Kokoda Commander is the story of a remarkable man. Arthur 'Tubby' Allen commanded 1000 men in battle at the age of 23 in the First World War. A generation later, he took the first Australian troops to the Second World War, and with them won two great battles in Libya in January 1941. In the next six months, he led his troops in battle against three different enemies in three different continents: Africa, Europe, and Asia. In New Guinea in October 1942, he led the successful fightback along the Kokoda Trail that led to the defeat of the Japanese.

Major-General Allen became a legendary figure to thousands of Australian troops. However, by the end of 1942, despite his victories, his army career was virtually over. Within another two years, he was out of the army.

Based on extensive research, and written in an engaging style, this book tells how an able leader was pushed aside and his good name systematically destroyed by jealous rivals. Its conclusions challenge much of the accepted wisdom about Australian higher command during the Second World War and in so doing makes an important contribution to Australian military history.

'Tubby' Allen was a hero to the men he led, but he would insist that the heroes of Australia's wars are the soldiers themselves. They are not neglected in this book. It celebrates their bravery and self-sacrifice in the bloody battles on the Western Front between 1916 and 1918, the triumph in Libya in 1941, the tough campaigns of Greece and Syria, and the mud and jungle of the Kokoda Trail, the hardest campaign in which Australians have ever fought. In each of these, 'Tubby' Allen was an outstanding leader and commander. Nearly 50 years after his death, this book sets the record straight, and gives this great Australian the credit he deserves.