Get Your Free Audiobook
-
Kokoda (by Peter FitzSimons)
- Narrated by: Lewis FitzGerald
- Length: 16 hrs and 47 mins
- Categories: History, Military
Non-member price: $41.73
People who bought this also bought...
-
Tobruk
- By: Peter FitzSimons
- Narrated by: Humphrey Bower
- Length: 23 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the early days of April 1941, the 14,000 Australian forces garrisoned in the Libyan town of Tobruk were told to expect reinforcements and supplies within eight weeks. Eight months later these heroic, gallant, determined "Rats of Tobruk" were rescued by the British Navy having held the fort against the might of Rommel's never-before-defeated Afrika Corps.
-
-
detailed intimate account
- By Anonymous User on 28-08-2018
-
Gallipoli
- By: Peter FitzSimons
- Narrated by: Robert Meldrum
- Length: 25 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On 25 April 1915, Allied forces landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula in present-day Turkey to secure the sea route between Britain and France in the west and Russia in the east. After eight months of terrible fighting, they would fail. Turkey regards the victory to this day as a defining moment in its history, a heroic last stand in the defence of the nation's Ottoman Empire.
-
-
Gallipoli revisited
- By Rosemarie on 07-11-2020
-
Breaker Morant
- By: Peter FitzSimons
- Narrated by: Cameron Goodall
- Length: 23 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Most Australians have heard of the Boer War of 1899 to 1902 and of Harry 'Breaker' Morant, a figure who rivals Ned Kelly as an archetypal Australian folk hero. Born in England and emigrating to Queensland in 1883 in his early 20s, Morant was a charming but reckless man who established a reputation as a rider, polo player and writer. He submitted ballads to The Bulletin that were published under the name 'The Breaker' and counted Banjo Paterson as a friend.
-
-
Disturbing and brilliant
- By John Viggers on 11-12-2020
-
Fromelles and Pozières
- In the Trenches of Hell
- By: Peter FitzSimons
- Narrated by: Richard Aspel
- Length: 27 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On 19 July 1916, 7,000 Australian soldiers - in the first major action of the AIF on the Western Front - attacked entrenched German positions at Fromelles, in Northern France. By the next day, no fewer than 5,500 were wounded and just under 1,900 were dead - a bloodbath that the Australian War Memorial describes as 'the worst 24 hours in Australia's entire history'. Just days later, three Australian divisions attacked German positions at nearby Pozières, and over the next six weeks they suffered another 23,000 casualties.
-
-
incredible account. .. not to be forgotten.
- By Robert on 07-05-2016
-
Victory at Villers-Bretonneux
- By: Peter FitzSimons
- Narrated by: Robert Meldrum
- Length: 24 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It's early 1918, and after four brutal years the fate of the Great War hangs in the balance. On the one hand, the fact that Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks have seized power in Russia - immediately suing for peace with Germany - means that no fewer than one million of the Kaiser's soldiers can now be transferred from there to the Western Front. On the other, now that America has entered the war, it means that two million American soldiers are also on their way, to tip the scales of war in favor of the Allies.
-
-
Well structured story but new narrator needed
- By Sharon Livingstone on 08-05-2017
-
Ned Kelly
- The Story of Australia's Most Notorious Legend
- By: Peter FitzSimons
- Narrated by: Richard Aspel
- Length: 29 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Love him or loathe him, Ned Kelly has been at the heart of Australian culture and identity since he and his gang were tracked down in bushland by the Victorian police and came out fighting, dressed in bulletproof iron armour made from farmers' ploughs. Historians still disagree over virtually every aspect of the eldest Kelly boy's brushes with the law. Did he or did he not shoot Constable Fitzpatrick at their family home?
-
-
Struggle to finish
- By Ned Lipes on 02-01-2018
-
Tobruk
- By: Peter FitzSimons
- Narrated by: Humphrey Bower
- Length: 23 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the early days of April 1941, the 14,000 Australian forces garrisoned in the Libyan town of Tobruk were told to expect reinforcements and supplies within eight weeks. Eight months later these heroic, gallant, determined "Rats of Tobruk" were rescued by the British Navy having held the fort against the might of Rommel's never-before-defeated Afrika Corps.
