind. It
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was an audacious plan and they
were determined to carry it out.
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But they hadn't counted on the
toughness, bravery and fighting
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ability of the Australians. Here
near the village of Awala was
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where the first clash occurred
on the 23rd of July. Incredibly
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here that a platoon from B
company of the 39th Battalion
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consisting of only 75 men
engaged the advancing Japanese
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force that was 2500
strong. B company was led by Sam
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Templeton, a 41-year-old career
soldier. Under his command B
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company fought a variant
defensive action. They ultimated
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ambushing the advancing
Japanese with strategically
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retreating to the high
ground and _. And they managed
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to alert the rest of the 39th
to the presence of the enemy.
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In fact, the Australians
resisted so strongly that the
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the Japanese were convinced that
they were facing a force of 1200
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strong when in fact they
were facing under 100 young
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Australian men.
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On the 27th of July Captain
Templeton was reported missing
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He'd been wounded, captured
and about a week later he was
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executed. However under
interrogation before his death
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Captain Templeton convinced the
Japanese that there were 20,000
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Australian and U.S. soldiers
waiting for them at Port Moresby
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although the reality was that
there were far, far fewer. In
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fact Captain Templeton
was convincing enough that the
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Japanese halted their advance
for two weeks, which allowed the
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Australians to rush more troops
into the battle. Without Captain
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Templeton's bravery and self
sacrifice Port Moresby would
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have been lost and Australia
itself would have been in danger
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The village of Kokoda on a
plateau on the northeastern
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foothills of the Owen Stanley
Range is near the northern end
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of the Kokoda Track. It's this
village that gives its name to
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track that runs through it. From
Awala, the 39th began a fighting
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retreat back here to Kokoda
where they dug in and prepared
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to defend the village together
with its vital airfield. The
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fighting over the Kokoda was
fierce, but the Maroubra force
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and what remained of the 39th
and the Papua infantry battalion
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were unable to hold it against
overwhelming odds. But they were
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so determined that even after
they'd lost the plateau they
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went on to recapture it.
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But Japanese troops
just kept pouring in and
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the remaining Australians were
eventually driven back. The 39th
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had now been fighting
continuously for a month and the
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toll had been horrific. After
the battles at Awala and Kokoda
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the 39th battalion could
only muster a fighting force of
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around 30 men out of a nominal
fighting force of around 700.
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The rest were either dead,
missing, wounded, or in hospital
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suffering from disease and
exhaustion. From Kokoda the
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the Australians fell back into
a long fighting retreat along
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the Kokoda Track, across the
Ower Stanley Range determined
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to resist the Japanese advance
as much as possible. The Kokoda
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Track is a living, breathing,
pulsating path surrounded by
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seemingly impenetrable jungle
of tropical rain forest, raging
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rivers and stunning waterfalls.
The track crosses deep into the
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steep, brooding mist-covered
mountains and then sweeps
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down into
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beautiful lush green mystical
valleys. This sounds beautiful
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but the reality on the ground is
far different. It rained almost
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every day and together with
the heat that meant incredible
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humidity. There are mosquitoes,
leaches, and other parasites
00:10:06.17\00:10:11.04
everywhere. The jungle
here is so thick with vegetation
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and often mist,
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but in many places you
can't see a person standing a
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meter away from you. Those who
fought here remember spending
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most of their time waste deep
in mud or clawing through the
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jungle. Those same veterans told
how they were so short of food
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that they used to throw
grenades into the river and then
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dive in to grab the stunned fish
so they could get a proper meal.
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These days hundreds of
Australians walk the single file
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Kokoda Track every year. Except
they do it in the dry season and
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walking might be quite the right
word to use to describe progress
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across the track. You have
to pick your way along the track
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sometimes the climbing is so
tough that you have to use your
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hands as well as your feet. The
average human walking speed is
00:11:09.20\00:11:17.31
around 5 or 6 km/hr. But the
speed along the track is 2 km/hr
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and in the worst sections it
gets as low as 1 km/hr. Those
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Australians who walk the track
each year find it heavy going.
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But each Australian soldier who
walked the track to the battle
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had to carry 30 plus kilos
of personal equipment, weapons
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and ammunition. By now the
Australians had been reinforced
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by the 53rd battalion, the 21st
brigade and the headquarters of
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the 30th brigade. However, there
were now 10,000 Japanese pouring
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down the track and the
Australians were outnumbered
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outgunned and out equipped.
