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Army Reserve General Service Officer First Appointment Course
MLO 1.1.13 Analyse Military History Worksheet 3
Military History Self Paced Learning Guide
Post TB 3
The 39th Battalion and the Kokoda Track – Offensive Operations - The attack at Gona 1942
The Activity
This activity is a mandatory, self-paced study task. This is the third worksheet in the Military
History component of the FAC. You have covered Theory of Leadership and The Principles of
War and you have looked at how the theory was applied or misapplied during the Kokoda
Campaign.
The next phase is to look at the tactics used during two specific battles of the campaign. This
activity requires you to revise the considerations for the Attack following the Offensive tactics
theory lessons delivered during TB 3. You will then be required to decide if the considerations
for the attack were applied or misapplied by the 39th Battalion during the Battle for Gona. You
will discuss this further during TB 5.
In each of the boxes below you are to provide two to three dot points on how the Allies in general
and the 39th Battalion in particular applied or misapplied each consideration for the attack during
the Battle for Gona.
Study
You will need to study the following references in detail:
LWD 3-0 Operations, 2008
Gona's Gone by Peter Brune
Surprise
Concentration
Penetration
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Offensive Support
Security
Tempo
Reorganisation
Enemy Reserves
Objectives and Phases
The Battle for Gona was fought in a swamp after the battalion had been fighting almost
continuously for six months in harsh jungle and mountain terrain against a determined enemy.
With this in mind overall how do you rate the tactical proficiency of the 39th at Gona? Be
prepared to defend your answer.
Cadets must not engage in academic misconduct. Academic misconduct is acting in a way, or
attempting to act in a way, or assisting another cadet to act in a way which could reasonably be
expected to defeat the purpose of a learning experience or an item of assessment or an
examination. Plagiarism, cheating or collusion is evidence of academic misconduct and is a
significant integrity breach. A breach of the above may result in the recommendation for termination
of the offending cadet’s probationary appointment as an officer
THE WORKSHEETS ARE TO BE THE PRODUCT OF YOUR OWN WORK. YOU ARE
NOT TO COLLUDE WITH OR COPY THE WORK OF ANOTHER CADET WHEN
COMPLETING THE WORKSHEETS. IF YOU ARE FOUND TO HAVE COPIED OR
COLLUDED YOU WILL BE SUBJECT TO DISCIPLINARY ACTION WHICH MAY
RESULT IN A CHARGE AND SUBSEQUENT REMOVAL FROM THE COURSE.
Conclusion
The Battle for Gona provides an excellent opportunity to examine how the considerations for the
attack were applied during operations. In addition, during TB 5 you will also examine how the
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Japanese applied the considerations for the attack thus providing you an opportunity to compare
styles and effectiveness.
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