Cover art
Hooker, John. The Bush Soldiers. Viking 1984.

Hooker, John. The Bush Soldiers
Divergence: 1942 CE
What if: The Japanese won the Battle of Coral Sea and invaded Australia in June 1942.
Summary: In late 1943, five soldiers trek across the Australian back country to sabotage a Japanese-held mine. Progressively, it turns out that their real enemy is the land and not the Japanese.
Published: Collins 1984 (0002226499, 0002222213); Viking 1984 (0670197513); Fontana/Collins 1985 (0006171699); Allen & Unwin 1998 (186448621X).