A STUDYGUIDE BY ROBERT LEWIS http://www.metromagazine.com.au http://www.theeducationshop.com.au CAPTION CAN GO HERE FROM THE CORRIDORS OF POWER TO THE BLOOD-STAINED BATTLEFIELDS OF THE PAPUA NEW GUINEA HIGHLANDS, KOKODA (DON FEATHERSTONE, ANDREW WISEMAN, URI MIZRAHI) 2009, TWO EPISODES X 57 MINUTES) TELLS THE STORY OF THE BRUTAL WORLD WAR II MILITARY CAMPAIGN BETWEEN AUSTRALIA AND JAPAN THAT CHANGED THE COURSE OF AUSTRALIAN HISTORY. HILE most Australians have confusion of war, the intricate connec- tisations filmed in Australia and Papua heard of the Kokoda Track – the tions between the frontline soldiers and New Guinea. The diaries of embedded Wscene of an eight-month cam- military high command, and the political war correspondents Okada Seizo and paign that led to the defeat of the advanc- agendas that influenced the campaign Chester Wilmot paint an intimate picture ing Imperial Japanese Army and proved a and continue to percolate through con- of how soldiers on both sides felt during turning point for the Allies in World War II temporary Australian society. the battles. – few know much about the struggle that forged its treacherous reputation. No army The series follows in the footsteps The series introduces the key command- had fought in such terrible conditions; no of Australia’s ill-equipped and poorly ers, including controversial American general believed it possible. trained conscripts, the ‘chocolate sol- General Douglas MacArthur, Australia’s diers’, and the battle-hardened troops of General Sir Thomas Blamey and Japa- Fought without mercy by foes with the Australian nese Commander Tomitaro Horii, for everything to lose, the ferocious battle whom defeat in a campaign that had for the Kokoda Track saw bravery and Imperial Forces, walking the treacherous cost thousands of Japanese lives was atrocity, and noble and malicious intent 98-kilometre jungle trail from Port Mo- intolerable. on both sides. resby to Kokoda, then on to the blood- stained battlegrounds of Gona, Buna and Kokoda examines the Australian public’s From day one of the Kokoda campaign, Sanananda. response to military campaigns – both the fighting was politicised, mismanaged then and now – and the myths that they and mythologised. The two-hour documentary series engender. includes interviews with Australian and Kokoda delves behind the myths of war Japanese veterans and historians, previ- The two-hour documentary series is SCREEN EDUCATION to tell the story from both sides of the ously unpublished documents and letters based on the best-selling book, Kokoda, conflict, giving an authentic and com- to loved ones, as well as archival foot- by Paul Ham (HarperCollins Australia, prehensive account of the desperate age, footage from the Track and drama- Sydney, 2004). 2 CURRICULUM against Nazism in Europe. Britain had MEDITERRANEAN AND NORTH AF- APPLICABILITY assured Australia that it would protect RICA it from Japan – it expected that send- Kokoda is a suitable classroom resource ing a British Pacific fleet to the British When Italy entered the war on the side of for middle to upper secondary students in: naval base at Singapore would stop any Germany new theatres of war – the Med- Japanese advance in the Pacific towards iterranean and North Africa – opened up. • History Australia. This had been the basis of • Society and Environment Australia’s pre-war defence planning. So, Royal Australian Air Force planes and • Australian Studies Australia committed itself to the Euro- Royal Australian Navy ships were now • English pean war. sent into action in this area. In July • Media Studies HMAS Sydney sank the Italian cruiser While Australia had started a re-ar- Bartolomeo Colleoni, a significant Aus- BACKGROUND mament program before 1939, it was tralian naval success of the war. not well prepared to fight a war, and in The following material on the state of the this early part of the conflict Menzies HOME FRONT war by 1942 may be useful for students stressed that it was ‘business as usual’ who have not yet studied any aspect of while an effective fighting force and The Commonwealth government worked the war before watching Kokoda. supply system were developed. Those to increase industrial production as fast elements of the Royal Australian Navy as possible – this was to be a war that A. HOW WERE AUSTRALIANS that were overseas were put under Brit- would be won as much by the factories INVOLVED IN THE SECOND ish command; the Army began recruiting as by the men and women in uniform. WORLD WAR BEFORE 1942? and training men, and under the Em- Increasingly, civilian production was pire Air Training Scheme (EATS) Royal changed to production of war-related To understand the significance of what Australian Air Force (RAAF) recruits goods. happened in 1942 on the Kokoda Track were sent to Canada and South Africa you need to be able to explain why and for training and then posted to serve Present a brief summary