-
-
detailed intimate account
- By Anonymous User on 28-08-2018
-
Gallipoli
- By: Peter FitzSimons
- Narrated by: Robert Meldrum
- Length: 25 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On 25 April 1915, Allied forces landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula in present-day Turkey to secure the sea route between Britain and France in the west and Russia in the east. After eight months of terrible fighting, they would fail. Turkey regards the victory to this day as a defining moment in its history, a heroic last stand in the defence of the nation's Ottoman Empire.
-
-
Gallipoli revisited
- By Rosemarie on 07-11-2020
-
Breaker Morant
- By: Peter FitzSimons
- Narrated by: Cameron Goodall
- Length: 23 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Most Australians have heard of the Boer War of 1899 to 1902 and of Harry 'Breaker' Morant, a figure who rivals Ned Kelly as an archetypal Australian folk hero. Born in England and emigrating to Queensland in 1883 in his early 20s, Morant was a charming but reckless man who established a reputation as a rider, polo player and writer. He submitted ballads to The Bulletin that were published under the name 'The Breaker' and counted Banjo Paterson as a friend.
-
-
Disturbing and brilliant
- By John Viggers on 11-12-2020
-
Fromelles and Pozières
- In the Trenches of Hell
- By: Peter FitzSimons
- Narrated by: Richard Aspel
- Length: 27 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On 19 July 1916, 7,000 Australian soldiers - in the first major action of the AIF on the Western Front - attacked entrenched German positions at Fromelles, in Northern France. By the next day, no fewer than 5,500 were wounded and just under 1,900 were dead - a bloodbath that the Australian War Memorial describes as 'the worst 24 hours in Australia's entire history'. Just days later, three Australian divisions attacked German positions at nearby Pozières, and over the next six weeks they suffered another 23,000 casualties.
-
-
incredible account. .. not to be forgotten.
- By Robert on 07-05-2016
-
Victory at Villers-Bretonneux
- By: Peter FitzSimons
- Narrated by: Robert Meldrum
- Length: 24 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It's early 1918, and after four brutal years the fate of the Great War hangs in the balance. On the one hand, the fact that Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks have seized power in Russia - immediately suing for peace with Germany - means that no fewer than one million of the Kaiser's soldiers can now be transferred from there to the Western Front. On the other, now that America has entered the war, it means that two million American soldiers are also on their way, to tip the scales of war in favor of the Allies.
-
-
Well structured story but new narrator needed
- By Sharon Livingstone on 08-05-2017
-
Ned Kelly
- The Story of Australia's Most Notorious Legend
- By: Peter FitzSimons
- Narrated by: Richard Aspel
- Length: 29 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Love him or loathe him, Ned Kelly has been at the heart of Australian culture and identity since he and his gang were tracked down in bushland by the Victorian police and came out fighting, dressed in bulletproof iron armour made from farmers' ploughs. Historians still disagree over virtually every aspect of the eldest Kelly boy's brushes with the law. Did he or did he not shoot Constable Fitzpatrick at their family home?
-
-
Struggle to finish
- By Ned Lipes on 02-01-2018
-
James Cook
- The Story Behind the Man Who Mapped the World
- By: Peter FitzSimons
- Narrated by: Michael Carman
- Length: 21 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The name Captain James Cook is one of the most recognisable in Australian history - an almost mythic figure who is often discussed, celebrated, reviled and debated. But who was the real James Cook? This Yorkshire farm boy would go on to become the foremost mariner, scientist, navigator and cartographer of his era, and to personally map a third of the globe. His great voyages of discovery were incredible feats of seamanship and navigation.
