Those Ragged Bloody Heroes

The Kokoda Trail is part of Australian military folklore.

During July to September 1942, the Japanese aimed to capture Port Moresby by an overland crossing of the Owen Stanley Range and a landing in Milne Bay. To oppose a force of 10,000 crack Japanese troops on the Kokoda Trail, the Allies committed one under-trained and poorly-equipped unit—the 39th Battalion, later reinforced by Veterans of the 21st Brigade, 7th Division AIF. These were the men of Maroubra Force.

The Australians put up a desperate fight. They withdrew village by village, forcing the Japanese to fight for every inch of ground. Finally, at Ioribaiwa, the Japanese turned away, beaten and exhausted. The Australian soldiers' reward for their remarkable achievement was denigration by the High Command—General Blamey called them 'running rabbits'.

Then in December 1942, when the fighting at the beachheads had produced little success, the former members of Maroubra Force captured Gona after heavy fighting—but at a tragic cost.

Those Ragged Bloody Heroes is the story of those battles told as never before, through the eyes of the Australian soldiers who fought there. It is a story that raises serious questions about the planning and command of the Kokoda and Gona campaigns.

Those Ragged Bloody Heroes is a stirring history of triumph, tragedy, and controversy set in the mud and steaming jungle of the Kokoda Trail and the fire-swept beaches at Gona.

'This book is a valuable contribution to the record of Australian military history.' - Sir Donald Dunstan

'A triumphant book that is a memorial to men whose sacrifice in the courageous defence of their country must never be forgotten.' - William Noonan