A Military History of Australia
A Military History of Australia

Author: Jeffrey Grey

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2008-02-28

Total Pages: 282

ISBN-13: 1139468286

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A Military History of Australia provides a detailed chronological narrative of Australia's wars across more than two hundred years, set in the contexts of defence and strategic policy, the development of society and the impact of war and military service on Australia and Australians. It discusses the development of the armed forces as institutions and examines the relationship between governments and military policy. This book is a revised and updated edition of one of the most acclaimed overviews of Australian military history available. It is the only comprehensive, single-volume treatment of the role and development of Australia's military and their involvement in war and peace across the span of Australia's modern history. It concludes with consideration of Australian involvement in its region and more widely since the terrorist attacks of September 11 and the waging of the global war on terror.

Australian Military Operations In Vietnam
Australian Military Operations In Vietnam

Author: Albert Palazzo

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2010-08-30

Total Pages: 202

ISBN-13: 1921941227

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From 1962 to 1972 Australia joined the United States in fighting a communist inspired insurgency war in the jungles of South Vietnam against infiltrators who sought to overthrow the local government. Over 50,000 Australians served in Vietnam, 519 lost their lives, and the conflict ended ignominiously in the insurgents' victory. Over 30 years later, Australia again finds itself joined with the United States in a struggle against an insurgency, this time in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan. Although now in the past, the Vietnam War resonates with lessons for the Australian Army as it strives to defeat not Communism but Terrorism. Australian Military Operations in Vietnam highlights some of the successes and failures of an earlier generation of officers for the benefit of today's leaders.

Salamaua 1943
Salamaua 1943

Author: Phillip Bradley

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2021-05-05

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 1922387762

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Between the end of the Kokoda campaign in January 1943 and the start of the New Guinea offensives at Lae in early September 1943, the Australian Army was engaged in some of the most intense and challenging fighting of the war for the ridges around Salamaua. Following the defeat of the Japanese offensive against Wau, it was decided to carry the fight to the Japanese force at Salamaua but what started as platoon level actions in April and May 1943 soon developed into company, battalion and brigade level operations for control of the dominating ridge systems around Salamaua. Following an amphibious landing, an American infantry regiment and supporting artillery units were also drawn into the fighting in July 1943. Salamaua 1943 also includes detailed insights into the tenacious Japanese defence of Salamaua, a defence to a threat that in the end was only a feint to draw Japanese forces away from Lae. Incorporating over 120 photographs from the battlefield including drone footage plus 26 maps and the added detail of 15 sidebars, Salamaua 1943 takes the reader behind what was one of the most complex campaigns of the Pacific War.

The Australian Army at War 1976–2016
The Australian Army at War 1976–2016

Author: Leigh Neville

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2019-06-27

Total Pages: 50

ISBN-13: 1472826302

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Since the end of their involvement in the Vietnam War, the Australian Army has been modernized in every respect. After peacekeeping duties in South-East Asia, Africa and the Middle East in the 1980s–90s, 'Diggers' were sent to safeguard the newly independent East Timor from Indonesian harassment in 1999, and to provide long-term protection and mentoring since 2006. Australian Army units have served in the US-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Australian Special Forces are currently operating alongside US and British elements against ISIS in northern Iraq. During these campaigns the Australian SAS Regiment and Commandos have fully matured into 'Tier 1' assets, internationally recognized for their wide range of capabilities. The book, written by an Australian author who has written extensively about modern warfare, traces the development of the Army's organization, combat uniforms, load-bearing equipment, small arms and major weapon systems using specially commissioned artwork and photographs.

