Brigadier Arnold Potts was in command of the Australian brigade which fought the Japanese on the Kokoda Trail. This was the high point of his career and is the main focus of this biography of Brigadier Potts.
Warrior of Kokoda is the story of Brigadier Arnold Potts, a country farmer from Western Australia who led the Australian 21st Infantry Brigade on the Kokoda Track in 1942. He inspired Maroubra Force, outnumbered and outgunned, to bring the Japanese to a standstill on the ridges overlooking Port Moresby in a valiant fighting withdrawal. To this day, some regard him as `the man who saved Australia'.
However, instead of receiving the accolades of his commanders and the thanks of the nation, Potts was removed from his command shortly afterwards and sent to Darwin to ponder his fate. Many of the veterans of the Kokoda campaign regard this episode as a disgrace and an attempt to cover up the inadequacies of the Allied High Command. Others do not agree and believe that Potts was merely transferred, for quite legitimate military reasons. The controversy remains.
Warrior of Kokoda describes the action on the Kokoda Track and Brigadier Potts's intimate involvement in it. It also reveals the behind-the-scenes manoeuvring between Prime Minister John Curtin, General Douglas MacArthur, and General Sir Thomas Blamey. Chicanery and heroism went hand in hand during those dark days.
Author bio:
Bill Edgar is the archivist/curator at Hale School in Perth, Western Australia and has a special interest in researching and recording Australia's social history.
Category:
Other books
ISBN:
9781864489088
Table Of Contents:
Abbreviations
Maps
Illustrations
Preface
Prologue: Reivers' Road
1 Metamorphosis
2 Boy Sergeant
3 Western Front
4 Barrule
5 Hurry Up nd Wait
6 A Pat on the Head
7 A Woman I Have Known
8 The Country's a Heartbreak
9 Just a Hard Slog
10 Still Smiling
11 Scapegoat
12 Not Quite Quite
13 Paying Penance
14 Never Trust Wars to Generals
15 A Shining Light
Epilogue
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Publisher:
Allen & Unwin
Imprint:
Allen & Unwin
Pub Date:
March 1999
Page Extent:
336
Format:
Paperback
Age:
0 - 0
Subject:
Biography & True Stories