Turning the Tide

Turning the Tide, first published in 1944 as The Jap was Thrashed: An Official Story of the Australian Soldier – First Victor of the “Invincible Jap”, is a World War II account of the Australian Army's battle and eventual defeat of Japanese forces in portions of New Guinea (Milne Bay, the Owen-Stanleys, Buna, Gona, and Sanananda) in 1942-43. The battles were important as they represented the first defeats for the Japanese, and marked the beginning of a turn-around in the Pacific for Allied armies. The book shows the transformation of inexperienced, poorly equipped Australian recruits into battle-hardened, effective soldiers successfully fighting their way across inhospitable terrain against a determined enemy. Included are 12 pages of maps and 32 pages of photographs.