Leadership Secrets of the Australian Army
Leadership Secrets of the Australian Army

Author: Noel Turnbull

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Published: 2018-05-23

Total Pages: 196

ISBN-13: 176063624X

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Nicholas Jans identifies the distinctive egalitarian leadership principles behind the effectiveness of the Australian defence forces, and shows how they can be applied in any organisation at any level Australia's military consistently punches above its weight, and its approach to leadership is the key to its success. Developed over a century ago by fusing national values with battlefield imperatives, its approach has been fine-tuned over generations. It is now an adaptable and egalitarian leadership culture that ticks all the boxes for best practice. The military assumes no-one is born a natural leader, and that good training makes good leaders. Drawing on his own long military career and defence training programs, and on research, Nick Jans has identified the core principles of this consistently successful approach to leadership. These '3Rs' are the leadership skills which generate loyalty and commitment at an operational level, and they are just as successful in everyday team management as they are in the field. Leadership Secrets of the Australian Army includes real stories from the field and from workplaces, from everyday employees and from well-known leaders. It shows how you too can become a leader your team can believe in, and-equally importantly-how you can help them believe in themselves. 'Read it and be wise.' Lieutenant General David Morrison, AO

The Battle of Milne Bay 1942
The Battle of Milne Bay 1942

Author: Nicholas Anderson

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2018-08-05

Total Pages: 357

ISBN-13: 1925675688

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By 1942 the formidable Japanese military had conquered swathes of territory across south-east Asia and the Pacific Ocean. Despite its defeat at the Battle of Midway, Japan remained a potent enemy committed to the creation of a defensive arc to shield its captured possessions in the Pacific. The capture of Port Moresby would cement the southern border of this defensive arc and sever the vital lines of communication between Australia and the United States. It was the Japanese plan to seize Moresby that would set the course for the Battle of Milne Bay. Situated on the eastern tip of New Guinea, Milne Bay was a wretched hell-hole: swamp-riddled, a haven for malaria and cursed with torrential rain. It was here that General Douglas MacArthur ordered the secret construction of an Allied base with airfields to protect the maritime approach to Port Moresby. But the Japanese soon discovered the base at Milne Bay and despatched a task force to destroy its garrison and occupy the base. All that stood between the Japanese and their prize was a brigade of regular Australian soldiers untrained in tropical warfare and a brigade of Australian militia with no combat experience whatsoever. While the Kokoda campaign is etched in public memory, its sister battle at Milne Bay has long been neglected. However the bitter fighting over this isolated harbour played an equally important role in protecting Port Moresby and made a valuable contribution to shifting Allied fortunes in the Pacific War.

No Front Line
No Front Line

Author: Chris Masters

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Published: 2017-10-25

Total Pages: 709

ISBN-13: 176063896X

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The soldiers of the SAS, the Commandos and Special Operations Engineer Regiment are Australia's most highly trained soldiers. Their work is often secret, their bravery undeniable and for thirteen years they were at the forefront of Australia's longest war. Shunning acclaim, they are the Australian Defence Forces' brightest and best skilled. In an extraordinary investigation undertaken over ten years, Chris Masters opens up the heart of Australia's Special Forces and their war in Afghanistan. He gives voice to the soldiers, he takes us to the centre of some of the fiercest combat Australia has ever experienced and provides the most intimate examination of what it is like to be a member of this country's elite fighting forces. But he also asks difficult questions that reveal controversial clouds hanging over our Special Operations mission in Afghanistan. For Australia, there is no more important war to examine in detail. Afghanistan lives in our recent past and will continue to occupy our future. Masterfully told, No Front Line will find a place as one of Australia's finest books on contemporary soldiering. 'In this remarkable book about the intense combat environment experienced by our soldiers in Afghanistan, Chris Masters captures the highs, the lows, the courage and the sacrifice of Australian warriors and their loved ones in our longest war.' - Air Chief Marshal Sir Angus Houston AK, AFC (Ret'd) 'This book tells a story that many of us had not told our loved ones and will no doubt help to articulate and heal all those who sacrificed much in and out of uniform.' - Commando Warrant Officer 'I was impressed by [No Front Line's] detail, quality and objectivity...I wanted to reassure you that most Regiment members understand this and are speaking positively about the book.' - Former SASR Patrol Sergeant 'Thank you Chris Masters for your dedication and attention to detail in documenting this most comprehensive story of Australian Special Forces in Afghanistan.' - Former Commando corporal 'I have always felt that 90% of the blokes in the unit would be supportive of the book...' - SASR Troop Sergeant 'Brilliant. There's seriously no one else in Australia with the knowledge that Chris Masters has in relation to Australian Special Forces in Afghanistan. Lots of lessons learned and examples of heroism that if not for Chris Masters would be lost forever.' - Former Commando Major 'Thanks for your professionalism and intellectual honesty. It is much needed in this space.' - Former SASR Trooper 'Well done. Great to see the boys being recognised for their sacrifice.' - Former Commando Lance Corporal 'I think you captured the feelings of many of us at the end of that deployment perfectly.' - Former Special Forces Major

