188: Australia in WWII - Pacific Theater with Ross Manuel

Today, Sayre and Preston are joined by Ross Manuel. Ross provides much insight into the relationship between the smaller, younger Australian military and the Old World European powers during the two world wars. We likewise discuss how the Aussie and American militaries had their differences too.

We also go into the Kokoda Track Campaign which represents the first time in Australia's history that its security was directly threatened. The key leaders responsible for the campaign, General Douglas MacArthur and General Sir Thomas Blamey, have been criticized for unreasonable and unrealistic perceptions of the terrain and conditions under which the campaign was fought—to the detriment of the troops committed to the fighting.

The lessons learned during the course of this campaign and the subsequent battle of Buna–Gona led to widespread changes in doctrine, training, equipment and structure, with a legacy that remains until the present day.