Brave 400 Aussie boys - Don Johnson's Blog

BRAVE 400 BOYS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aq9GUOwNF1c
400 boys to stop the Jap, yes the 39th Battalion......
Some of these kids didn't even shave ...
Just a hundred kids in action...
Insidious Jap he crept about ...
Encircled us where we fought...
Kids on their bellys they wriggled out ...
When the Jap had em penned and caught...
Thousands of Jap's now came in waves...
.303 did cause some slaughter...
Surrounded again, young men our braves...
Copped mountain gun and mortar...
So we'd pull back to higher ground...
We only had our threeo ......(.303 rifle)
With timber splintered and surrounded...
It was time to go go go...
Many died and many tried...
To stem the enemy flow...
Surrounded again, retreat ,retire...
If death would let em go...
Ten thousand Japanese still came...
A swarming over the mountain..
Boys hobbled back wounded the lame...
Hot lead did the accounting...
Second 14 Battalion came with the 16th and 27th....
Fought like hell ...over run as well...
yellow peril seemed so malevolent...
Don Johnson
The Brave 400.....
In defence of Australia we had initially only 400 boys 15 to 18 years of age, some had put their age up to be there, they had old first War Veteran officers used to Gallapoli and fighting trench warfare in France. When these brave men died we were being pressured by overwhelming odds,
Up to 13,000 veteran available Japanese troops were encircling each of the battalions sent to stop them . First the boys of the 39th Milita about 400 total then of boys too young to be in the AIF for Hitlers war. Reinforced later by 3 Battalions stretched out among the mountains, the 2/14th 2/16th and 2/27th who also fought delaying actions against overwhelming odds ...A TOTAL OF LESS THAN 3,000 AUSSIES TO TAKE ON 13,000.Japanese...IMPOSSIBLE PERHAPS...........All because Churchill was refusing P.M. John Curtin's demand in 1942 to have his elite troops sent home from the Middle East to defend Australia. During the 28th Sep. 1942 Iorabiawa fight 3 fresh Battalions of the 25th Brigade A.I.F.Aussies less than 3,000 blooded soldiers put the Japanese to flight back over the Kokoda Track, and reinforced, drove them back across the island to their reinforced bunkers on the beach at Gona and Buna, where they were slaughtered during 1943.....Don Johnson
This Kokoda fight happened simultaneously with (Our first win over the Japanese by 7th of September 1942 Milne Bay) Milne bay fight And the grim Guadcanal battle with the American forces versus the Japanese....

So there we were in 1942, facing Japanese in New Guinea with
children 15 and a bit older. General Macarthur our new Army Commander was bellowing complaining 2000 miles south of the New Guinea fight, because out 400 boys couldn't stop 13,000 Japanese blooded troops in those high mountains. Talk about the 300 Spartans hey:)

Don Johnson Date: 7/20/2011 9:56:00 PM Yes Bob: All good what life hands out, no depression here abouts. Currently we are being invaded up on the Queensland coast Shoalwater bay an Aussie training ground. 20,000 U.S. soldiers Marines are coming ashore, on some magnificent beaches. These guys and gals are very welcome here! My dad was going to New Guinea in 42 and some Negro U.S. army cooks were tossing Tommy guns to our guys saying give them Japs some heat:) very handy in the jungle close range 45 cal. has the punch you need. The new American Tommy Gun book has some of my dads story of New Guinea in it. keep the stories coming Bad Bob Don Login to Reply

Robert L. Hinshaw Date: 7/20/2011 5:33:00 PM Big D: Was fascinated by your blog and your bio. Forgive me for saying it mate, but as the old Yankee saying goes, "Like the wagon wheel, you've been through it!" I have long admired the fortitude of you Aussies. Every Yank I have talked to would have no other by their side in battle than an Aussie. My brother fought in Guam, Philippines and ended up in Okinawa and came thru without a scratch. I have talked with him a lot about his experiences and oddly enuff he said it was a lark! That coming from an old Hoosier country boy who had never been out of the country prior to the last good war. You take good care, mate, and good on ya! Your bantering mate, Bob Hopeless Login to Reply

Don Johnson Date: 7/16/2011 7:11:00 PM Yes Mike, A lot of my rellies fought the Powerful JAPANESE (oops) army in New Guinea. My dad an mums3 brothers. Mac was a bit of an enigma, what we really loved was the American Joe who was with us in the fight to the death. Aussie diggers, soldiers, were on 5 shillings a day pay ( fifty cents a day murderers) The Yanks were on $30 a week so the shielas went with the big spenders an the nylons etc. We had 50 thousand of Japanese or more in all of New Guinea so it was a hard slog fight...300 of their aircraft were destroyed on the ground around Weewak. We had 13,000 Japs next door at Gaudacanal you guys had 20 odd thousand, bad dudes trying to murder you...war is hell hey... Sorry about your lovely Mum:( Login to Reply

Mike Dailey Date: 7/16/2011 5:52:00 PM My mom (an army nurse) served there in Australia and New Guinea along with McCarthur. she did not like the man at all. She spend 4 years in the area during the war and only came home when Guinea Rot took over her body with blisters on 80% of her body. She survived but looked like a POW when she got back to the states according to a General that reviewed her company. Mike Login to Reply

Andrea Dietrich Date: 7/14/2011 9:15:00 PM VEry brave guys. You hear so many stories from those days of fighting during WW II Login to Reply