科科达小道
澳大利亚2006年出品的影片。
二次世界大战间的新几内亚，一场苦战沿着科科达小径在澳洲与小日本士兵间展开。
影片讲述发生在1942年发生科科达小径上已被遗忘的澳洲战役中民兵的故事。故事直观的展现了他们非凡的勇气、同伴间的友谊、难以想象的耐力和自我牺牲的大无畏精神。
“科科达”在澳大利亚家喻户晓，二战期间澳军单独对日进行的最大规模的战役就是在科科达小道(KokodaTrail)。战役从1942年的7月开始，一直打到11月，战斗的惨烈和艰苦前所未有。一万三千多日军在新几内亚的北海岸登陆，然后以6000人的兵力徒步沿着崎岖的近二百公里长的可可达小道翻越高达两千多米的群山远攻南海岸的莫斯比港。日军企图重演穿越马来半岛攻下新加坡的战局，但这次遇到了澳大利亚军队的顽强抵抗。
日军拼死进攻，曾一度攻到距莫斯比港仅40公里的地方，但伤亡已近三千。日军的兵力和弹药都难以为继，此时太平洋战区的日军大多陷于更重要的瓜岛战役而无法增援。于是日军只好沿着可可达小道撤退。澳军终于胜利，但伤亡约1700人，还有几千人因患痢疾、疟疾、伤寒而失去了战斗力。
While the Gallipoli Campaign of World War I was Australia’s first military test as a new nation, the Kokoda and subsequent New Guinea Campaign was the first time that Australia’s security had been threatened directly. Given that at the time, Papua was an Australian Protectorate, Kokoda saw Australians fight and die repelling an invader on Australian soil, without the material presence or support of the United Kingdom.
The Kokoda Track campaign was hampered by the senior military commanders lacking knowledge of the Papuan environment. Both MacArthur and Blamey were unaware of the appalling terrain and the extreme conditions in which the battles were fought. Orders given to the commanders on the ground were sometimes unrealistic given the conditions on the ground. In the end though, the strategy used against the enemy in Papua — widely criticised at the time — was proven sound.
The Kokoda Track campaign highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of the individual soldiers and the lower level commanders. The US and Australian Armies would take steps to improve individual and unit training. Logistical infrastructure would be greatly improved. The 39th Infantry Battalion became famous. Ralph Honner summed up the perceived magnitude of his Battalion’s achievement when he described the Battle of Isurava as “Australia’s Thermopylae”.
二战中，澳大利亚有１００万人参战，占当时全国人口的七分之一，其中４万人阵亡，现有健在老兵１７万。
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