Kokoda Legend

Download Kokoda Legend PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1923004999
Total Pages : 238 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (23 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Kokoda Legend by : David Howell

Download or read book Kokoda Legend written by David Howell and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2024-06-05 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the finest soldiers and most courageous leaders I have ever known. – Lt Doug McClean, D Coy, 39th Battalion If you have trekked Kokoda, then the campsite of Templeton's Crossing will be familiar. Discover the story of the man behind the name. Captain Sam Templeton was the first Australian Officer to be captured by the Japanese in the Kokoda Campaign. After being interrogated by his captors he was executed on the battlefield. Templeton had predicted his fate, telling a platoon commander, if ‘he went into action, he wouldn’t come back’. Having resigned himself to his destiny, Templeton misled his captors on the numerical strength of the Australian forces waiting in Kokoda and Port Moresby. Did Templeton’s misinformation slow the initial push by the Yokoyama Advance Force into the Owen Stanley Range, allowing the Australian Imperial Force to join the fight earlier? Did Templeton create doubt in the mind of the commander of the South Seas Force, influencing an operational change for the attack on Port Moresby? A quiet and often aloof character, Templeton’s name and actions became synonymous with Kokoda. Originally from Belfast, Templeton is reputed to have helped quash the Irish rebellion, served in submarines with the Royal Navy during the First World War and to have fought with the International Brigade in the Spanish Civil War. Kokoda Legend goes beyond the myth to discover the real contribution Captain Sam Templeton made to stopping the Japanese advance over the Owen Stanley Range in 1942.

Kokoda

Download Kokoda PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1107189713
Total Pages : 397 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (71 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Kokoda by : Karl James

Download or read book Kokoda written by Karl James and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2017-03-27 with total page 397 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Kokoda: Beyond the Legend provides readers with a complete understanding of this major turning point in the Second World War.

The Kokoda Campaign 1942

Download The Kokoda Campaign 1942 PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1107015944
Total Pages : 323 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (7 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Kokoda Campaign 1942 by : Peter Williams

Download or read book The Kokoda Campaign 1942 written by Peter Williams and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2012-03-02 with total page 323 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The fighting on the Kokoda Track in World War II is second only to Gallipoli in the Australian national consciousness. The Kokoda campaign of 1942 has taken on mythical status in Australian military history. According to the legend, Australian soldiers were vastly outnumbered by the Japanese, who suffered great losses in battle and as a result of the harsh conditions of the Kokoda Track. In this important book, Peter Williams seeks to dispel the Kokoda myth. Using extensive research and Japanese sources, he explains what really happened on the Kokoda Track in 1942. Unlike most other books written from an Australian perspective, The Kokoda Campaign 1942: Myth and reality focuses on the strategies, tactics and battle plans of the Japanese and shows that the Australians were in fact rarely outnumbered. For the first time, this book combines narrative with careful analysis to present an undistorted picture of the events of the campaign. It is a must-read for anyone who is interested in the truth of the Kokoda campaign of 1942.

Kokoda (TV TIE IN)

Download Kokoda (TV TIE IN) PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : HarperCollins Australia
ISBN 13 : 0730450244
Total Pages : 91 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (34 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Kokoda (TV TIE IN) by : Paul Ham

Download or read book Kokoda (TV TIE IN) written by Paul Ham and published by HarperCollins Australia. This book was released on 2011-01-01 with total page 91 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The inspiration for a major two-part ABC documentary, KOKODA is set to win over a whole new audience 'Never in my life ... had I seen soldiers who looked so shocked and so tired and so utterly weary as those men' Brigadier John Rogers, Australia's Director of Military Intelligence, 1942Now a major two-part ABC documentary series produced with Screen Australia's Making History, Paul Ham's KOKODA is the bestselling history of the crucial battles in Papua New Guinea that saved Australia from the threat of Japanese attack.In this acclaimed account, Ham describes both sides of the appalling struggle along the Kokoda track in 1942 when a few badly trained Australian troops confronted the Imperial Japanese Army in the worst terrain imaginable.Few of us know the true story behind that legend; few know the guts inside the myth. Kokoda was a war without mercy; a predatory war, where men hunted down men like wild animals. No army had fought in such conditions; no Allied general believed it possible.Yet Kokoda was a vital struggle; undoubtedly a turning point in the Pacific War. Had the Japanese captured Port Moresby, Australia would surely have been bombed and cut off as the only base in the South West Pacific for the Allied counter-offensive.the diggers were fighting for their very country's survival as the last free nation in Asia.Paul Ham is the author of VIEtNAM: tHE AUStRALIAN WAR and the Australia correspondent for the LONDON SUNDAY tIMES. He co-wrote, co-produced and appears in the ABC's two-part documentary based on this book, which, for the first time, took a camera crew along the full length of the KOKODA tRACK.