-
-
I really enjoyed this one
- By Toni on 10-01-2020
-
Monash's Masterpiece
- By: Peter FitzSimons
- Narrated by: Michael Carman
- Length: 15 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Battle of Le Hamel on 4 July 1918 was an Allied triumph and strategically very important in the closing stages of WWI. A largely Australian force, commanded by the brilliant Sir John Monash, fought what has been described as the first modern battle - where infantry, tanks, artillery and planes operated together as a coordinated force. Monash planned every detail meticulously, with nothing left to chance. Peter FitzSimons brings this Allied triumph to life and tells this magnificent story as it should be told.
-
-
Wonderful story.
- By Ian Martin on 08-07-2018
-
Eureka
- The Unfinished Revolution
- By: Peter FitzSimons
- Narrated by: Robert Meldrum
- Length: 22 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1854, Victorian miners fought a deadly battle under the flag of the Southern Cross at the Eureka Stockade. Though brief and doomed to fail, the battle is legend in both our history and in the Australian mind. Henry Lawson wrote poems about it, its symbolic flag is still raised, and even the nineteenth-century visitor Mark Twain called it: "a strike for liberty". Was this rebellion a fledgling nation’s first attempt to assert its independence under colonial rule? Or was it merely rabble-rousing by unruly miners determined not to pay their taxes?
-
-
Australian history which put me to sleep
- By Geoff Alford on 22-09-2018
-
Vietnam
- The Australian War
- By: Paul Ham
- Narrated by: Peter Byrne
- Length: 31 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Drawing on hundreds of accounts by soldiers, politicians, aid workers, entertainers and the Vietnamese people, Paul Ham reconstructs for the first time the full history of our longest military campaign. From the commitment to engage, through the fight over conscription and the rise of the anti - war movement, to the tactics and horror of the battlefi eld, Ham exhumes the truth about this politicians' war - which sealed the fate of 50,000 Australian servicemen and women.
-
-
A Concise History of an Uncomfortable War
- By Anonymous User on 09-01-2021
-
Mutiny on the Bounty
- By: Peter FitzSimons
- Narrated by: Michael Carman
- Length: 22 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The mutiny on HMS Bounty, in the South Pacific on 28 April 1789, is one of history's truly great stories - a tale of human drama, intrigue and adventure of the highest order - and in the hands of Peter FitzSimons it comes to life as never before. Commissioned by the Royal Navy to collect breadfruit plants from Tahiti and take them to the West Indies, the Bounty's crew found themselves in a tropical paradise. Five months later, they did not want to leave.
-
-
Just as yesterday
- By luke.oconnor on 05-02-2020
-
Burke and Wills
- The Triumph and Tragedy of Australia's Most Famous Explorers
- By: Peter FitzSimons
- Narrated by: Michael Carman
- Length: 23 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The iconic Australian exploration story - brought to life by Peter FitzSimons, Australia's storyteller. 'They have left here today!' he calls to the others. When King puts his hand down above the ashes of the fire, it is to find it still hot. There is even a tiny flame flickering from the end of one log. They must have left just hours ago. Melbourne, 20 August 1860. In an ambitious quest to be the first Europeans to cross the harsh Australian continent, the Victorian Exploring Expedition sets off, with 15,000 well-wishers cheering them on.
-
-
A good book
- By Anonymous User on 06-05-2019
-
Charles Kingsford Smith and Those Magnificent Men
- By: Peter FitzSimons
- Narrated by: Richard Aspel
- Length: 25 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Known to millions of Australians simply as "Smithy", Sir Charles Kingsford Smith was one of Australia's true twentieth-century legends. In an era in which aviators were superstars, Smithy was among the greatest and, throughout his amazing career his fame in Australia was matched only by that of Don Bradman.
-
-
Great story let down by awful narration
- By Matthew Sant on 16-03-2019
-
Batavia
- By: Peter FitzSimons
- Narrated by: Richard Aspel
- Length: 17 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The story begins in 1629, when the pride of the Dutch East India Company, the Batavia, is on its maiden voyage en route from Amsterdam to the Dutch East Indies, laden down with the greatest treasure to leave Holland. The magnificent ship is already boiling over with a mutinous plot that is just about to break into the open when, just off the coast of Western Australia, it strikes an unseen reef in the middle of the night. While Commandeur Francisco Pelsaert decides to take the longboat across 2,000 miles of open sea for help, his second-in-command Jeronimus Cornelisz takes over....
