Peter FitzSimons' masterful and gripping account of Australia's legendary Kokoda triumph - our most important battle.
Acclaimed bestselling author Peter FitzSimons tells the Kokoda story in a gripping, moving story for all Australians: Kokoda is the iconic battle of World War II, yet few people know just what happened - and just what our troops achieved.
'for Australians, the battles in Papua New Guinea were the most important ever fought' Paul Keating
'This reads like fiction, but it is all fact.' Lieutenant Allan 'Kanga' Moore, 39th Battalion
'It was just a series of muddy footholds in the mountainside . . . so slippery that you had to sling your rifle and leave your hands free to grab the nearest vine or branch as your feet slid from under you . . . so steep that in some places you could scale the mountain face only by using both hands and both feet . . . so muddy that at times you sloshed through a quagmire more than ankle deep and felt the cloying mud suck your feet back at every step. That was the track they were fighting for down there.' Chester Wilmot (from a despatch banned by Commander-in-Chief Sir Thomas Blamey's headquarters)
75th Anniversary Edition
'an engrossing narrative, beautifully controlled by a master storyteller' SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
combines stories from both sides with the history of the event to produce a gripping tale - AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW
an eloquent case as to why Kokoda should be revered - THE AGE
a moving account of the ordeal and experiences of Australian soldiers - DAILY TELEGRAPH
an engrossing narrative, beautifully controlled by a master storyteller - SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
This reads like fiction, but it is all fact - Lieutenant Allan Kanga Moore, 39th Battalion
Peter Fitzsimons The Last Charge of the Australian Light Horse
The Opera House by Peter FitzSimons
Peter FitzSimons | #whyilovemybookshop
Hachette Australia Signs Peter FitzSimons For a Six Book Deal
Burke & Wills by Peter Fitzsimons | The Track
Burke & Wills by Peter Fitzsimons | The Drama
Burke & Wills by Peter Fitzsimons | The equipment
Burke & Wills by Peter Fitzsimons | The Sacrifice
Burke & Wills by Peter Fitzsimons | The Terrain
Peter Fitzsimons The Last Charge of the Australian Light Horse
The Opera House by Peter FitzSimons
Peter FitzSimons | #whyilovemybookshop
Burke & Wills by Peter Fitzsimons | The Track
Burke & Wills by Peter Fitzsimons | The Drama
Burke & Wills by Peter Fitzsimons | The equipment
Burke & Wills by Peter Fitzsimons | The Sacrifice
Burke & Wills by Peter Fitzsimons | The Terrain
Peter FitzSimons AM is Australia's bestselling non-fiction writer, and for the past 38 years has also been a journalist and columnist with the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD and the SUN-HERALD.
He is the author of a number of highly successful books, including BREAKER MORANT, BURKE AND WILLS, MONASH'S MASTERPIECE, KOKODA, NED KELLY and GALLIPOLI, as well as biographies of such notable Australians as Sir Douglas Mawson, Nancy Wake and John Eales. His passion is to tell Australian stories, our own stories: of great men and women, of stirring events in our history.
Peter grew up on a farm north of Sydney, went to boarding school in Sydney and attended Sydney University. An ex-Wallaby, he also lived for several years in rural France and Italy, playing rugby for regional clubs. He and his wife, Lisa Wilkinson AM - journalist, magazine editor and television presenter - have three children; they live in Sydney.