The Battle for Wau: New Guinea's Frontline 1942-1943 (Australian Army History Series) 1st Edition

As the family had an uncle who fought there I found the book enlightening. we knew the conditions were bad from stories we were told. the book brings this out. I thought the authors unbiased account of the campaign was very good. the maps were very good but would have liked a few more maps within the text so as not to have to back reference as the battle progressed.

This is a review of two books, “The Battle for Wau” and “To Salamaua”, as the second follows on from the other, in what was essentially one campaign, and the style and detail are the same.

As a young officer, I walked from Wau to Salamaua via the Buisaval Track passing through the country in which these two excellent books are set. The terrain was tortuous comprising narrow, twisting ridges falling sharply into steep valleys which, in some cases, the bottoms of which were unseen and could only be discerned by the roar of the river in the mist below. For much of the journey it rained incessantly and dense jungle limited vision to a few metres, except on the odd occasion when we burst on to a vantage point to view a never ending series of jungle clad ridges ahead of us. Dotted along the trail was the detritus of fighting 25 years previously - bayonets, abandoned machine guns, a scattering of spent cartridges, the wing of an aircraft and weapon pits. I remember thinking I was thankful I didn’t have to fight in that area. In “The Battle for Wau" and “To Salamaua" Phillip Bradley confirms my initial thought, and brings the story of this campaign vividly to life.

“The Battle For Wau" focuses on a little known but quite remarkable battle. Commencing with the capture of Salamaua by the Japanese in January 1942, Bradley then outlines the precarious position that ANGAU and the 2/5th Independent Company were in, providing a very thin defence screen against any Japanese push inland to the Bulolo Valley, and details the cat and mouse game played throughout 1942 by the Australians in raiding the Japanese, first at Salamaua and then around Mubo after the Japanese moved inland to provide a shield to their coastal enclave, Stung by these actions, the Japanese made a concerted effort in January 1943 to take Wau and eliminate the Australian menace. What unfolds is the story of near run thing. With the Australian high command taken by surprise when the Japanese Okabe Detachment (102nd Regiment) unexpectedly bypassed the thin Australian screen and struggled up the old Black Cat Trail, it is the story of a desperate struggle to see who would secure the vital airstrip at Wau first. The Australians won by a whisker. They couldn’t have done it, however, without the courageous effort of American airmen flying reinforcements into Wau, often under fire from the Japanese at the northern threshold of the airfield, a group of aviators to whom Bradley pays due credit.

“To Salamaua" is the story of the subsequent campaign culminating in the capture of Salamaua. Starting with the Battle of the Bismarck Sea in March 1943, in which airpower destroyed the large part of a convoy transporting Japanesse reinforcements to the mainland of New Guinea, Bradley then details the hard fought campaign between April and September 1943 by the Australians, later joined by the US 32nd and 41st US Divisions slowly drove a brave and stubborn Japanese enemy back from Mubo to the coast through country that was horrendous. It is largely a story of small unit actions at company, platoon and patrol level in a relentless battle not only against the enemy, but also the elements of nature. The names of Old Vickers, Bobdubi, Ambush Knoll, Mount Tambu and Komiatum Ridge have faded in Australian memory, and certainly in American history - but they shouldn’t be. This campaign was as tough and bitter as the fighting anywhere, indeed the troops were more isolated and fighting at the end of a very tenuous supply line.

Bradley writes these books in the Charles Bean style, stretching from the strategic to the tactical level with detailed accounts of the fighting and the actions of individuals, but I think Bradley does it better. What emerges is a story of immense courage, individual initiative and fine leadership at the sharp end that stand as shining examples to today’s officers and soldiers. Nonetheless, Bradley does not shy away from highlighting mistakes and taking certain commanders to task. Fighting on a shoestring, inadequately equipped, with minimal fire support and living and fighting in appalling conditions, often on short rations, the men of these campaigns stand in sharp contrast to the well equipped and supplied armies of today.

Supported by meticulous research of Australian, American and Japanese sources, Bradley has walked almost every yard of these battlefields, as evidenced by the numerous modern day photographs of remote battle areas and panoramas, and this adds credibility to his views and analysis. Lavishly illustrated with black and white maps, and photographs the story of every major event and action can be traced clearly. My only complaint is that while both are profusely endowed with maps, the quality of several of them could be better.

would purchase again. my family need to change a new one , delivery on time receive it next day . Great product! Cuts vegetables like butter. satisfied.