-
-
incredible story!
- By Lauren on 17-07-2016
-
Mawson and the Ice Men of the Heroic Age
- Scott, Shackleton and Amundsen
- By: Peter FitzSimons
- Narrated by: Paul English
- Length: 23 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Australia's best-selling nonfiction author of all time. Douglas Mawson, born in 1882 and knighted in 1914, was Australia's greatest Antarctic explorer. On 2 December 1911, he led an expedition from Hobart to explore the virgin frozen coastline below, 2000 miles of which had never felt the tread of a human foot. After setting up Main Base at Cape Denision and Western Base on Queen Mary Land, he headed east on an extraordinary sledging trek with his companions, Belgrave Ninnis and Dr Xavier Mertz.
-
-
The Ice Men
- By Vivien on 29-04-2018
-
Anzac Sniper
- The Extraordinary Story of Stan Savige, One of Australia's Greatest Soldiers
- By: Roland Perry
- Narrated by: David Tredinnick
- Length: 11 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this gripping biography, Roland Perry paints a fascinating and complex portrait of Lieutenant General Sir Stanley George Savige, KBE, CB, DSO, MC, ED. Savige was a man of character and compassion, a quiet outsider who founded war veterans’ support charity Legacy, who still has few peers in courage, skill and achievement. His record is second to none in Australian military history, in the scope of his combat over two world wars.
-
-
Not the story it seems
- By Ken C on 02-06-2019
-
The Catalpa Rescue
- The Gripping Story of the Most Dramatic and Successful Prison Break in Australian History
- By: Peter FitzSimons
- Narrated by: Michael Carman
- Length: 16 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The incredible true story of one of the most extraordinary and inspirational prison breaks in history. Boston, 1869. Members of the Clan na Gael - agitators for an Irish republic - hatch a daring plan to free six Irish political prisoners from the most remote gaol on earth, Fremantle Prison in Western Australia. Under the guise of a whale hunt, Captain Anthony sets sail on the Catalpa, risking his life to rescue the men from the prison, known among the inmates as 'a living tomb'.
-
-
Great Story, however
- By Niall Cunniffe on 22-05-2019
-
Nancy Wake
- By: Peter FitzSimons
- Narrated by: Stephanie Daniel
- Length: 11 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the early 1930s, Nancy Wake was a young woman enjoying a bohemian life in Paris. By the end of the Second World War, she was the Gestapo's most wanted person. As a naive, young journalist, Nancy Wake witnessed a horrific scene of Nazi violence in a Viennese street. From that moment, she declared that she would do everything in her power to rid Europe of the Nazis. What began as a courier job here and there became a highly successful escape network for Allied soldiers.
-
-
Not authors best
- By Spencer on 14-05-2019
Publisher's Summary
For Australians, Kokoda is the iconic battle of World War II, yet few people know just what happened and just what our troops achieved. Now, best-selling author Peter FitzSimons tells the Kokoda story in a gripping, moving story for all Australians.
Conditions on the track were hellish - rain was constant, the terrain close to inhospitable, food and ammunition supplies were practically non-existent, and the men constantly battled malaria and dysentery, as well as the Japanese. Kokoda was a defining battle for Australia - a small force of young, ill-equipped Australians engaged a highly experienced and hitherto unstoppable Japanese force on a narrow, precarious jungle track - and defeated them.
More from the same
Author
Narrator
What listeners say about Kokoda (by Peter FitzSimons)
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Phillip
- 13-12-2015
Compulsory listening...we must know this.