of the key how Australia was involved in the Sec- in Royal Air Force (RAF) units (though events of this period involving Aus- ond World War up to early 1942. where possible they maintained their tralia. separate RAAF identity). Divide the class into six groups. Each Group 3 – 1941 group is to take the summary of a Present a brief summary of the key period of the war and report back on it events of this period involving Aus- EUROPE to the whole class. tralia. In July 1941 Germany broke its peace Group 1 – 1939 Group 2 – 1940 pact with Soviet Russia and invaded. This meant that Germany now had to During the 1930s Germany’s Nazi EUROPE supply troops against Russia as well as government was expanding its territory in Western Europe. and re-arming. In 1939 it threatened to After the invasion of Poland in 1939, invade Poland. Finally confronting Ger- there had been little fighting. Then in the MEDITERRANEAN AND NORTH AF- man expansionism, Britain and France summer of 1940 Germany attacked. Its RICA warned Germany that if it invaded Po- blitzkrieg (‘lightning war’) used aircraft land, they would declare war. Germany and tanks to move quickly and break Australian troops had been sent to the did invade on 1 September, and on 3 through the defences of most western Middle East early in 1941. They were September Britain and France declared European nations. After June, Britain very successful in defeating Italian war on Germany. remained the only European country still troops at Bardia, Benghazi and Tobruk, at war against Germany, but German and Vichy French troops in Syria. The Most Australian people felt very closely forces in France were now less than fifty biggest test came against the crack tied to Britain because of the historical kilometres from the British coast German troops who were trying to take connection. They were also opposed to the port of Tobruk, which would allow German expansion by force. When the The Germans then tried to gain control them to advance to Egypt. Allied troops, British Government declared war, Prime of the air over Britain to enable them including many thousands of Australians, Minister Menzies announced ‘Australia is to launch a seaborne invasion of that set up their defences, and were able to also at war’. nation. In the Battle of Britain Germany hold off repeated and determined at- tried to destroy both the British fighter tacks. The Germans had contemptuously With the coming of war, Australia had to planes and their bases. They failed. referred to the defenders as ‘rats’ in their make a decision: whether to look after About thirty Australian airmen were holes – the Australian and British troops home defence (there was a fear that involved in this ferocious air battle as took on this title with pride, and called Japan, which had invaded Manchuria part of the Fighter Command RAF. Once themselves the ‘Rats of Tobruk’. SCREEN EDUCATION in 1931 and China in 1937, might try to defeated in this way, Germany switched expand its power even further in Asia), its tactics to bombing British industrial The Australians fought well and success- or to commit troops to help Britain fight centres and large cities. fully in North Africa, but disaster struck 3 in Greece and Crete. The 6th Division call up of men aged between eighteen On 7 December 1941 the Japanese had been sent to Greece to help oppose and sixty for the Australian Military Forc- attacked the United States base at enemy invasion. This was a disastrous es – the militia, the conscripted body Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, hoping to destroy decision. The German forces inflicted that was reserved for home defence of a major part of the American fleet. But heavy casualties among the Austral- Australia. the American aircraft carriers that could ians and the British, and over 2000 were provide the means of attacking Japanese taken prisoner. The survivors retreated to There were several German raider at- invasion forces were not in port. The Crete, where the same thing happened tacks in the Indian Ocean, and enemy attack also failed to destroy the oil sup- – defeat, more dead, and over 3000 mines were laid in busy shipping lanes. plies held there. Had the aircraft carriers Australian prisoners taken. The Royal and oil reserves been destroyed, the Navy, including Australian ships, suffered In November the greatest Australian outcome of the Second World War may heavy losses in ships sunk and dam- naval disaster occurred – the sinking of have been very different. aged while successfully carrying out the the HMAS Sydney by a German raider evacuation of Greece and Crete. off the coast of Western Australia. All 645 Japan also attacked Hong Kong, the crew died while destroying the Kormo- Philippines, Malaya, Guam and Wake Australian ships were active in the ran, which was threatening sea supply Island at the same time as attacking Mediterranean against the Italian navy, lines.