Great Battles in Australian History
Great Battles in Australian History

Author: Jonathan King

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Published: 2011-11-01

Total Pages: 445

ISBN-13: 174269442X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

From battle on the high seas in the 18th century, to the peace-keeping forces in the 21st century, award-winning author Dr Jonathan King describes the battles that have had the greatest influence on Australian history. 'Yes, we could fight all right. Nobody could fight better than us diggers.' - Jack Buntine, veteran of Gallipoli and the Western Front Great Battles in Australian History tells the story of the forty most remarkable conflicts involving Australians through the eyes of the great heroes who were there. Alongside them, we can ride a horse into battle to save a wounded bugler in the Boer War; charge up the cliffs with the Anzacs at Gallipoli to help forge the legend; ride history's last great cavalry charge with the legendary Light Horse; shoot Japanese planes down as they bomb Darwin; beat off Hitler's Desert Fox, Rommel, with the 'Rats of Tobruk'; escape from a Viet Cong ambush in a tropical downpour, or slide down a rope from a helicopter into the jaws of a Taliban attack in Afghanistan. Many of these great warriors won the Victoria Cross; some died winning it. As historian Jonathan King takes us to the battlefields of long ago and then on a rollercoaster-ride right up to the war in Afghanistan, he brings history alive, laying bare the significance of each battle. Despite the heroics and the glory, the devastation that war wreaks is inescapable. This book serves as a tribute to all the Australian servicemen and women who have fought selflessly for their country over the last two centuries. ''ANZAC' stood and still stands for reckless valour in a good cause, for enterprise, resourcefulness, fidelity, comradeship and endurance that will never admit defeat.' - Charles Bean

50 Battles That Changed the World
50 Battles That Changed the World

Author: William Weir

Publisher: Permuted Press+ORM

Published: 2018-05-29

Total Pages: 459

ISBN-13: 1682617653

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

An informative look at the military conflicts that most altered the course of history and civilization, from ancient times to the modern world. Rather than celebrating warfare, 50 Battles That Changed the World looks at the clashes the author believes have had the most profound impact on world history. Ranked in order of their relevance to the modern world, these struggles range from the ancient past to the present day and span the globe many times over. Some of the battles in this book are familiar to us all—Bunker Hill, which prevented the American Revolution from being stillborn, and Marathon, which kept the world’s first democracy alive. Others may be less familiar—the naval battle at Diu (on the Indian Coast), which led to the ascendancy of Western Civilization and the discovery of America, and Yarmuk, which made possible the spread of Islam from Morocco to the Philippines. With remarkable accounts of both famous and lesser-known clashes, 50 Battles That Changed the World provides impressive insight into the battles that shaped civilization as we know it.

Battles that Changed History
Battles that Changed History

Author: DK

Publisher: Dorling Kindersley Ltd

Published: 2018-09-06

Total Pages: 258

ISBN-13: 024137359X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Discover the stories behind more than 90 of the world's most significant battles in this lavishly illustrated history book. The most important battles ever to take place are brought to life in the most spectacular way. From the brutal battle of Gettysburg to the epic air-sea battle of Midway, find out how fateful decisions led to glorious victories and crushing defeats. Journey through the battlefields of history and follow the key developments of World War I, World War II, the Cold War and more in unprecedented visual detail. Using maps, paintings, artefacts, and photographs, Battles That Changed History is a guided tour of every major conflict in history. Explore the stories behind more than 90 important battles and discover how pivotal moments and tactical decisions have altered the course of history. From medieval clashes and great naval conflicts to the era of high-tech air battles, key campaigns are illustrated and analysed in detail. Learn incredible facts about the weapons, armour, soldiers, and military strategies behind some of the greatest battles ever. This reference book includes profiles of famous military leaders like Alexander the Great, Napoleon, and Rommel. See how kingdoms and empires have been won and lost on the battlefield. Go into the thick of combat at the Great Siege of Malta, the Battle of Stalingrad, and the icy waters of Dunkirk. It is the ultimate guide to the history of military conflict. Relive 3,000 Years of World-Changing Combat This stunning coffee table book from DK Books is a visual treat for history buffs, old and young. It includes a foreword from award-winning writer, TV presenter and historian, Sir Tony Robinson whose TV credits include Time Team, Blackadder,and The Worst Jobs in History. From the ancient world to the nuclear war, each chapter of this military history book brings the key battles of the era to life: - Before 1000CE: Includes Thermopylae and the Battle of Red Cliffs. - 1000 - 1500: Includes the Battle of Agincourt and Fall of Constantinople. - 1500 - 1700: Includes the Battle of Breitenfeld and Siege of Vienna. - 1700 - 1900: Includes the Battle Waterloo and Gettysburg. - 1900 - Present: Includes Dunkirk and Operation Desert Storm.

