Gallipoli and Kokoda Hero Leads Audacious Escape from Kokoda After 71 years one of Australia’s most Iconic and forgotten war time Kokoda Tracks is revealed. Wayne Wetherall, Managing Director of Kokoda Spirit and the Landowners of the Kokoda area, recently re traced this historic track, cutting a path in the footsteps of these remarkable men. The team took five back breaking days to uncover the Jungle track ,using information passed down, from Father to Son, an old war map and modern GPS tracking. Wayne worked closely with Kokoda Spirit Guides John Titmus and Shane Moloney sourcing information. Escape from Kokoda is one of Australia’s most amazing and courageous stories of mateship, triumph and survival. In August 1942 an audacious and determined counter attack was mounted by the 39th Battalion against a formidable swarming Japanese Army at Kokoda. For two days the Australians Soldiers dug in at Kokoda repelling countless waves of frenzied Japanese attacks, before lack of food and ammunition forced the Australians to withdraw. During the ongoing withdrawal and fire fight some of the Australian positions were overrun by the Japanese forcing the Australians take decisive evasive actions. Had the Australians not taken this action the loss of lives could have been catastrophic. Staff Sergeant Jim Cowey a WW1 Gallipoli hero led his small band of men through the thick of the Japanese Army to safety. “Old Jim had picked up about three or four of us by now and he said, “Just stay quietly” and then he dispersed us a bit. And then he got another couple of us, and I think that was about all of us. You know most were dead then. There was no wounded in our group. Then Jim said, “Good, we’ll walk out”. I was all for running out but there were Japs everywhere. They were throwing grenades into weapon-pits, they were searching under huts, and Jim said, “We’ll walk out; they don’t know who we are”. And if you don’t mind, casually got up, put us into single file and walked us out over the bloody bridge!” Old Jim was the consummate Soldier, cool, brave resourceful, courageous. During their Journey the Australians ran into a Japanese machine Gun nest. “There were 10 in the group, with Tommy guns, rifles and a few grenades, but little ammunition. Cowey led the men, but a Japanese machine-gun opened fire, narrowly missing his head with the first burst. Cowey then demonstrated coolness under fire to the other Aussies. He leaned against the tree nearby. Brought up his .303 rifle, aimed and shot dead the Japanese gunner – who was pushed aside by his partner, so Cowey reloaded at the shoulder and shot dead this man also, then continued to kill every Japanese who climbed behind the gun. Of course, a hornet’s nest had been aroused and the Japanese were swarming.” The escape track was an arduous and circular route to Deniki. This track was used by some members of the 39th as the main Kokoda-Deniki Track, had been cut off by the Japanese. Captain Symington and Staff Sergeant Jim Cowey led separate groups of men from the Kokoda Plateau, down through the Kokoda Airstrip and up to the mountainous Village of Naro and then onto Deniki. What is normally a two to three hour march to Deniki from Kokoda became an arduous 2-3 day walk for these men. These groups of 39th Battalion Men overcame a brutal terrain and tough conditions to rejoin the Battalion lines. Kokoda Spirit in conjunction, with the Landowners run treks across the” Escape from Kokoda” track. Comments in Italics are from the book To Kokoda and Beyond, Compiled by Victor Austin first published in 1988. Visit kokodaspirit
Posted on: Tue, 25 Jun 2013 03:21:24 +0000