As the previous reviewer said, this is history the way it should be written (and I'm constantly amazed and impressed that Amazon includes all these old books). This one's factual, concise and tells the story. And as the old diggers who fought WW2 pass away, it's histories like this that should be remembered and retold. These were important historical events and the battle to recapture Buna from the japanese was a turning point in the Pacific War, and one that almost nobody now remembers. For that alone, this book's worth reading. The author's not an outstanding writer but does a credible job. Don't expect a thriller that'll have you hanging off the edge of your seat. Do expect a detailed account of what happened.
Buna was a campaign that lasted for six months, from July 1942 to January 1943 and it was fought in the appalling conditions that were prevalent in New Guinea (and the Solomon Islands). The Australian militia forces and the US National Guard units who fought the battle for Buna under the command of Gen. Douglas MacArthur lost as many casualties to disease as they did to the fighting. The battle itself was a turning point in the war in the south-west Pacific and the author portrays it with all the stark reality that a true war history deserves. And the men that fought and died there on our behalf and on the behalf of future generations deserve the respect and remembrance of ours and future generations.
"They shall not grow old,
As we that are left grow old.
Age shall not weary them,
Nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun,
And in the morning,
We will remember them.
We will remember them."
Lest We Forget - the ANZAC Prayer
