Grayden William L (2 results)

Soft cover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. Book condition is very good. Ex-library copy with the bar code on the the bottom of the spine and a library slip paper on the title page. Book boards are clean and unmarked front and back of the book. Book block is clean & unmarked all side of the book. Spine intact. Text body is clean & unmarked throughout the book. Over-all a great neat copy of the book. Kokoda Lieutenant: The Triumph of the 21st Brigade is a highly regarded 2015 military memoir written by World War II veteran and prominent Western Australian politician William Leonard "Bill" Grayden AM. The book is uniquely significant because it is widely considered one of the only first-hand accounts of the Kokoda Track campaign written by a frontline combat officer who lived through it, rather than by a historian or a distant observer. Book Summary & Key Facts; The Core Narrative: The book details Grayden's experiences as a young Platoon Commander in the 2/16th Infantry Battalion. Under the strategic leadership of Brigadier Arnold Potts, his unit fought a desperate, outnumbered "fighting withdrawal" along the rugged Owen Stanley Ranges in New Guinea.Historical Focus: It focuses heavily on the pivotal Isurava-Ioribaiwa segment of the campaign. The book argues that this brutal, muddy clash was Australia's equivalent to the Battle of the Coral Sea or a modern "Thermopylae"—a crucial turning point that saved mainland Australia from a land invasion. Wartime Realities: Grayden captures the severe, sodden jungle conditions, guerrilla warfare tactics, the agonizing task of carrying the wounded, and the unbreakable spirit of "mateship" among the Diggers. Publication Details: First published in 2015 by Hesperian Press, it spans 147 pages. …

paperback in good condition; 188 pages, colour and b/w photos.