A Bastard of a Place: The Australians in Papua

by Peter Brune

The story of the five battles that changed Australia forever, this compelling narrative incorporates hundreds of interviews with the soldiers who fought at Kokoda, Milne Bay, Gona, Buna, and Sanananda in 1942 and 1943. Revealed are the very real and engaging experiences of Generals MacArthur and Blamey and other senior Australian commanders who sacrificed many of their senior field officers as scapegoats to protect their own positions, assisted in the making of false legends, and lied about the outcome of the men who fought the battles.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War II, Australia, Military History, Military Fiction, War

724 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Nelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not the book I was expecting, but was the book I never knew I needed to read.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! I wish I'd learned about this when my grandad was still alive. I had a fair idea about the war against the Germans, mostly from movies and TV, but had almost no idea about our battle against the Japanese forces and how close Australia came to being invaded. I understand now why Grandad had such a dislike of Americans and bureaucrats.
2017 is the 75th anniversary of these battles and tomorrow (19/02/2017) marks the anniversary of the first bombing of Darwin. I think it's about time we teach what happened to our young Australian men. Particularly with the current political climate, Australians need to stand up and no let ourselves ever by used and sacrificed for the agenda of a US General ever again.

[Calzean · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very thorough account of Australian AIF and militia units in PNG during WWII. The rarel told battles for Gona, Buna and Sanananda were brutal with many lives lost, probably unnecessary due to MacArthur wanting to boast about the first Pacific victory (US forces were at Sanananda so the previous Australian victories did not count).

The courage of the foot soldiers, the egos of the generals, the brutality of being captured and the awful conditions the troops had to operate in are told in an honest and respectful manner.

Recommended reading and a sad memorial to the many men, the PNG citizens and missionaries who battled with great courage and sacrifice.

[Krystelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Please note this is a 3.5.

This book follows the intricacies of the war as it happened in Papua New Guinea, with a lot of evocative language and personal anecdotes that present a bleak picture of the world in which the ANZACS and other soldiers fought. The book is incredibly thorough, with a remarkable attention to detail and skirmishes fully set out, and there is a deep focus on the way in which the actions of the generals were carried out, often resulting in the loss of many men. There is a stark, bleak reality presented here, and a focus that puts the sting into the details presented. This is not a nice story, but it is one that is important to hear, acknowledge, and present.

However, I did find that the focus on the leadership during the war had its issues as a presentation. There was little to be said in respect to the methods by which the soldiers actually undertook their missions, aside from to highlight them falling afoul of the enemy, and I wished it could have been a little more personalised in this sense. The book presents itself as an interesting one, but the voices that really matter in this discussion have not been as heard as I would have hoped they would be.

[Andrew Shapter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sought this title out primarily as my grandfather fought in PNG during this stage of the Second World War.
Engrossing and easily absorbed despite a fairly heavy page count, I was engaged throughout.
Obviously it leans heavily towards it's Australian point of view but it is in no way biased and Brune gives an even assessment of the less popularised political conflicts within the AIF hierarchy itself and of the less than heroic involvement of General MacArthur.
Teach from this book in Australian High Schools...

[Joseph Falloon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comprehensive overview of the Papuan campaign. Very good read.

[Claire Baxter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to read this book because my grandfather was at Milne Bay and it is a battle that we don't hear much of as it gets completely overshadowed by Kokoda. Unfortunately his unit wasn't mentioned, but it was interesting nonetheless, although probably not the book I was looking for. It is very much a military history so stories of battles, bridages, battalions, generals, etc and less about the daily lives of the soldiers and almost nothing about the experience of the Papua New Guinean population (which I guess is maybe fair given the book is subtitled Australians in Papua but still something I would have liked more of). I know from my grandfather's diary that he had an awful experience when his ship - the Anshun - got blown up in the bay, something which only really rated a paragraph, but that otherwise there was a lot of boredom and illness. Illness was covered but the boredom and daily ennui wasn't. These aren't criticisms of the book as such as it focused on a particular aspect and was interesting in its own way, but just wasn't quite what I was expecting or wanting.

