Kokoda 1942–43: Japanese Defeat in Papua
The fighting at Kokoda, Milne Bay and Buna–Gona, examining Japanese, Australian and American operations in Papua in 1942–43.
Publications
Military history books, articles & talks.
Research on Kokoda, Gallipoli and the Pacific War, from books and commissioned histories to articles, interviews and lectures. Selected work, –.
Books by Peter Williams.
Japan's Pacific War: Personal Accounts of the Emperor's Warriors
The Pacific War from the Japanese ranks.
First-person accounts of the Pacific War from Imperial Japanese Army and Navy veterans, collected in Japan by Peter Williams.
Australians in World War II: United Kingdom
Australians who served in Britain or operated from its ports and airfields during the Second World War, from the Blitz and the Battle of the Atlantic to D-Day and repatriation.
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The Kokoda Campaign 1942: Myth and Reality
The Kokoda Campaign read through Japanese and Australian archives.
A re-examination of the 1942 Kokoda Campaign based on Japanese and Australian archival sources.
Kokoda for Dummies
A general-reader introduction to the Kokoda campaign.
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Çanakkale Savaşı Kanlısırt Muharebesi, 25 Nisan 1915
Turkish-language study of the Battle of Anzac Ridge (Kanlısırt) on 25 April 1915, from the Ottoman perspective. Translation of The Battle of Anzac Ridge (AMHP, 2007).
The Battle of Anzac Ridge: 25 April 1915
Peter's first book. A close-grain study of the 25 April 1915 Anzac landing and the fighting on Anzac Ridge from both the Australian/New Zealand and Ottoman sides, drawing on Turkish primary sources.
Campaign studies.
Studies of tactics and operations: artillery at Gallipoli, the Japanese 18th Army in New Guinea, an Imperial Navy pilot, and the Battle of Anzac Ridge — English original and Turkish translation.
- 2004
A Ridge Too Far
- 2005
- 2006
- 2007
An Imperial Japanese Navy Pilot in New Guinea
- 2007
Zero Hours
- 2007
The Battle of Anzac Ridge
- 2009
Çanakkale Savaşı Kanlısırt Muharebesi, 25 Nisan 1915
Historic battles.
Campaign-level work: the Cambridge volume on Kokoda, the trade edition, Pen & Sword’s Pacific War, a Cambridge chapter, and commissioned reports for the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
- 2010
The Kokoda Track: Site of the Battle in WWII
- 2011
Kokoda: The Second World War Campaign in Papua New Guinea
- 2011
Australia's Involvement in the Korean War
- 2012
- 2012
Kokoda for Dummies
- 2015
Australians in WWII: United Kingdom
- 2017
Against Overwhelming Odds? On the Kokoda Trail
- 2021
- 2026
Military history interviews & lectures.
Long-form conversations on the WW2TV channel, plus a recorded lecture on the Pacific War. Also watch Peter’s Melbourne conference talk, “1945 – the Viewpoint of Japanese Veterans” (11 October 2025), with slides and sources. His 11 April 2026 talk, “What did Japanese veterans think about WWII?”, is listed with a recording by the Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway.
Commissioned writing & consulting.
Past clients include the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. peterdamianwilliams@icloud.com.