Kokoda Track Campaign

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World at War- Assignment draft- Topic: The Kokoda track campaign The Kokoda track campaign was a time when Australia, later accompanied by America fought against the might of the Japanese. The battle was fought in Papua New Guinea and was part of the Pacific War in World War two. The main conflicts took place between the 21st of July and the 16th of November, 1942. The intense conditions drove the Australian troops to their ultimate performance. The Japanese soldiers were already accustomed to these conditions, and had much more experience in battle. “The Australian troops on the Kokoda trail, showed an enormous amount of courage, and amazing qualities that would usually only be seen in a much more experienced soldier.” The Kokoda trail,…show more content…
The three major diseases faced were, Malaria, Dengue Fever, and Dysentery. Malaria is a disease which is passed on via the bite of an infected mosquito. Symptoms include headaches, nausea, chills, shivering, rapid changes in temperature, excessive sweating, Diarrhoea, depression, Anaemia and its associated symptoms. Dengue Fever is transferred via specific mosquitoes that are found in tropical areas. I.e. the Kokoda trail. Symptoms include rapid onset of fever, severe headache, joint and muscle pain, metallic taste in mouth, diarrhoea, loss of appetite, vomiting, abdominal pain, extreme fatigue, minor bleeding in the nose or gums, and various rashes. Dysentery is caught and passed through contaminated food and water, as the troops had a lack of clean food and water, they had to compromise by drinking from muddy puddles and creeks. “The Symptoms of this disease are pus and mucus in faeces, brutal abdominal cramps, nausea, fever, and diarrhoea” (http://health.ninemsn.com.au/family/familyhealth/689888/what-is-dysentery). As a result of these diseases, soldiers were disadvantaged, but both sides were contracting them. Although the symptoms were severe, the troops didn’t cease to stop fighting, and did their best to keep their head held
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