Painfully the Australians
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continued their fighting
withdrawal until they reached
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Isuarava. Among the many acts
of self-sacrificing valor and
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heroism that took place
during this campaign some of the
00:12:16.33\00:12:19.30
greatest took place at Isuarava.
The Japanese were 2500 strong.
00:12:19.33\00:12:25.21
And the Australians numbered
only 400. It was a real David
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and Goliath battle of almost
Biblical proportions. When they
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When they reached Isuarava
the decimated 39th had been
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ordered to withdraw. As they
were doing so, the battle for
00:12:39.45\00:12:44.29
Isuarava began. A party of 30
wounded soldiers from the 39th
00:12:44.33\00:12:50.00
were withdrawing and they were
already some distance away from
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the front line, but when they
heard the noise of battle and
00:12:53.27\00:12:57.11
knowing that their mates and
friends were in strife they just
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turned around and came straight
back to the battle. On the 26th
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of August, the fourth day of the
battle, Japanese General Hori
00:13:07.32\00:13:12.49
decided to launch a final
massive attack on the Australian
00:13:12.52\00:13:16.99
position at dawn. From sunrise
to sunset the Japanese attacked
00:13:17.03\00:13:21.80
in overwhelming numbers. In
places the battle had descended
00:13:21.83\00:13:27.50
into hand-to-hand combat. In one
of the key Australian positions
00:13:27.54\00:13:31.97
the situation seemed hopeless.
The Japanese were ready to
00:13:32.01\00:13:36.61
overrun the whole battalion.
The Australians were falling
00:13:36.64\00:13:41.45
everywhere. The fire was so
heavy that the undergrowth had
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been completely destroyed
in five minutes. Corporal
00:13:45.12\00:13:49.32
Lindsey Bailey
00:13:49.36\00:13:50.99
was manning a Bren machine
gun and was weak from blood loss
00:13:51.03\00:13:55.30
Because of his wounds, Corporal
Bailey passed the gun to the man
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next to him, Private Bruce
Kingsbury, of the second and
00:14:01.44\00:14:04.71
and 14th Australian infantry
battalion. They were about to be
00:14:04.74\00:14:08.31
annihilated. Private Kingsbury
saw that drastic action was
00:14:08.34\00:14:13.78
needed to save his mates, his
friends and so he took the Bren
00:14:13.82\00:14:19.22
gun and calmly leapt up
and firing the Bren gun from
00:14:19.25\00:14:22.76
his hip he
00:14:22.79\00:14:24.13
charged the Japanese positions
through a storm of machine gun
00:14:24.16\00:14:27.70
fire. He cleared a path of
100 meters through the Japanese
00:14:27.73\00:14:33.80
lines before being shot by
a sniper. Later his mates said
00:14:33.84\00:14:38.61
that he'd thrown his life away
to save theirs. Today this place
00:14:38.64\00:14:45.98
is called Kingsbury's rock,
the rock next to which Kingsbury
00:14:46.01\00:14:49.78
died. Today part of the Isuarava
memorial. Private Kingsbury's
00:14:49.82\00:14:55.72
actions stopped the Japanese
breakthrough. He single handedly
00:14:55.76\00:14:59.29
saved his battalion and he
gave renewed courage to the
00:14:59.33\00:15:04.00
Australian
00:15:04.03\00:15:05.37
forces. Kingsbury was awarded
Australia's highest medal for
00:15:05.40\00:15:09.97
bravery, the Victoria Cross,
the first person to ever receive
00:15:10.01\00:15:13.71
this honor on what was then
technically Australian soil.
00:15:13.74\00:15:18.08
The Australians had been
fighting nonstop for four days
00:15:18.11\00:15:21.78
at Isuarava and over 500
Japanese had been killed.
