On the 2nd of November 1942, Australian troops of the 2/31st Battalion reoccupied Kokoda after months of fierce fighting against the advancing Japanese.
From the desperate battles at Isurava to the turning point at Imita Ridge, our soldiers had endured unimaginable hardship, loss and sacrifice. Their success was aided enormously by the efforts of the Papua New Guineans, known only as the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels.
On 2 November, Kokoda was back in Australian hands.
The following day, the Australian flag was proudly raised over Kokoda once again.
It was a defining moment in one of the most significant campaigns in Australian military history.
Today, we remember the courage, endurance, mateship and sacrifice of those extraordinary men, and the Papua New Guineans who stood beside them.
Their courage changed the course of history. Their sacrifice must never be forgotten. excerpt from a post made by PP.
To those of you have never heard of these saviours of so many, here is a quick rundown.
Back in 1942, their only interaction with outsiders was via the occasional visit from Australian Government Patrol Officers. ( at that time, Papua was a territory of Australia.)
Their lives were led in isolation until, one day, back in 1942, the horror of war descended like a plague on their hitherto unhindered lives lived in ignorance of the real nature of the outside world.
Despite the intrusion into their lives, they worked as bearers and carried supplies and carried the wounded through the jungles of PNG. While they were not treated well in this time of War, their role in the famous Kokoda Trail Campaign can never be understated.
Following the fall of Singapore, Australia was under the very real threat of invasion from Japan. Japan was indeed planning such an invasion but postponed it, deciding instead that it would cut off the supply lines to Australia. In order to do this, they would need to prevent supplies from America reaching the region and the most efficient way to achieve their goal was to capture the capital, Port Moresby.
North of Port Moresby, roads were little more than tracks. The only way to cross the mountain range, known as the Owen Stanley Range, that separated the south from the north, was a 100 km track. Central to this track was the village of Kokoda where there was a strategically important airfield.
The objective was to secure the airfield before the Japanese.
The Australian forces on the track relied on airdrops of supplies, but the PNG Native carrier force remained an essential part of the plan, moving supplies forward from the drop zones under dreadful conditions.
On their return, they would carry back the wounded with tremendous care:
These men became known as the "Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels"
'Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels'
Many a mother in Australia
when the busy day is done
Sends a prayer to the Almighty
for the keeping of her son
Asking that an angel guide him
and bring him safely back
Now we see those prayers are answered
on the Owen Stanley Track
For they haven't any halos
only holes slashed in their ears
And their faces worked by tattoos
with scratch pins in their hair
Bringing back the badly wounded
just as steady as a horse
Using leaves to keep the rain off
and as gentle as a nurse
Slow and careful in the bad places
on the awful mountain track
The look upon their faces
would make you think Christ was black
Not a move to hurt the wounded
as they treat him like a saint
It's a picture worth recording
that an artist's yet to paint
Many a lad will see his mother
and husbands see their wives
Just because the fuzzy wuzzy
carried them to save their lives
From mortar bombs and machine gun fire
or chance surprise attacks
To the safety and the care of doctors
at the bottom of the track
May the mothers of Australia
when they offer up a prayer
Mention those impromptu angels
with their fuzzy wuzzy hair.
Sapper Bert Beros
NX6925, 7th Australian Division, Royal Australian Engineers
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