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A Bastard of a Place

The Australians in Papua

Peter Brune

$39.99

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English
Allen & Unwin
01 April 2004
'Here is that marriage of good writing to good scholarship that one seldom comes upon. Peter Brune's prose crackles and sparkles and he has done the hard work on the ground. You can smell the jungle. If Papua was a bastard of a place, this is a pearl of a book.' - Les Carlyon

'Brune's book is a timely reminder that despite the warmest alliances, nations sometimes have to stand up and save themselves.' - The Weekend Australian Financial Review

'A Bastard of a Place undeniably ranks as the best book ever written about the Aussie battles in Papua . . . Very highly recommended, and certainly one of the best books of the year.' - Bill Stone

In 1942 and early 1943 Papua New Guinea was 'a bastard of a place' to fight a war. Peter Brune gives us the final, all-encompassing story of the five battles that changed Australia forever.

Peter's compelling narrative resonates with the voices of both the well-trained AIF volunteer, and the young Militia conscript who triumphed together. He interviewed hundreds of these soldiers and himself travelled the treacherous terrain and bloody battlegrounds where so many of their mates perished. Peter reveals the inside story of how Generals MacArthur and Blamey sacrificed many of the senior Australian field commanders as scapegoats to protect their own positions.

A Bastard of a Place restores Milne Bay, Gona, Buna and Sanananda to their rightful place beside Kokoda to what they should collectively be for all Australians sacred ground.
By:  
Imprint:   Allen & Unwin
Country of Publication:   Australia
Dimensions:   Height: 230mm,  Width: 152mm,  Spine: 45mm
Weight:   892g
ISBN:   9781741144031
ISBN 10:   1741144035
Pages:   704
Publication Date:  
Recommended Age:   From
Audience:   General/trade ,  ELT Advanced
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Reviews for A Bastard of a Place: The Australians in Papua

A valuable read for anyone interested in men at war and particularly for students of the Pacific War. --The NYMAS Review


  • Commended for Stone + Stone second world war books 2004 (Australia)

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