The Battle for Shaggy Ridge
The Battle for Shaggy Ridge

Author: Phillip Bradley

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Published: 2021-08-31

Total Pages: 382

ISBN-13: 1761062638

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

An enlightening re-examination of an important campaign following the experiences of the men from both sides. 'You climb and climb . . . This is the field of battle . . . tonight some of us will be dead . . . You'll never forget Shaggy Ridge.' - Shawn O'Leary From the killing ground of Kaiapit to the treacherous heights of the Finisterre Range, for four months in 1943-44 the Australian army fought to drive the Japanese from their mountain strongholds. The most formidable position was the fortress-like Shaggy Ridge, its steep sides rising sharply to a knife-edge crest where battle was joined on a one-man front. Based on the accounts of over a hundred Australians, Americans and Japanese who served on, around and over the ridge, The Battle for Shaggy Ridge tells the story of this extraordinary struggle for control of the Ramu Valley in New Guinea.

The Battle for Australia
The Battle for Australia

Author: Bob Wurth

Publisher: Macmillan Publishers Aus.

Published: 2013-10-01

Total Pages: 680

ISBN-13: 1743289758

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

In early 1942 Australia lay weak and unprepared as an unprecedented succession of victories saw the rampant Japanese Imperial Army and Navy sweep southwards. The Battle for Australia had begun. It was a battle that would be fought in Malaya, Singapore, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Timor and Ambon, and across New Guinea and Papua, at Rabaul, Port Moresby, Kokoda, Milne Bay and Lae. It quickly spread to the skies over northern Australia and to the seas around and near Australia, including the Coral Sea. John Curtin was the new leader of Australia at this moment of greatest peril. As Curtin rallied the country to a stance of total war, his desperate calls for aid from both Britain - against the obstructiveness of Winston Churchill, who described the fight against Japan as the 'lesser war' - and the United States, produced consequences that would forever change the balance of Australia's strategic relationships. Yet Curtin was also a man mentally and physically on the brink of breakdown at this most crucial time. The Battle for Australia, researched in Australia, Britain and Japan, is a compelling and revealing narrative history of those dangerous days. Winner of FAW National Literary Awards's Excellence in Non-fiction Literature Award 2014

The Battles that Shaped Australia
The Battles that Shaped Australia

Author: David Murray Horner

Publisher:

Published: 1994

Total Pages: 293

ISBN-13: 9781863737043

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Collection of articles, first published in the TAustralian', commemorating the major battles involving Australians between December 1941 and 1942. Provides outlines of events, reminiscences and analyses of political, military, strategic and historical issues. Indexed. Contributors include journalists and military historians. The editor is a leading military historian, and a fellow at the Strategic Defence Studies Centre, ANU.

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

Author: Joan Beaumont

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2020-09-10

Total Pages: 210

ISBN-13: 1000256316

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

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.

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

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

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.

Waterfront
Waterfront

Author: Helen Trinca

Publisher:

Published: 2000

Total Pages: 356

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A real-life political thriller that tells the story behind the headlines of a battle that is far from over. The stand-off between the Patrick stevedoring company and the MUA became a battle for the hearts and minds of the average Australian.