Walking with Ghosts in Papua New Guinea

Download Walking with Ghosts in Papua New Guinea PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1510705686
Total Pages : 315 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (17 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Walking with Ghosts in Papua New Guinea by : Rick Antonson

Download or read book Walking with Ghosts in Papua New Guinea written by Rick Antonson and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2019-09-10 with total page 315 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Acclaimed travel writer Rick Antonson (Full Moon Over Noah’s Ark) tackles his most challenging adventure yet: a formidable trail through the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea. Rick Antonson has traveled to parts of the world that are not simply exotic but sometimes damned near inaccessible. He has climbed to the summit of Mount Ararat in eastern Turkey, traveling beyond to Iraq and Iran and Armenia. He has undertaken an improbable overland journey to the ancient city of Timbuktu, an enlightening look into efforts to preserve the city’s priceless manuscripts. Now he has traversed the notorious Kokoda Trail in Papua New Guinea, a country some call “the last wild place on earth.” The trail is a narrow, 60-mile footpath featuring rough jungle, 6,000 feet in elevation change, and punishing weather extremes. In a country unfairly locked in Western misperceptions, the track is inhospitable terrain yet home to hospitable indigenous peoples, who live among the rusting reminders of the Japanese, Australian, and American armies that clashed in some of the deadliest protracted combat of World War II. In Walking With Ghosts in Papua New Guinea, Antonson shares a journey of physical and mental endurance in his inimitable way, in the company of a mixed band of resolute adventurers, blending fascinating historical context with the tribulations of unexpected discoveries in faraway lands.

Kokoda

Download Kokoda PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1108101585
Total Pages : 397 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (81 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Kokoda by : Karl James

Download or read book Kokoda written by Karl James and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2017-03-27 with total page 397 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Courage. Endurance. Mateship. Sacrifice. These values, engraved in stone at the Isurava war memorial, have become synonymous with the Australian experience during the Kokoda campaign of 1942. The story of Kokoda and of the fighting in Papua has been told and retold in books, films and documentaries, but these popular narratives rarely explore beyond this one campaign. Kokoda: Beyond the Legend critically assesses not only the campaigns in Papua and their context in the wider lengthy Pacific war, but also the actions of senior Australian, American and Japanese military leaders. Moving beyond the legend, this book addresses the central question of why Kokoda holds such a significant place in Australian military history. In this book, Karl James brings together eminent military scholars to reassess the principal battles from both Allied and Japanese perspectives, providing readers with a more complete understanding of one of the major turning points in the Second World War.

The Battles for Kokoda Plateau

Download The Battles for Kokoda Plateau PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Allen & Unwin
ISBN 13 : 1760873551
Total Pages : 528 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (68 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Battles for Kokoda Plateau by : David W Cameron

Download or read book The Battles for Kokoda Plateau written by David W Cameron and published by Allen & Unwin. This book was released on 2020-03-31 with total page 528 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'The Japanese attacked us, they mortared us, they shelled us...they did everything.' On 21 July 1942, a large Japanese reconnaissance mission landed along the north-eastern coastline of Papua, it would soon turn into an all-out attempt to capture Port Morseby. This is the powerful story of the three weeks of battle by a small Australian militia force, the 39th Battalion, supported by the 1st Papua Infantry Battalion and the Royal Papuan Constabulary, to keep the Japanese at bay. Outnumbered by at least three to one, they fought courageously to hold the Kokoda Plateau - the gateway to the Owen Stanleys. Critically short of ammunition and food and stranded in the fetid swamps and lowland jungles, they did everything they could to keep the Kokoda airstrip out of Japanese hands. Not far away, and desperately trying to reach the Australians, were two groups of Anglican missionaries trapped behind enemy lines. With each passing day the parties grew, joined by lost Australian soldiers and downed American airmen. Theirs is a story of tragedy and betrayal. Using letters, diaries and other first-hand accounts, from friend and foe alike, leading military historian David W Cameron, has for the first time written a detailed, compelling and provocative account of what occurred at the northern foot of the Owen Stanleys in late July and early August 1942. These are stories that deserve to be firmly embedded into the Kokoda legend.