FitzSimons has exceeded any story-telling expectations I had... right from the beginning. For an Australian, his authentically Aussie style and sparks of appropriate quips and humour make a great 'read'. But the story - this true story itself, of utterly compelling lived experiences during utterly extraordinary times is not only compelling, it should be compulsory knowledge for Australians. FitzSimons has honoured those involved and I am grateful. Thanks mate. The historic reality, the painstakingly researched detail, and the way he tells it avoids nationalistic myth-making, so often simplistically rendered by less careful story tellers. And this story surely needs no myth-making... if you want an exposé of extraordinary human character...'incredible' character, if it were told in a novel, then know the whole Kokoda story. Be honoured as FitzSimons introduces each human with extraordinary character, as well as a few whose own characters experienced their own humanity. FitzGerald is outstanding in his audio performance and in my view is the very best renderer of FitzSimons stories that I have heard on audible (4 so far). Bravo Pete - love ya work.
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jennifer2
- 15-02-2016
More than a book
Far more than a story, this is a profoundly moving experience every Australian needs to be familiar with and remember.
Master story teller Peter FitzSimons relates what "Kokoda" stands for.
Lewis FitzGerald narrates it with his heart as though he was part of the incredible campaign.
I honour the memory of these superior Australian men and their brave New Guinea aids, without whom it could never have been done. They gave their all.
Not forgetting the American soldiers or the horror for all, including the Japanese, some of whom gave glimpses into their heart.
I'll listen again, tracing the campaigns on a map and researching many more details.
Thankyou Mr FitzSimons.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Dale
- 12-10-2015
AMAZING!!!!
This was incredible. What these blokes went through is just horrific. The author makes you feel as if you know these few men he focuses on and you really feel for them and their mates! I'll never complain about my job again!!!
The reading was superb, an excellent performance with emphasis and emotion in all the right places.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- John C
- 01-04-2015
Wow
Brilliant. Brought tears to my eyes. Wonder if the 20 year old kids would be as brave. Rest in peace
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Chris E.
- 24-06-2020
Incredible Story about Amazingly Brave Men
Incredible story about our brave young men and told so vividly. I loved the side stories about Damien Parer and the young journalist. Thank you PF for your stories about our amazing Australian history - makes feel so proud to be Australian.
-
Overall
- Anonymous User
- 27-05-2020
Riviting
Really captures the Australian spirit. I found the recount of actions taken by both the British and Americans to be very enlightening and typical of imperial powers. The adversity faced by these young men is an example to all Australians.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Murray
- 19-03-2020
Outstanding read
I was sceptical about reading (listening) to Peters work purely because I’m not a great fan of some of his TV work. That said I had been told his books were rather good and the research he does is second to non and is matched by his ability to tell a storey within a storey. I must say I am very happy I took the plunge and now can say I am a fan and will be getting the rest of his Australian wartime history books.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Bruce
- 12-11-2019
a great story. a must listen for all Australians.
this is a part of history I knew little of. the scene was wonderfully set with the timeline clear and easy to follow.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 12-09-2019
Amazing!
This book was incredible. An in-depth experience into what the diggers has to persevere through in order to keep our country safe.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Grant Mascord
- 19-08-2019
awe inspiring story
Great story of the trials of survival in what appears to be one of the harshest environments on earth.
-
Overall

- Mark T Ryan
- 25-04-2011
A Tribute to Fighting Australians
This rendition kept me awake all night, with tears of sorrow and chest pumping pride.
Despite the petty politics of the 'high ups' these few men were there to do a job. Stop the Japs. They did, but at a cost.
This book is about mate-ship and lost mates. It makes you proud to be Australian to learn more of the New Guinea campaign's details and the privations endured by our fathers and grandfathers in support of their families back home.
13 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Ian C Robertson
- 26-01-2015
Deserving Tribute
It seems appropriate to write a review of this title on Australia Day. FitzSimons tells a familiar historical tale of the misuse of Australian troops by persons far away and without adequate appreciation of the facts as they were at the battleface. Like many stories of former gallantry, there is a sense of the inevitable and of the unnecessary. FitzSimons captures all of this and more. He is unflattering in his condemnation of criminal negligence, whether it was Blamey's or McArthur's. He is patriotic to a fault and respectful of the Digger and the Digger's duty to his mates. He tells the story, often in the first person, relying on interviews with survivors, diaries and other contemporaneous records. It reads like a novel in parts and a documentary in others. At times it choked me up, but it often made me smile. It is a strange thing that one can be proud of some much bloodshed. That said, if the book has a failing, it is that it is a wee bit too empathic for me and, I suspect many Australians, preferring as we do to let the result speak for itself and not boast about it. Of course there are exceptions, and FitzSimons might have found a valid one here.
