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Beyond Kokoda

In a remarkable world-first, Beyond Kokoda tells the powerful story of the Kokoda Campaign of 1942 – from both sides. Narrated by Australian actor Christopher Baker (who appeared in the 2006 film 'Kokoda'), The History Channel's exclusive two-hour documentary explores one of the most defining moments in Australian military history and features the harrowing personal stories of the Kokoda Trail from both the Australian and Japanese soldiers'perspectives. Featuring candid interviews with Australian veterans and Japanese veterans, most of whom are speaking publicly for the first time, as well as a production team made up of both Australians and Japanese, Beyond Kokoda provides a unique and balanced look at the bloody struggle that lasted from July 1942 to February 1943. The Kokoda Campaign resulted from the failure of a previous attempt by the Japanese to capture Port Moresby and was a decisive Australian victory that delivered Australia from Japanese encirclement and possible occupation. Two armies, Japanese and Australian, each pushing the other back along a muddy, precipitous track over the mountainous spine of New Guinea's Owen Stanley Range resulted in one of the most brutal conflicts in Australian war history. Historians and veterans distinguish it as a campaign of exceptional savagery. Few prisoners were taken; most were shot. War conventions were routinely flouted by both sides. The troops were reduced to a primal level, such were the inhuman conditions in which the battle was waged and the impossible expectations made on soldiers of both sides at the front line. Beyond Kokoda is a deeply personal account of the thoughts, feelings and experiences of those directly involved in the Kokoda Campaign, set against the sometimes flawed strategic decisions of key commanders and politicians, both Australian and Japanese, and the broader context of the war in the Pacific. The documentary also features the 'fuzzy-wuzzy angels', New Guinean villagers well-known in Aus

English
  • Runtime 110 minutes
  • Network History
  • Created April 14, 2020 by
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  • Modified April 14, 2020 by
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