Field Guide to the Kokoda Track

Download Field Guide to the Kokoda Track PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780977570454
Total Pages : 516 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (74 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Field Guide to the Kokoda Track by : Bill James

Download or read book Field Guide to the Kokoda Track written by Bill James and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 516 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Kokoda legend lay dormant for six decades, during which the rampant New Guinean jungle reclaimed many of its historic sites. Now, after years of painstaking research, and with the aid of the fast-thinning ranks of both Australian and Japanese veterans, Bill James has uncovered these 'lost battlefields', plus more. For those wishing to understand the history of the Kokoda Track, the (528 page) book will be of great interest. For those intending to undertake the gruelling trek, it is essential reading. The third edition of the book includes a new 1:50?000 scale waterproof trek map (740 mm x 408 mm 2-sided) that will be an indispensible aid. The revised edition includes the grave or memorial information for the fallen.

The Lost Battlefield of Kokoda

Download The Lost Battlefield of Kokoda PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Macmillan
ISBN 13 : 9781742611181
Total Pages : 269 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (111 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Lost Battlefield of Kokoda by : Brian Freeman

Download or read book The Lost Battlefield of Kokoda written by Brian Freeman and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2012 with total page 269 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Brian Freeman knows the Kokoda Trail better than almost any other living Australian. The former Specialist Forces soldier has set records running the length of it and led dozens of treks along it for his adventure travel company. But in more than a decade of involvement with the trail, even he never suspected the secret held by the villagers of Alola, a tiny community perched high in some of the trail's most difficult terrain.Since 1942 the villagers had passed down a secret from generation to generation – the location of a lost battlefield, where advancing Australian forces and retreating Japanese soldiers had fought in the Second World War. It was one of the bloodiest engagements of the campaign, yet inaccurate references in maps drawn after the fighting meant that when the tide of war moved on, the battlefield was forgotten and quickly reclaimed by the jungle.After years of friendship, in which Brian earned the villagers' trust, they decided to let him in on the secret, knowing that such a revelation required a trustworthy person to help them manage the intense interest they suspected would follow. Their decision was vindicated as Brian authenticated and mapped the battlefield with professional archaeologists and helped set up a trust to act as guardian for the special site.Part fascinating military history, part gripping archaeological mystery, part exciting adventure, The Lost Battlefield of Kokoda is the story of the trail and that long-ago battle – how it was fought, then lost and found.

Kokoda Wallaby

Download Kokoda Wallaby PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Allen & Unwin
ISBN 13 : 1742693822
Total Pages : 304 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (426 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Kokoda Wallaby by : Andrew James

Download or read book Kokoda Wallaby written by Andrew James and published by Allen & Unwin. This book was released on 2011 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'A great story that is long overdue in the telling.' - Paul Ham 'Rugby is fortunate to have so many role models of the highest order. Stan Bisset is at the top of the game.' - John Eales, former Wallabies captain 'Stan Bisset, like this remarkable story of his life, is timeless.' - Patrick Lindsay 'Stan was a man before his time. His leadership, forward thinking and standards were second to none . . . This book is a fascinating and insightful read and I highly recommend it.' - Rod Macqueen AM, former Wallabies coach Stan Bisset was a real hero, both in battle, on the rugby pitch and in desperate armed combat against the Japanese during the Second World War. As a member of the ill-fated 1939 Wallaby touring team to England, he was a rugby legend. In the Middle East and on the Kokoda Track, he was one of Australia's most distinguished and heroic combatants. But above all else, he personified so many attributes of the Australian soldier: moral and physical courage, compassion, selflessness, independence, loyalty, resourcefulness, devotion and humour. Stan Bisset's remarkable life story is told by former Australian soldier and Afghanistan veteran Andrew James. This is a truly inspiring book that crosses generations.

Pushing the Limits: Life, Marathons & Kokoda

Download Pushing the Limits: Life, Marathons & Kokoda PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Penguin Group Australia
ISBN 13 : 1743483058
Total Pages : 295 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (434 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Pushing the Limits: Life, Marathons & Kokoda by : Kurt Fearnley

Download or read book Pushing the Limits: Life, Marathons & Kokoda written by Kurt Fearnley and published by Penguin Group Australia. This book was released on 2014-10-22 with total page 295 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When Kurt Fearnley was a kid, he would leave his wheelechair at the front gate and go exploring with his brothers and sisters. 'You're going to have to be stronger than we are,' they told him, 'and we know you will be.' The boy from Carcoar was raised to believe he could do anything. At fifteen, he won his first medal. Then he conquered the world, winning three Paralympic gold medals, seven world championships and more than 35 marathons. A world-beater in and out of his wheelchair, Kurt is a true Australian champion. Inspiring, exhilarating and highly entertaining, Pushing the Limits takes us inside the mind of a kid with a disability growing up in a tiny town, a teenager finding his place in the world, and an elite sportsman who refuses to give up, no matter how extreme the challenge. 'Kurt Fearnley is the most inspiring figure in Australian sport, and this is a wondrous tale.' Peter FitzSimons 'There are only possibilities in Kurt's world. If you say he can't, he will.' Steve Waugh 'I love this bloke. Not only is he, in my opinion, Australia's greatest athlete, but he has such an enormous heart and zest for life. What Kurt does for the general community, and particularly for athletes with disabilities, is truly inspiring.' David Koch 'Kurt Fearnley gives life a good name.' Andrew Denton 'Aside from all the medals, accolades and achievements, in my humble opinion it is his larrikin sense of humour, positive attitude to life, never forgetting where he comes from and his belief that there is nothing he can't do that makes him a national treasure.' Layne Beachley