As for FitzGerald's reading, I thought it an outstanding performance from an accomplished artist. He captured the fervor, the frustration and the brutality, and his nuance was pitched perfectly. I loved the use of the 1940's Australian idiom (now, sadly, dying) but I thought the use of an echo on many of the quotations was an unnecessary dramatic device. I liked the Chapter divides military segue. I note that the new edition of the hardcopy contains an Afterword that is not in this production, but which is short and could be read in the bookshop waiting in line!
I think this is an important read for most Australians. I was heartened to see from the reviews on this site that it struck a chord with many others, too. I would be interested to know how it has been received in a Japanese market because, although critical of Japanese brutality (to themselves and others), it is respectful of those unfortunate men of both sides that gave their lives to hold or take a sod of mud in a jungle far from their homes.
7 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- William R. Todd-Mancillas (Name includes hyphen and camptalized M)
- 03-08-2014
The Aussies in New Guinea
If you could sum up Kokoda in three words, what would they be?
Fascinating, Informative, Inspiring.
Who was your favorite character and why?
The typical Australian home guardsman. What grit!
What does Lewis FitzGerald bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Great variety in narration. Compelling, actually. Clear enunciation enhanced with appropriate accent.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
Kokoda: Unparalleled Herorism.
Any additional comments?
This would be a fabulous movie. It needs to be made. It would be expensive but no more so than The Red Line, which was rather a disappointment. There are many talented Australian actors who could play the parts. In the hands of the right production team this is a potential Oscar winner for sure.
7 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- K. J. Kendall
- 11-06-2014
Great perspective
Would you listen to Kokoda again? Why?
Great story of an under-appreciated part of WWII
Any additional comments?
Not sure I liked the "echo"effect when the narrator was reading a direct quote. Unnecessary distraction
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Dan McGrew
- 28-08-2012
What We Americans Don't Know about the War in the
Would you listen to Kokoda again? Why?
Yes it is a good story/history of the trials and heroic deeds of the 2nd AIF.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes but there is no way to do it in one sitting, but the book will keep you interested
Any additional comments?
History of a campaign that is all but forgotten, thanks for retelling the history of the AIF in the Pacfic.
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Garry
- 21-04-2013
A great true story of suffering and war
What made the experience of listening to Kokoda the most enjoyable?
Kokoda is legend in Australia, and no doubt many places in the world with legends and stories abound. Peter Fitzsimons does a wonderful job in his telling.
What other book might you compare Kokoda to and why?
Consider this comparable to his Tobruk
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Amazon Customer
- 08-04-2012
Kokoda with the background of the men in the field
I will listen to this more than twice Peter covers the story of Kokoda well, with a touch of humor .
A little to-much like a novel .But a GREAT book
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall

- O'Brien
- 12-06-2011
Another top book by this author
An engrossing read which will keep you entertained to the end. Write some more like this please Peter.
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- David
- 04-04-2015
Indomitable spirit
I had never heard of Kokoda before listening to this book. That is a shame. I am not likely to forget the name now. This is one of the more amazing chapters in the annals of war.
It is very much a story of the indomitable spirit of common soldiers called upon to perform impossible tasks with inferior equipment, little or no training, some of the worst terrain in the entire world and stupid, pig-headed leadership at the highest level. FitzSimons does a fine job of keeping us engaged with the narrative even as the action of the men on the ground is reduced to an interminable, repetitious slog between indefensible positions which are held in the face of overwhelming odds and casualties only to be given up as the serial holding actions continue. He does this by giving us detailed and moving accounts of individuals and etching in our minds indelible images of moments of extraordinary heroism and gallantry. Nor does he fail to include Japanese participants among these glimpses of war's exquisite anguish. In addition we are regularly taken to the rear to witness the unpardonable, ego-driven pig-headedness of MacArthur and the Australian high command which failed the troops in almost every way.
