Major Battles of the Kokoda Campaign
Japanese Advance Towards Kokoda
On 6th and 7th July, 1942, some 300 men of the Papuan Infantry Battalion (PIB) and “B” company of the 39th Militia Battalion - known as Maroubra Force - were sent to prevent the Japanese moving over the Owen Stanley Ranges. The Japanese began landing in the Buna-Gona area on 21st July. On 23rd July, another of company of the 39th Battalion, “C” Company, began moving towards Kokoda.
On the afternoon of 23rd July, a platoon of “B” Company of the 39th and some Papuans first met the Japanese, who were moving south from the Gona-Buna area; the engagement took place near Awala, about mid-way between Kokoda and Buna. A patrol under LT Chalk of Angau opened rifle fire on the advancing Japanese, who replied with machine guns, mortars and a mountain gun. LT Seekamp’s platoon of 39th Battalion was ordered to hold the enemy for 30 minutes while the PIB established defences further back. One estimate stated that in this first clash approximately 100 Australian troops were facing about 2000 Japanese.
The few remaining PIB – many had deserted – under MAJ Watson and Seekamp’s platoon of the 39th Battalion destroyed the Wairopi Bridge, and, as the strength of the Japanese was now known, were ordered to only fight rearguard actions and to withdraw to Kokoda.
As the Japanese advanced they were ambushed by another platoon of the 39th – it was the Australian platoon’s first sight of the enemy, yet they displayed good combat discipline in holding fire while the Japanese deployed and re-formed before them. About 15 Japanese were shot, then the Australians fell back to Oivi.
With only one company to face the enemy, the CO of the 39th Battalion, LTCOL WT Owen, requested two companies be flown forward to Kokoda – he received only 1 platoon, in 2 widely separated flights.
The Australians at Oivi were attacked and were soon surrounded. CAPT Templeton went back along the track to warn the platoons coming forward to be wary of the ambush, but was never seen again. He was captured and killed by the Japanese. The troops at Oivi were withdrawn – some fought their way out, others slipped into the jungle and managed to find their way around the Japanese. Nearby a group of Europeans, including women, and PIB were captured and killed by the Japanese and natives.
COL Owen destroyed the supplies at Kokoda and re-formed at Deniki. However, when he discovered that the Japanese had not occupied Kokoda, he took his 77 exhausted men forward and re-occupied it. The Japanese attacked at 2am on July 29th, and met fierce resistance - one estimate suggests that Kokoda was defended by about 80 Australians, against about 2000 attacking Japanese. During the fighting COL Owen received a mortal wound in the head while throwing a grenade.
The end of the one-sided battle was inevitable, and the Australians managed to extricate themselves once more. The CO, now MAJ Watson of the PIB, and other officers, including the Medical Officer, a First World War veteran, brought up the rear. Two militia privates waited in Kokoda until the Japanese were almost on top of them, and shot about 15 before withdrawing. In the next few days the remaining companies of the 39th Battalion joined Maroubra Force, but the Australians were still greatly outnumbered by the Japanese.
“B” Company of the 39th Battalion had fought well. They had been forced to learn as they fought, many of their lessons in jungle fighting coming from the enemy. The Japanese were using tactics tried and proved in Malaya - when they met opposition, they immediately attempted to outflank it and cut it off. They used their artillery and mortars, of which the Australians had none, to good effect. They crawled along beneath the undergrowth to attack and climbed trees to snipe. The Australian forces retaliated but were forced to adopt a pattern of conducting fighting withdrawals – fight, stop the enemy, then withdraw before being annihilated.
Australian Army History Unit