The story of the five battles that changed Australia forever, this compelling narrative incorporates hundreds of interviews with the soldiers who fought at Kokoda, Milne Bay, Gona, Buna, and Sanananda in 1942 and 1943. Revealed are the very real and engaging experiences of Generals MacArthur and Blamey and other senior Australian commanders who sacrificed many of their senior field officers as scapegoats to protect their own positions, assisted in the making of false legends, and lied about the outcome of the men who fought the battles.

Peter Brune is the author of The Spell Broken, Those Ragged Bloody Heroes, and We Band of Brothers, and is the coauthor of 200 Shots: Damien Parer and George Silk and The Australians at War in New Guinea.