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Battle Of Kokoda Essay

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To what extent was the Battle of Kokoda a disaster?
To a large extent the Battle of Kokoda was not a disaster because it ended as a successful defence of Port Moresby and possibly Australia with the allies inflicting heavy casualties on the Japanese while suffering relatively few themselves. The campaign was an overall victory for the allies and caused the Japanese some of their first defeats in the war, stopping their momentum. Then again, if major problems with the allied supply lines hadn’t been resolved and the poorly trained and equipped Militia hadn’t been reinforced, the campaign could have been a disaster and ended as another allied defeat.
Casualties inflicted on the Japanese army were massive while the allies suffered relatively …show more content…

The victories during the Kokoda campaign, including the Battle of the Coral Sea (4th May, 1942) and Milne Bay (25th August – 7th September, 1942), were some of the first won against the Japanese. Defeating them at these locations was important for the allies because after losing every previous encounter that they had them, morale was low and the Japanese were beginning to look invincible. Beating them showed everyone that they weren’t invincible and that the allies could stop them and push them back. Another reason why the Kokoda campaign was an important victory is because it stopped the momentum the Japanese had built up over several years and turned the tide of the war in the allies’ favour. This helped them gain several victories against the Japanese such as the one on nearby …show more content…

During the fighting, Australian soldiers killed swathes of Japanese, including their commander, causing over 85% casualties in a force of at least 16,000 while only suffering 2500 dead themselves. The campaign ended as a crucial victory due to the multiple defeats it caused the Japanese which stopped their momentum and helped turn the tide of the war in the South Pacific in the allies’ favour. While the campaign was an overall success, it was far from perfect and it had its fair share of problems, mainly with the supplies at Myola, but also with the troops that were deployed. If it hadn’t been for the timely arrival of the AIF at Isurava, the Militia would have been annihilated and the Japanese would have marched straight into Port Moresby with dangerous consequences for Australia and the rest of the war

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