00:15:21.82\00:15:25.72
But yet again
00:15:25.75\00:15:27.46
they were forced to withdraw in
the face of overwhelming numbers
00:15:27.49\00:15:32.36
The withdrawal to a place
in nightmare conditions of mud,
00:15:32.39\00:15:36.67
rain and total darkness. The
modern day bush walker can walk
00:15:36.70\00:15:45.04
the same distance in an hour
that the exhausted Australian
00:15:45.07\00:15:47.18
soldiers carrying their wounded
took all night to do. During
00:15:47.21\00:15:53.25
this withdrawal, Captain Ben
Butler and the 41 men whom he
00:15:53.28\00:15:58.05
led were cut off from the main
Australian force. For six weeks
00:15:58.09\00:16:02.52
he led them through the rain
forest and because they were
00:16:02.56\00:16:06.06
behind enemy lines Butler
decided that the best option was
00:16:06.09\00:16:11.03
to lead his men towards
the northern coast. They were
00:16:11.07\00:16:15.34
carrying a number of wounded
men but there weren't enough
00:16:15.37\00:16:18.74
fit men to carry all the wounded
One of the wounded was Corporal
00:16:18.77\00:16:24.58
John Metson. He had been
shot through both ankles but he
00:16:24.61\00:16:27.75
didn't want to slow down the
group, so each morning he would
00:16:27.78\00:16:31.59
have his hands and knees
bandaged and would set off
00:16:31.62\00:16:34.82
before the main party crawling
and every night he would arrive
00:16:34.86\00:16:40.00
in the dark at that night's
encampment. This amazing and
00:16:40.03\00:16:43.97
continual self-sacrificial
behavior allowed his mates to
00:16:44.00\00:16:48.30
escape the Japanese patrols and
continue their incredible six
00:16:48.34\00:16:52.57
week trek towards safety. But
eventually Captain's Butler's
00:16:52.61\00:16:57.35
group became so weak that
they couldn't carry all of the
00:16:57.38\00:17:01.25
wounded. The decision was made
to leave seven wounded soldiers
00:17:01.28\00:17:05.39
at Saniveach while the rest
of the party went for help. A
00:17:05.42\00:17:10.39
medical officer, Tom Fletcher,
volunteered to stay with the
00:17:10.43\00:17:15.00
wounded. When the rescue party
eventually returned they found
00:17:15.03\00:17:18.97
that the Japanese had discovered
the wounded men and shot them
00:17:19.00\00:17:22.40
all dead in their stretchers and
that Fletcher's body was next to
00:17:22.44\00:17:26.44
them. He could have saved
himself, but Fletcher stayed to
00:17:26.47\00:17:31.21
protect his friends.
The desperately tired but
00:17:31.25\00:17:36.85
determined force
00:17:36.89\00:17:38.22
kept continually defending,
retreating and then counter
00:17:38.25\00:17:42.86
attacking. The men were wracked
by malaria and dysentery but
00:17:42.89\00:17:46.73
they kept on fighting
ferociously until they came to
00:17:46.76\00:17:51.60
Imata Ridge. It was here
that the Australians absolutely
00:17:51.63\00:17:55.40
had to make a final stand
because they were virtually
00:17:55.44\00:17:58.44
overlooking Port Moresby
itself. It was the last natural
00:17:58.47\00:18:02.98
defensive position before
defeat. There was nowhere else
00:18:03.01\00:18:07.88
to go. The Japanese held the
opposite ridge at Ioribaiwa This
00:18:07.92\00:18:14.22
was the final showdown. But here
at Imata Ridge the Australians
00:18:14.26\00:18:18.53
had prepared a last-ditch
surprise for the Japanese. The
00:18:18.56\00:18:24.13
Australians had laboriously
dragged 25 powder guns up from
00:18:24.17\00:18:28.24
Port Moresby and suddenly
they opened fire on the Japanese
00:18:28.27\00:18:33.58
positions. That was the turning
point of the Kokoda campaign.
00:18:33.61\00:18:39.31
The Australian shelling smashed
the Japanese barricades and the
00:18:39.35\00:18:43.39
Australians started patrolling
aggressively. Ioribaiwa was as
00:18:43.42\00:18:48.42
far as the Japanese advanced.
From that time on the Japanese
00:18:48.46\00:18:54.83
began a long retreat back along
the Track, back to Kokoda and
00:18:54.86\00:18:59.63
back to the sea with the
Australians pursuing them and
00:18:59.67\00:19:03.71
attacking them the whole
time. Now it was the turn of the
00:19:03.74\00:19:07.51
Japanese to experience what
the Australians had experienced
00:19:07.54\00:19:10.88
during the preceding months. The
Australians drove the Japanese
00:19:10.91\00:19:16.05
back to the northern shore
of Papua New Guinea and by the
00:19:16.08\00:19:19.42
22nd of January 1943 all
organized resistance by the
00:19:19.45\00:19:25.23
Japanese in Papua, New Guinea
had ceased. In the fierce,
00:19:25.26\00:19:32.60
disparate battles along the
Kokoda Track approximately 625
00:19:32.63\00:19:36.71
Australians were killed and 1600
wounded. Six thousand Japanese
00:19:36.74\00:19:41.41
soldiers were killed.