Rwanda
Rwanda

Author: Kevin O'Halloran

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2012-02-14

Total Pages: 285

ISBN-13: 1921941596

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Author Kevin O’Halloran’s new book Rwanda UNAMIR 1994/95 is the first in the new Australian Army History Units Australian Military History Series focusing on the nuts and bolts on this type of support missions. Rwanda is no stranger to violence. In 1994, an orgy of killing swept across the tiny land-locked nation and genocide – the size and magnitude unseen since the Hitler horrors of WWII, erupted. Around one million men, women and children were mercilessly shot, hacked to death or burnt alive. To alleviate the suffering and restore order, a group of Australian UN peacekeepers was sent to Rwanda under a United Nations’ mandate. These Australians would be exposed to a lack of humanity they were not prepared for and found hard to fathom. On 22 April 1995, the daily horror and tragedy they had witnessed escalated out of control. At a displaced persons’ camp in Kibeho, in full view of the Australian soldiers, over 4,000 unarmed men, women and children died in a hail of bullets, grenades and machete blades at the hands of the Rwandan Patriotic Army. Constrained by UN peacekeeping Rules of Engagement, these Australians could only watch helplessly and try to assist the wounded under the gaze of the trigger-happy killers. Rwanda – UNAMIR 1994/95 is a detailed account of what happened during this peacekeeping mission. Kevin O’Halloran, a Platoon Sergeant at the time, has recorded these events using material from numerous interviews and eyewitness accounts. For many, their service in Rwanda would come with a personal toll. No Australians died during this operation though as this book testifies, the suffering and tragedy is embedded in their memories. Rwanda is Kevin’s second book. His first book Pure Massacre: Aussie soldiers reflect on the Rwandan Genocide (Big Sky Publishing, 2010), was received with Australian and international acclaim as ‘heartfelt and frank, showing the world that genocide did happen in Rwanda.’

Rogue Forces
Rogue Forces

Author: Mark Willacy

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2021-08-18

Total Pages: 431

ISBN-13: 176110179X

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Winner of the 2022 Prime Minister's Literary Award for Non-fiction. Shortlisted for NSW Premier's Literary Award's Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-fiction. Longlisted for the Australian Political Book of the Year Award. Rogue Forces is the explosive first insiders’ story of how some of Australia’s revered SAS soldiers crossed the line in Afghanistan, descending from elite warriors to unlawful killers. Mark Willacy, who won a Gold Walkley for exposing SAS war crimes, has penetrated the SAS code of silence to reveal one of the darkest chapters in our country’s military history. Willacy’s devastating award-winning Four Corners program, ‘Killing Fields’ captured on film for the first time a war crime perpetrated by an Australian: the killing of a terrified, unarmed Afghan man in a field by an SAS soldier. It caused shockwaves around the world and resulted in an Australian Federal Police war crimes investigation. It also sparked a new line of investigation by the Brereton inquiry, the independent Australian Defence Force inquiry into war crimes in Afghanistan. It was a game changer. But for Willacy, it was just the beginning of a much bigger story. More SAS soldiers came forward with undeniable evidence and eyewitness testimony of other unlawful killings, and exposed a culture of brutality and impunity. Rogue Forces takes you out on the patrols where the killings happened. The result is a gripping character-driven story that embeds you on the front line in the thick of the action as those soldiers share for the first time what they witnessed. Willacy also confronts those accused about their sides of the story. At its heart, Rogue Forces is a story about the true heroes who had the courage to come forward and expose the truth. This is their story. A story that had to be told. '[T]his brilliant and courageous book should be required reading for anyone seeking to paint our most recent military adventure as morally unambiguous. As Willacy shows, the “moral injury” sustained by many veterans was often a case of friendly fire.’ The Australian