Robert E. Lee and Me

Download Robert E. Lee and Me PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : St. Martin's Press
ISBN 13 : 1250239273
Total Pages : 150 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (52 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Robert E. Lee and Me by : Ty Seidule

Download or read book Robert E. Lee and Me written by Ty Seidule and published by St. Martin's Press. This book was released on 2021-01-26 with total page 150 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Ty Seidule scorches us with the truth and rivets us with his fierce sense of moral urgency." --Ron Chernow In a forceful but humane narrative, former soldier and head of the West Point history department Ty Seidule's Robert E. Lee and Me challenges the myths and lies of the Confederate legacy—and explores why some of this country’s oldest wounds have never healed. Ty Seidule grew up revering Robert E. Lee. From his southern childhood to his service in the U.S. Army, every part of his life reinforced the Lost Cause myth: that Lee was the greatest man who ever lived, and that the Confederates were underdogs who lost the Civil War with honor. Now, as a retired brigadier general and Professor Emeritus of History at West Point, his view has radically changed. From a soldier, a scholar, and a southerner, Ty Seidule believes that American history demands a reckoning. In a unique blend of history and reflection, Seidule deconstructs the truth about the Confederacy—that its undisputed primary goal was the subjugation and enslavement of Black Americans—and directly challenges the idea of honoring those who labored to preserve that system and committed treason in their failed attempt to achieve it. Through the arc of Seidule’s own life, as well as the culture that formed him, he seeks a path to understanding why the facts of the Civil War have remained buried beneath layers of myth and even outright lies—and how they embody a cultural gulf that separates millions of Americans to this day. Part history lecture, part meditation on the Civil War and its fallout, and part memoir, Robert E. Lee and Me challenges the deeply-held legends and myths of the Confederacy—and provides a surprising interpretation of essential truths that our country still has a difficult time articulating and accepting.

The Bone Man of Kokoda

Download The Bone Man of Kokoda PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Pan Australia
ISBN 13 : 9781405038362
Total Pages : 308 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (383 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Bone Man of Kokoda by : Charles Happell

Download or read book The Bone Man of Kokoda written by Charles Happell and published by Pan Australia. This book was released on 2008 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Kokichi Nishimura was a member of the 2nd battalion, 144th Regiment of the Japanese Imperial Army. In 1942 he fought along every foot of Kokoda as the Japanese attempted to take Port Moresby. He was the only man from his company to survive the campaign. As he was evacuated to safety he made a promise that one day he would return to his comrades and bring them home to Japan for proper burial. After the war, Nishimura prospered. But under the surface, the driving ambition of his life was to fulfil his promise. In 1979, he shocked his family by returning to New Guinea to search for the remains of Japanese soldiers. For the next 25 years, Nishimura lived alone along the Kokoda Track. Armed only with a metal detector, a mattock and a shovel, he searched for his dead comrades. Over the years he found hundreds of them - some he was able to identify and return their bones to their families; others were unknown, and their remains were sent to Japan's official shrine for its war dead in Tokyo. In 2005 Nishimura, now in his mid-eighties and seriously ill, was forced to return to Japan. His story is an incredible adventure that gives us a radically different viewpoint on a battle that has become part of our national myth. Nishimura's life and quest above all offer a poignant reminder of the futility of war.

Kokoda

Download Kokoda PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780733623141
Total Pages : 479 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (231 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Kokoda by : Peter FitzSimons

Download or read book Kokoda written by Peter FitzSimons and published by . This book was released on 2008-08-01 with total page 479 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Now this gripping and bestselling account of the Kokoda campaign is available in a superbly packaged, hardback gift edition illustrated with almost 150 photographs. Kokoda was a defining battle for Australia a small force of young, ill-equipped Australians engaged a highly experienced and hitherto unstoppable Japanese force on a narrow, precarious jungle track and defeated them. A bestseller in both hardback and paperback, this edition is illustrated with photos of what it was really like many taken from the prize-winning work of Australian cameraman, Damien Parer. He risked his life to capture the reality of what these Australian soldiers endured, and achieved.