Australian casualties due to
00:19:41.44\00:19:46.25
sickness numbered more than 4000
In fact, more Australians died
00:19:46.28\00:19:51.25
in the month of fighting in
Papua, New Guinea than in any
00:19:51.29\00:19:54.92
other campaign of World War II.
The Kokoda campaign with it's
00:19:54.96\00:20:03.20
blood, sweat and tears, with
its heartbreak and its horrors
00:20:03.23\00:20:05.40
and with its self-sacrifice
and victory forever changed the
00:20:05.43\00:20:10.14
destiny of Australia. The
Australian victory on the Kokoda
00:20:10.17\00:20:14.84
Track was the first time in
the second world war that the
00:20:14.88\00:20:18.61
Japanese army was defeated
and turned back. It was also the
00:20:18.65\00:20:22.25
first and only military victory
by the Australian army on what
00:20:22.28\00:20:27.09
was technically Australian
soil. The Kokoda campaign was
00:20:27.12\00:20:32.43
certainly one of the most heroic
defensive actions in history.
00:20:32.46\00:20:36.20
Those who fought there have
been called the men who saved
00:20:36.23\00:20:42.90
Australia. Lieutenant Colonel
Honer, that commanded the
00:20:42.94\00:20:46.11
39th in the campaign later wrote
of those men who survived, They
00:20:46.14\00:20:52.31
have joined the immortals. And
about those who did not survive
00:20:52.35\00:20:56.38
Honer wrote...
00:20:56.42\00:21:07.73
Many of them lie here at the
Bomana war cemetery just near
00:21:07.76\00:21:12.57
Port Moresby. For that reason
the legacy that those men have
00:21:12.60\00:21:17.97
left us today is much more than
simply an Australian nation that
00:21:18.01\00:21:22.88
remained free. They embodied
what Aussie mateship friendship
00:21:22.91\00:21:27.78
is all about. These men were
just regular blokes who became
00:21:27.82\00:21:34.16
legends. And the legend of
Kokoda is all about a nation of
00:21:34.19\00:21:38.76
people who don't leave their
mates, their friends, behind,
00:21:38.79\00:21:41.30
who stay with them till the end,
and who are willing to put up
00:21:41.33\00:21:46.00
their hand and say, Pick me, and
calmly walk out to give their
00:21:46.03\00:21:50.54
lives for their mates, their
friends. It's about real courage
00:21:50.57\00:21:55.31
It's about self-sacrifice
so that others can be free.
00:21:55.34\00:22:02.08
All men at Kokoda represented
the very best of not just
00:22:02.12\00:22:06.45
Australian values, but the
highest values of humanity as
00:22:06.49\00:22:11.66
well. For that reason in
that ancient but always relevant
00:22:11.69\00:22:14.23
book, the Bible, the following
words were spoken by Jesus and
00:22:14.26\00:22:18.97
found in John
chapter 15 and verse 13:
00:22:19.00\00:22:23.00
And you know, this is precisely
the theme that is at the very
00:22:29.78\00:22:35.85
heart of the Christian message.
The Bible tells us about someone
00:22:35.88\00:22:39.82
who was our best mate, our best
friend, who when we were all in
00:22:39.85\00:22:45.99
danger sacrificed his life
so that we could be free. The
00:22:46.03\00:22:50.70
danger which we're all in is the
danger of sin. The Bible tells
00:22:50.73\00:22:55.30
us that all have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God and
00:22:55.34\00:23:00.51
that the wages of sin is death.
But God couldn't leave us alone.
00:23:00.54\00:23:06.01
And so sent someone to be our
mate, our friend. Someone who
00:23:06.05\00:23:11.19
wanted to put us first and who
ended up giving us the ultimate
00:23:11.22\00:23:15.59
demonstration of what self
sacrificing love is all about.
