Japan Turns South

In 1942, Japan was overwhelming the world’s defense in the Pacific region. The flag of the Emperor spread deep into China in the west, to the borders of the Soviet Union in the north, and south, ever south, towards Australia. Only one stumbling block stood in the way of the Japanese and total domination of the Southern Pacific: Papua New Guinea and the brave Australians who defended their homeland on a lonely trail called Kokoda.

The Kokoda Trail 

No tank could penetrate the trail. No vehicle could provide resupply. The vegetation literally blocked out the sun. Only men, tens of thousands of them, marched into the mountainous jungle – like a death-dealing Appalachian Trail. Most would never return. It’s death. It’s blood and it’s mud. It’s a battle most of the world has never heard of and it’s a battle most of the world should always remember: Australia faced down the Japanese tsunami. If the Australians could stop the Japanese, their country would serve as an invaluable Allied base for Pacific operations. Many would die to decide the contest. The world is in the balance. The story is almost unknown outside of Australia. It’s all here and it’s all for free in one week on Battlecast – the world’s foremost podcast on military history and its socio-political impact.