[Tom Philpott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m still not done as it’s a long book and dense material. But, it’s amazing.

To be honest, I rarely read books nowadays. I mostly listen to them. This one was an exception. It’s is superbly written and, unlike another commenter, I greatly enjoyed the editorials as they added so much colour and interpretation to the events. In a scientific paper, it would be analogous to the discussion section. It is very difficult to use so many sources to write a piece that doesn’t feel like a hodgepodge, but Brune manages to magnificently. My only critique, in agreement with another commenter, is that it is very biased to the Australian military and so a more thorough understanding of the conflict would require additional reading (civilian, locals, American and Japanese perspectives. But this book, at over 600 pages, would have required a second volume to accomplish that task. So bravo to Brune. And thank you.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well researched book including many excerpts from books or comments by soldiers who fought in these battles. This gives the discussion of each battle area a real balance. I read it with a certain amount of concentration as I am not used to military books and needed to follow the descriptions of who did what and where. If I lapsed I would reread a paragraph so that I kept up and out of respect for the battalions involved.The many maps were helpful. It has deepened my understanding- politically, militarily and also what these men were thrown into. Damien Parers' film "Kokoda Front Line" (1942) is up on You tube.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book as WW2 is a favourite subject of mine. Not everyone’s cup of tea especially as the book reads as a textbook/reference book. The many different categories of soldier groups gets very confusing but now will make this information more relevant to me in the future.

Peter Brune’s book has prompted me to apply for my Uncle’s war records from Canberra as he died several years ago without me ever enquiring of his time as a soldier in PNG in WW2. This book has revealed to me that there was more than the Kokoda Track to the battle to save Australia from the Japanese invasion.

As Timothy Hall says in New Guinea 1942-1944: ‘This war was fought on Australia’s doorstep, on Australian soil, against Australian people’. We have a duty to pass this story on Lest We Forget.

Through Peter Brune we are reminded that history is always in danger of being rewritten. Egos can mean the difference between life and death for any soldier.

If this story and others like it had been reported to the wives, mothers, sisters and brothers back home while the war was in progress, there would have been disbelief but surely horror at the waste of human life, not to mention the shocking conditions they faced.

But this book is a testament to our fine, brave, well-trained soldiers. We owe them all for everything we take for granted in this wonderful country, Australia.

[John Coote]

In 1942 5 battles changed the fate of Australia forever. Peter Brune in this tome of the WW2 era that covers the battles of AIF volunteers and the Militia together creating history as they triumphed over extraordinary odds.
A book not to be read lightly as all of the senses will be enlightened by the descriptions, interviews and retelling of Milne Bay, Gona, Buna and Sanananda. These locations are as important to the current way of life as Kokoda.
Worth the time investment.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reason I joined a book club was to read a variety of genres, or at least give them a go.

Unfortunately I got 2 chapters in and gave up.

With the amount of books there are to be read I can't persevere with one that I'm not into.

Just not my thing.

[Dwight Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was very graphic and gory but shows Australian courage against the Japanese. It also solved a few mysteries as to why they backed back to Port Moresby across the Kokoda Trail.

[Penrose · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good account of the war in PNG

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read highly recommended

[Matt Bolton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book telling the story of Australian diggers in PNG during WWII. Lots of detail and local military tactics. Many made the ultimate sacrifice in defence of Australia; the suffering on both sides was immense. The story needs to be more widely known. Assumes knowledge of wider strategies and would have benefited from some broader scale maps. Interesting analysis of personalities in the high command, their lack of knowledge of the real situation on the ground and spin doctoring.

[Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with most historical military books I've read. This one spends almost all of it's time talking about the men and the top of the command structure and not enough about the men actually doing the deed. I'm always excited to read these books so I can learn something about what the campaign was like. Then I'm letdown because it is pretty much just another story about the so called leaders.

[Velvetink · Rating 4 out of 5]

14/03/13 now own the paperback version (read the hardcover)

[Mick Maye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well researched and written book on a favourite topic.

[Jen Roe · Rating 5 out of 5]

an awesome book