Description

Book Synopsis

When the Japanese invade in 1942, the Australian men and women stationed at the New Guinea port of Rabaul flee into the jungle.

Written off by their government as ‘hostages to fortune’, the little-known garrison on Australia’s tropic frontier has been left with no modern equipment, no lifeline to the outside, and no means of escape. Most are captured and killed in the sinking of the prison ship Montevideo Maru, which remains Australia’s worst sea disaster. But the surviving soldiers and nurses carry on, to fight the Japanese on other fronts, or to witness the collapse of the Japanese Empire from the inside. Having borne the brunt of defeat, their letters and diaries also record the turning point of the war and the march to victory.

Rich in detail drawn from first person accounts, Should We Fall To Ruin illuminates this untold period in military history. It is a compelling tale of bravery and resilience in the face of a seemingly unstoppable enemy.



Trade Review
an important addition to the Australian wartime canon * The Saturday Paper *

Should We Fall to Ruin: New Guinea, 1942. The

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    A Paperback / softback by Harrison Christian

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      Book details

      Publisher Ultimo Press
      Published 3 August 2022
      ISBN-13 9781761150067
      978-1761150067
      ISBN-10 1761150065
      Also in:
      Biography True war and combat stories History Australasian and Pacific history Military History Second World War

      Description

      Book Synopsis

      When the Japanese invade in 1942, the Australian men and women stationed at the New Guinea port of Rabaul flee into the jungle.

      Written off by their government as ‘hostages to fortune’, the little-known garrison on Australia’s tropic frontier has been left with no modern equipment, no lifeline to the outside, and no means of escape. Most are captured and killed in the sinking of the prison ship Montevideo Maru, which remains Australia’s worst sea disaster. But the surviving soldiers and nurses carry on, to fight the Japanese on other fronts, or to witness the collapse of the Japanese Empire from the inside. Having borne the brunt of defeat, their letters and diaries also record the turning point of the war and the march to victory.

      Rich in detail drawn from first person accounts, Should We Fall To Ruin illuminates this untold period in military history. It is a compelling tale of bravery and resilience in the face of a seemingly unstoppable enemy.



      Trade Review
      an important addition to the Australian wartime canon * The Saturday Paper *

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