Roads, Tourism and Cultural History

Download Roads, Tourism and Cultural History PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Channel View Publications
ISBN 13 : 1845416708
Total Pages : 402 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (454 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Roads, Tourism and Cultural History by : Rosemary Kerr

Download or read book Roads, Tourism and Cultural History written by Rosemary Kerr and published by Channel View Publications. This book was released on 2018-12-20 with total page 402 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Roads and road tourism loom large in the Australian imagination as distance and mobility have shaped the nation’s history and culture, but roads are more than simply transport routes; they embody multiple layers of history, mythology and symbolism. Drawing on Australian travel writing, diaries and manuscripts, tourism literature, fiction, poetry and feature films, this book explores how Australians have experienced and imagined roads and road touring beyond urban settings: from Aboriginal ‘songlines’ to modern-day road trips. It also tells the stories of iconic roads, including the Birdsville Track, Stuart Highway and Great Ocean Road, and suggests alternative approaches to heritage and tourism interpretation of these important routes. The ongoing impact of the colonial past on Indigenous peoples and contemporary Australian society and culture – including representations of the road and road travel – is explored throughout the book. The volume offers a new way of thinking about roads and road tourism as important strands in a nation’s cultural fabric.

Kokoda Trail for Dummies

Download Kokoda Trail for Dummies PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 0730377016
Total Pages : 371 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (33 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Kokoda Trail for Dummies by : Peter Williams

Download or read book Kokoda Trail for Dummies written by Peter Williams and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2012-02-23 with total page 371 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Everything you need to know about the Kokoda Trail and its place in Australian history Interest in the Kokoda Trail is growing rapidly among many Australians, both for its attraction as a hiking destination and for its historical significance. Kokoda For Dummies offers a fast track tool for learning everything you need to know about this unique thoroughfare, in one concise volume. Part history book, part practical guide, Kokoda For Dummies is perfect both for those considering following our Diggers’ footsteps along ‘the track’ or armchair travellers who want to learn about its history. Covering the full history of the Kokoda Trail, from its beginnings as an overland mail route to the fierce battles between the Australians and the Japanese that took place along its length during World War II, the book also includes important information on walking the trail yourself. From the steps you need to take to get ready to what to bring, Kokoda For Dummies is the definitive resource for anyone looking for a comprehensive overview of this significant landmark. Focuses on walking the track as a pilgrimage and a history lesson for history buffs and hiking enthusiasts alike Covers the health and safety concerns involved with walking the track, including a basic Kokoda itinerary Contains eyewitness accounts of the Kokoda battles gleaned from interviews conducted with Australian and Japanese war veterans A comprehensive but accessible history of the Kokoda Trail and its significance to Australia, in one volume.

Semut

Download Semut PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Penguin Group Australia
ISBN 13 : 014379003X
Total Pages : 456 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (437 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Semut by : Christine Helliwell

Download or read book Semut written by Christine Helliwell and published by Penguin Group Australia. This book was released on 2021-07-02 with total page 456 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: March 1945. A handful of young Allied operatives are parachuted into the remote jungled heart of the Japanese-occupied island of Borneo, east of Singapore, there to recruit the island’s indigenous Dayak peoples to fight the Japanese. Yet most have barely encountered Asian or indigenous people before, speak next to no Borneo languages, and know little about Dayaks, other than that they have been – and may still be – headhunters. They fear that on arrival the Dayaks will kill them or hand them over to the Japanese. For their part, some Dayaks have never before seen a white face. So begins the story of Operation Semut, an Australian secret operation launched by the organisation codenamed Services Reconnaisance Department – popularly known as Z Special Unit – in the final months of WWII. Anthropologist Christine Helliwell has called on her years of first-hand knowledge of Borneo, interviewed more than one hundred Dayak people and all the remaining Semut operatives, and consulted thousands of military and other documents to piece together this astonishing story. Focusing on the operation's activities along two of Borneo’s great rivers – the Baram and Rejang – the book provides a detailed military history of Semut II’s and Semut III’s brutal guerrilla campaign against the Japanese, and reveals the decisive but long-overlooked Dayak role in the operation. But this is no ordinary history. Helliwell captures vividly the sounds, smells and tastes of the jungles into which the operatives are plunged, an environment so terrifying that many are unsure whether jungle or Japanese is the greater enemy. And she takes us into the lives and cavernous longhouses of the Dayaks on whom their survival depends. The result is a truly unique account of the encounter between two very different cultures amidst the savagery of the Pacific War.