Updated edition - with a new foreword by Peter Fitzsimons. 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, bestselling 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. In a new chapter Peter FitzSimons looks at the importance and symbolism of Kokoda in our history, and what we can all learn from it personally.