This is an account made all the more gripping because it played such a pivotal role in turning the tide of the Japanese expansion in the South, holding the door shut while the U.S. put Marines in place on Guadalcanal where they would dig in to face their own ghastly ordeal. Without Kokoda, there would have never been a victory at Guadal and the war would doubtless have lasted significantly longer. The poorly trained, unprepared, mostly unsupported men of the Australian home defense forces at Kokoda deserve to be remembered with reverence, and this book tells their story brilliantly. I highly recommend it.
15 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Jean
- 06-01-2015
A compelling story
In World War II the Japanese landed in New Guinea in preparation for the invasion of Australia. The 39th Battalion along with its later reinforcement troops of the 2/14th and 2/16th battalions saved Australia from Invasion. Australia had send troops to help Britain in Egypt and Europe; they recalled these troops to protect Australia from Invasion, in the meantime they had to rely on the 39th Battalion.
The 39th Battalion went to New Guinea and fought the battles of Kokoda between July and November 1942. They were outnumbered five to one, as they held back the Japanese on the Kokoda track. The Kokoda Track is the only land route from Buna (air field) in the north, across the Owen Stanley Ranges to Port Moresby in the South. The 39th fought in spite of being weakened by dysentery, poor supplies, and little food and depleted ammunition.
Beyond the graphic descriptions of battle, FitzSimons choose to weave personal experience of a few figures into his account of the struggle. Stan Bisset, his brother Butch and Joe Dawson are some of those he wrote about. He also writes about Damien Parer, Australia’s greatest war photographer and ABC Radio War Correspondent Chester Wilmot.
FitzSimons states that the battle of Isurava on August 26, 1942 was a defining battle that proved the value of the Australian soldier. FitzSimons gives a moving account of the battle and the extraordinary feats of Sergeant Bruce Kingsbury who was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.
FitzSimons journalist background is revealed in the way he wrote the book as compared to a historian. The author did a prodigious amount of research for this book. In his preparation to write the book FitzSimons walked the Kokoda track. He said, “It was the hardest physical ordeal of my life.”
There are plenty of stories of horrific battles and terrible conditions and privations for soldiers of both sides to have endured. General Douglas McArthur is portrayed in a poor light by FitzGerald; he included the upper brass of the Australian Army for their poor performance. FitzSimons points out that Kokoda (WWII) was the Gallipoli (WWI) for a new generation.
If you are interested in World War II Pacific Theatre history, this is an important book about the battle for Australia. Louis FitzGerald narrated the book.
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Maj
- 22-07-2015
Captivating
Would you listen to Kokoda (by Peter FitzSimons) again? Why?
Yes
An incredible tale of human endurance and fortitude
What other book might you compare Kokoda (by Peter FitzSimons) to, and why?
Torbruk was similarly inspiring. This writer rates equal to the other great military history writers such as Ambrose and Hastings
What about Lewis FitzGerald’s performance did you like?
Accent gave credence to the story
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
Respect for all those who endured so many hardships and terrors to secure our future
Any additional comments?
Completely captivated listened to this intensely whilst driving on holiday over 2 days.
Absorbed into the moment throughout and left at times as exhausted emotionally as those being spoken about. A great listen.
1 person found this helpful
20 Best Fantasy Audiobooks
This genre is so full of talent, it can be difficult to know what to listen to next — so look no further than this list to get you started.



20 Best Nonfiction Audiobooks
From the entire history of humanity to astrophysics, to our gut and mental health, dig into this list and learn something new.



Best Australian Podcasts on Audible
Audible Original Podcasts are free for Audible members. Check out this list of home-grown content, from binge-worthy true crime to self-help.


