Australia's War 1939-45
Australia's War 1939-45

Author: Joan Beaumont

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2020-09-10

Total Pages: 218

ISBN-13: 1000256316

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The Second World War was a dominant experience in Australian history. For the first time the country faced the threat of invasion. The economy and society were mobilised to an unprecedented degree, with 550 000 men and women, or one in twelve of a population of over 7 million, serving in the armed forces overseas. Social patterns and family life were disrupted. Politically, the war gave a new legitimacy to the Australian Labor Party which had been confined to the wilderness of the Opposition at the Federal level for most of the inter-war years. The powers of the Federal government increased and a new momentum for social reform was generated at the popular and governmental level. In the international sphere, the war fundamentally shook Australian confidence in the power on which it had relied for generations, Great Britain. It generated a sense of independence in Australian foreign policy and initiated a new, if halting and problematic, realignment towards the United States. In this accessible book Joan Beaumont, Kate Darian-Smith, David Lee, David Lowe, Marnie Haig-Muir, Roy Hay and David Walker consider the range of Australia's experience of this conflict. In a single volume they draw together the many aspects of the war and distil the current state of historical scholarship. Australia's War 1939-45 will be invaluable to tertiary students and of enormous interest to the reader concerned with the social, political and military history of Australia. A companion volume on the First World War is also available.

A Military History of Australia
A Military History of Australia

Author: Jeffrey Grey

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1999-06-28

Total Pages: 316

ISBN-13: 9780521644839

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An expanded edition of one of the most acclaimed accounts of Australian military history.

The Eastern Fleet and the Indian Ocean, 1942–1944
The Eastern Fleet and the Indian Ocean, 1942–1944

Author: Charles Stephenson

Publisher: Pen and Sword Maritime

Published: 2022-04-06

Total Pages: 410

ISBN-13: 1526783622

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The story of the British Eastern Fleet, which operated in the Indian Ocean against Japan, has rarely been told. Although it was the largest fleet deployed by the Royal Navy prior to 1945 and played a vital part in the theater it was sent to protect, it has no place in the popular consciousness of the naval history of the Second World War. So Charles Stephenson’s deeply researched and absorbing narrative gives this forgotten fleet the recognition it deserves. British prewar naval planning for the Far East is part of the story, as is the disastrous loss of the battleship Prince of Wales and battlecruiser Repulse in 1941, but the body of the book focuses on the new fleet, commanded by Admiral Sir James Somerville, and its operations against the Japanese navy and aircraft as well as Japanese and German submarines. Later in the war, once the fleet had been reinforced with an American aircraft carrier, it was strong enough to take more aggressive actions against the Japanese, and these are described in vivid detail. Charles Stephenson’s authoritative study should appeal to readers who have a special interest in the war with Japan, in naval history more generally and Royal Navy in particular.

War in the Pacific
War in the Pacific

Author: Peter Harmsen

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2022-05-01

Total Pages: 371

ISBN-13: 1922615366

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War in the Pacific is a trilogy of books comprising a general history of the war against Japan; unlike other histories it expands the narrative beginning long before Pearl Harbor and encompasses a much wider group of actors to produce the most complete narrative yet written and the first truly international treatment of the epic conflict. War in the Pacific: Formidable Foe – 1942-1943 Details the astonishing transformation that took place from 1942 to 1943, setting the Allies on a path to final victory against Japan. The central importance of China is highlighted in a way that no previous general history of the war against Japan has achieved.

The British Commonwealth and Victory in the Second World War
The British Commonwealth and Victory in the Second World War

Author: Iain E. Johnston-White

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2016-12-28

Total Pages: 323

ISBN-13: 1137589175

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This book is the first comprehensive study of the British Commonwealth in the Second World War. Britain and its Dominions, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, formed the most durable, cooperative and interchangeable alliance of the war. Iain E. Johnston-White looks in depth at how the Commonwealth war effort was financed, the training of airmen for the air war, the problems of seaborne supply and the battles fought in North Africa. Fully one third of the ‘British’ effort originated in the Dominions, a contribution that was only possible through the symbiotic relationship that Britain maintained with its former settler-colonies. This cooperation was based upon a mutual self-interest that was largely maintained throughout the war. In this book, Johnston-White offers a fundamental reorientation in our understanding of British grand strategy in the Second World War.

