Pacific · 21 Jul 1942 – 16 Nov 1942
Kokoda Track campaign
Australian and Papuan forces halted the Japanese advance toward Port Moresby, then pushed north across the Owen Stanley Range and recaptured Kokoda.
Full edition
The map is in the full edition.
Step through the battle phase by phase, with front lines and unit movements drawn on the terrain. All 50 battles, plus every past story.
First 7 days free, then $49.99 a year. Cancel before the week ends and you pay nothing.
Renews automatically until you cancel. By subscribing you agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy.
Already subscribed? Sign in
Japanese forces landed near Gona on 21 July 1942 and advanced south along the Kokoda Track, intending to take Port Moresby overland. The Australian defence initially depended on the 39th Battalion and the Papuan Infantry Battalion, grouped as Maroubra Force. After delaying actions at Awala, Gorari and Oivi, the Australians withdrew toward Deniki. A small Australian force briefly reoccupied Kokoda on 28 July, but Japanese troops drove it out the next day. Australian attempts to retake the village in August also failed, and the Japanese held its airfield.
Maroubra Force fell back through the mountains under pressure and with limited supplies. The 21st Brigade reached Isurava in late August, alongside other Australian reinforcements, including the 30th Brigade. Japanese attacks forced successive withdrawals through Eora Creek, Templeton’s Crossing and Efogi. At Mission Ridge and Brigade Hill, from 6 to 8 September, the 21st Brigade escaped encirclement as the Australians continued south. The 25th Brigade then fought at Ioribaiwa, where the Japanese advance reached its southern limit.
The Japanese withdrew from Ioribaiwa from 24 September after their supply difficulties worsened and the campaign at Guadalcanal strained Japanese resources. Australian forces advanced north, meeting determined resistance at Templeton’s Crossing and Eora Village between 11 and 28 October. The Japanese fought delaying actions as they retreated through the mountains. Australians re-entered Kokoda on 2 November, then defeated Japanese forces around Oivi and Gorari between 4 and 11 November. By 16 November, Australian brigades had crossed the Kumusi River at Wairopi and moved toward the Japanese-held coastal positions.
The campaign was fought mainly by Australian and Papuan ground forces against the Japanese South Seas Detachment. United States forces supported the wider Allied effort, but the sources identified Australian formations as the principal forces on the track. The campaign ended with an Allied victory on the Kokoda Track; fighting against the Japanese beachheads at Buna, Gona and Sanananda continued afterward.
Australian losses were reported as 625 killed, between 1,055 and 1,600 wounded, and more than 4,000 sick. Japanese losses were reported in a range of approximately 2,050 to 4,500, with the higher figure including sickness. More than 150 New Guineans died as members of the Papuan Infantry Battalion or as porters, according to Britannica.