(1) THE JAPANESE MOUNTAIN GUN

Clive Baker

On a 2004 trek of the trail, our documentary  team,  was given directions to the site of the Japanese mountain gun, that had hammered the Australians at Eora Creek and the nearby village site in October 1942.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a Type-92 ‘Battalion’ howitzer and, as the only 70-mm gun in use at the time, is very likely the type used at Eora. Introduced in 1932 it weighed a total of 468 lbs (230 kgs approx) and could be dismantled and carried by a few men. It had a range of more than three kilometres and was hated because the Australians had no answer to it.

With a little foliage removed at the probable site of the mountain gun, we had the same clear view, as the Japanese gunners once had. It covered the bridge crossing point of those days and up the hill (south) towards Templetons Crossing.

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This picture shows some of the 70-mm shell casings, an unfired shell and a carry-box that held six shells and their fuses.

To find this site, walk about fifteen minutes north of the Eora Creek crossing - then climb the ridge for about ten minutes. The land owner is usually in attendance and ask a fee to look around - well worth it. Negotiate a group price if you can.

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(2) THREE KOKODA MYSTERY GUNS

Clive Baker

The American Gun  

In Geoffrey Reading’s Papuan Story, he makes reference to meeting some American Negro soldiers on the Moresby side of Ioribaiwa Ridge carrying an American anti-tank gun (p.49).

 

  It would be easy to dismiss the matter as imagination, except that Reading mentions their names, so he obviously spoke to the men (p.52-3):

 

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In the yet-to-be-published book Alf’s War by Alf Parbery, he also makes mention of the gun but mistakenly thought it was an Australian weapon and his barrel size is different:

 

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An American 37mm anti-tank gun in action at Buna - presumably

firing at enemy bunkers.

 

The questions are:

 

Who authorised the gun going forward?

Why an anti-tank gun?

Was it small enough to be our version of the Japanese mountain gun?

Where did it end up and is it still buried up there on the ridges?

What American unit in Moresby had anti-tank guns?

What happened to the American soldiers?

 

A good mystery waiting to be unravelled. 

 

 

 

 

GUN 2 – The Owen Gun

 

Some writers of Kokoda history mistakenly highlight the Owen Gun as the main automatic weapon used in the campaign – in fact only a small number (probably two) were issued for a trial. The history of 2/1 Battalion makes mention of the weapon (The First at War p255 ):

 

 

There appears to be no follow-up mention of what the 2/1st blokes thought of the weapon or where and when it was used.

 

In the book The Owen Gun Files, I could find no reference to the test, so if anyone can add to this tale please contact us with your info and its source.

 

GUN 3 – The 25-pounder

 

Most people know about the Australian 25-pounder gun that was dragged from Owers Corner down that steep first ridge – across the Goldie River – then up that nasty little grind to the Uberi village site.  

It was never fired as the Japanese had started their retreat and after that, no one seems to know what happened to it. The bokes from 14 Field Regiment are mystified and nothing has emerged in the published works that I have read.

  Can anyone can throw light on whether the gun was ever dragged up to Owers again – and if so by whom? Was it buried somewhere down there in the valley?

 

 

 

 

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