Australia 1942
Australia 1942

Author: Peter Dean

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2012-12-13

Total Pages: 275

ISBN-13: 110731139X

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In 1942, the shadow of modern war reached Australia's shores for the first time. In this compelling volume, leading historians explore why 1942 was such a pivotal year in Australia's history and explain how the nation confronted some of its greatest challenges. This broad ranging study covers key issues from political, economic and home front reform to the establishment of a new partnership with the United States; the role of the Air Force and the Navy; the bombing of Darwin; as well as the battles of Kokoda, Milne Bay, the Beachheads and Guadalcanal. Australia 1942 provides a unique and in-depth exploration of the controversy surrounding the potential for invasion. Japanese and Australian historians offer perspectives on Japanese military intentions and strategies towards Australia and the South Pacific. Generously illustrated, it is essential reading for anyone interested in one of Australia's most decisive and critical years.

Imperial Defence
Imperial Defence

Author: Greg Kennedy

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2007-11-21

Total Pages: 638

ISBN-13: 1134252455

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This new collection of essays, from leading British and Canadian scholars, presents an excellent insight into the strategic thinking of the British Empire. It defines the main areas of the strategic decision-making process that was known as 'Imperial Defence'. The theme is one of imperial defence and defence of empire, so chapters will be historiographical in nature, discussing the major features of each key component of imperial defence, areas of agreement and disagreement in the existing literature on critical interpretations, introducing key individuals and positions and commenting on the appropriateness of existing studies, as well as identifying a raft of new directions for future research.

The Sinking of HMAS Sydney
The Sinking of HMAS Sydney

Author: Doctor Tom Lewis

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2024-01-03

Total Pages: 429

ISBN-13: 1923004336

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HMAS Sydney was the pride of the fleet during the Second World War. A light cruiser and one of Australia’s main combat vessels. On the 19th November 1941, off the coast of Western Australia, The Sydney engaged in a fierce and bloody battle with the German raider Kormoran. Following this action, The Sydney failed to return to port. An extensive search and rescue carried out, but the warship had disappeared with all 645 men on board. Whilst the battle lasted little more than an hour, this single ship engagement remains Australia’s greatest naval disaster. More Australian servicemen died in the battle between the German raider Kormoran and the light cruiser HMAS Sydney than perished in the Vietnam War. It was not until 2008 that the wreck was discovered. The passage of time between the sinking and the discovery led to numerous mystery and conspiracy theories, all of which started replacing the truth. Now, with an explanation of how those on board lived, fought, and died, this book tells the full story.

Four Brothers in the Pacific War
Four Brothers in the Pacific War

Author: Chris Pratt

Publisher: Balboa Press

Published: 2022-02-21

Total Pages: 435

ISBN-13: 1982293713

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Dave, Ray, Morris and Alex Rohrlach were Australian Lutherans of German descent who served in the Australian Army and Navy in the Pacific during World War Two. In a fascinating biography of the brothers, Chris Pratt chronicles the events of their lives before, during, and in the aftermath of war. Dave, a Lutheran missionary in New Guinea, captained his mission schooner to rescue defeated Australian soldiers from New Britain in the opening months of the war. Ray served in a motorised infantry unit before enduring a year in an isolated malarial outpost in Dutch New Guinea. Morris struggled through two amphibious landings in Japanese occupied Borneo. Alex survived kamikaze attacks and a battle with a Japanese fleet in the Philippines to witness from an Australian heavy cruiser the signing of the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay. Included are historical maps and photographs provided by the family.