00:23:15.62\00:23:19.86
And so the Bible
explains that here in Romans 5:8
00:23:19.89\00:23:27.20
That's the kind of friend, the
kind of mate that Jesus is. When
00:23:34.78\00:23:41.88
the odds were overwhelming Jesus
fought for us and he sacrificed
00:23:41.92\00:23:46.35
his life for us
00:23:46.39\00:23:47.76
and because of that listen
to what the Bible tells us in
00:23:47.79\00:23:51.59
Romans chapter 8 verses 37-39:
00:23:51.63\00:23:55.90
We all walk on a track and for
us it's not the Kokoda Track.
00:24:21.36\00:24:26.63
It's the track of life. We
honor the heroes of the Kokoda
00:24:26.66\00:24:32.23
campaign so how much more should
we honor Jesus. But after all
00:24:32.27\00:24:38.17
he's done so many people won't
even give him a chance in their
00:24:38.21\00:24:40.21
lives. But that doesn't have to
be true for you. You can get to
00:24:40.24\00:24:46.61
know Jesus as your best friend,
your best mate of all. Why don't
00:24:46.65\00:24:51.09
you give him a go and invite him
into your life now as we pray.
00:24:51.12\00:24:56.09
Heavenly Father, thank you for
those brave men who sacrificed
00:24:56.12\00:25:02.10
their lives long ago so that we
might be free. But most of all
00:25:02.13\00:25:07.64
we thank you for Jesus.
Thank you because you sent Jesus
00:25:07.67\00:25:11.97
Christ to this world when we
were in danger, to look out for
00:25:12.01\00:25:16.85
us, to be by our sides and
to sacrifice his life so that we
00:25:16.88\00:25:21.85
might live. Thank you for the
freedom and friendship he offers
00:25:21.88\00:25:26.29
Please help us to realize that
our deepest need is for Jesus
00:25:26.32\00:25:31.69
and help us to acknowledge what
he's done and to recognize him
00:25:31.73\00:25:36.53
as our best friend of all. I
ask this in Jesus' name, Amen.
00:25:36.56\00:25:42.40
The inspiring story of the young
Australian soldiers who fought
00:25:42.44\00:25:47.54
along the Kokoda Track stands
today as one of the most heroic
00:25:47.58\00:25:53.01
defensive actions in history.
They embody what true friendship
00:25:53.05\00:25:58.42
mateship is all about.
Their story is all about self
00:25:58.45\00:26:03.86
sacrifice so that others can
be free. It's also a reminder of
00:26:03.89\00:26:09.36
the kind of friend that
Jesus is How when the odds were
00:26:09.40\00:26:13.54
overwhelming Jesus fought for
us. If you're battling with the
00:26:13.57\00:26:19.21
challenges along the
track of life and would like to
00:26:19.24\00:26:22.41
experience the peace, hope and
freedom that Jesus offers, then
00:26:22.44\00:26:26.95
I'd like to recommend the free
gift we have for all our viewers
00:26:26.98\00:26:31.52
today. It's the inspiring
booklet Getting Off the Mountain
00:26:31.55\00:26:35.62
This book is our gift to you and
is absolutely free. There are no
00:26:35.66\00:26:40.83
costs or obligations whatsoever.
Many have been blessed by this
00:26:40.86\00:26:46.23
book so please make sure you
take this opportunity to receive
00:26:46.27\00:26:49.77
the gift we have for you today.
Here's the information you need.
00:26:49.80\00:26:54.88
Phone or text us at 0436333555
in Australia or 0204222042 in
00:26:54.91\00:27:07.29
New Zealand or visit our website
www.tij.tv to request today's
00:27:07.32\00:27:14.96
free offer and we'll send it to
you totally free of charge and
00:27:15.00\00:27:19.60
with no
obligation. Write to us at:
00:27:19.63\00:27:40.19
Don't delay. Call or text us
now. If you have enjoyed today's
00:27:40.22\00:27:47.06
journey along the Kokoda Track
in Papua, New Guinea, then be
00:27:47.10\00:27:51.23
sure to join us again next week.
Until then remember the ultimate
00:27:51.27\00:27:57.04
destination of life's journey.
Now I saw a new heaven and a new
00:27:57.07\00:28:00.74
earth. And God will wipe
away every tear from their eyes.
00:28:00.78\00:28:04.38
There shall be no more death nor
sorrow nor crying. There shall
00:28:04.41\00:28:08.62
be no more pain. For the
former things have passed away.
00:28:08.65\00:28:14.32
¤ ¤
00:28:14.36\00:28:25.83