While Australia's major effort from 1942 onwards was directed at defeating Japan, thousands of Australians continued to serve with the RAAF in Europe and the Middle East. Athough more Australian airmen fought against the Japanese, losses among those flying against Germany were far higher.
Although only two percent of Australians enlisted in the military served with Bomber Command, they incurred almost 20 percent of all Australian deaths in combat; 3,486 were killed and hundreds more were taken prisoner. Hundreds of Australians participated in the liberation of Western Europe during 1944 and 1945.
The Japanese were also aware that Australian strength in fighter aircraft was increasing steadily, and that radars were spread up the east and north coasts of Australia. Thus, Australia's greatest strategic victory in World War II was achieved by science, technology and secondary industry.
A total of 730,000 personnel enlisted in the Australian Army during the war, a figure which represented around 10 percent of the population. Nearly 400,000 men ultimately served overseas, with 40 percent of the total force serving in front line areas.
And the German learned to fear Australians, because they were reckless, ruthless - and revengeful. During the Third Battle of Ypres, autumn 1917, the ANZAC's (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) met the Germans on high ground, in front of Polygon Wood.
The German soldiers feared and respected the skills of the Australians. In a letter captured and translated by the 7th Australian Infantry Brigade in May 1918, a German soldier wrote to his mother: We are here near ALBERT, I am in the foremost line, about 200 metres opposite the British.
While considered excellent soldiers, Australians were known for their easygoing natures, their ability to enjoy themselves heartily when on leave, as well as their reputation for a relaxed attitude to discipline.
Henry William Murray, VC, CMG, DSO & Bar, DCM (1 December 1880 – 7 January 1966) was an Australian grazier, soldier, and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest decoration for gallantry "in the face of the enemy" that can be awarded to members of the British and Commonwealth armed forces.
Australian armies have taken part in a number of wars, including WWI, WWII and others, and their achievements and sacrifices are celebrated by a proud nation, but often forgotten is the only war Australia fought on her own, and lost.
Australia's military is placed 21st on a global index that has ranked 136 countries on the basis of their global military powers. , the US ranked first, followed by Russia, China, and India while Bangladesh ranked 56th, Pakistan 17th and Myanmar 35th on the list of 136 countries.
In early 1942, elements of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) proposed an invasion of mainland Australia. This proposal was opposed by the Imperial Japanese Army and Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, who regarded it as being unfeasible, given Australia's geography and the strength of the Allied defences.
The endurance, courage, “mateship,” and never-give-up attitude the Australian soldiers displayed during the campaign fostered the so-called ANZAC legend, the tradition of the indomitable spirit of Australian troops that began with the original ANZACs in the Gallipoli Campaign of 1915 and continues today as an important ...
Japan wanted to destroy our country's northern defenses, so it could invade Timor and in the process send Australia a warning. Just before 10 a.m., Japanese forces launched 188 fighter planes from ships in the Timor Sea and headed for Darwin.
However, Axis surface raiders and submarines periodically attacked shipping in the Australian coastal waters from late 1940 to early 1945. Japanese aircraft bombed towns and airfields in Northern Australia on ninety-seven occasions during 1942 and 1943.
Over 27,000 Australians were killed and 23,000 wounded in action during World War II. In addition, hundreds more servicemen and women were killed and injured in accidents during the war.
The Australian government, concerned at the effect of the bombing on national morale, played down the event and claimed that only 17 people had been killed. Australian soldiers survey the damage inflicted by Japanese bombers.
For 2022, Australia is ranked 17 of 142 out of the countries considered for the annual GFP review. It holds a PwrIndx* score of 0.2377 (a score of 0.0000 is considered 'perfect').
However, is it true that Australia waged war against the emus in 1932 and lost? The Great Emu War of Western Australia, as the incident came to be called, was one of the most bizarre and futile military operations in Australian history.
The Battle of Stalingrad was the deadliest battle to take place during the Second World War and is one of the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare, with an estimated 2 million total casualties.
As a result, the Allied powers including Australia were at war with Japan as well. During this period, the Australian mainland came under direct enemy attack for the first time in history, with Japanese bombing attacks on Northern Australia and an attack on Sydney Harbour by Japanese midget submarines.
These stereotypes served to conflate Nikkei-Australians with the soldiers in the Japanese military that Australia witnessed during wartime, who were regarded as “subhuman beast[s]” and “vermin” (Saunders 1994, 325–27). Moreover, they were thought of as being absolutely loyal to Japan (Oliver 2002, 275).
The breed is considered highly intelligent and easy to train. Aussies are known for being especially eager to please their owners. True to their herding instincts, Aussies are very protective of their families and territory and will let you know if strangers approach, but they are not considered aggressive.
5. Australians are Tough. Anyone who has ever watched a game of AFL (Australian Football League) will know how tough Aussies are. Growing up in a country where pretty much every animal could kill you, from spiders and snakes to jellyfish, tiny octopuses and even cone shells, you'd have to be!