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Australia at War: A Winter Record On The Somme And At The Ypres During The Campaigns Of 1916 And 1917 (The World At War)
by Will DysonA winter record made by Will Dyson on the Somme and at Ypres during the campaigns of 1916 and 1917; with an introduction by G.K. Chesterton.
Australia, Canada, and Iraq: Perspectives on an Invasion
by Ramesh Thakur Jack CunninghamA collection of essays on the war in Iraq; including pieces by Jean Chrétien and John Howard, the prime ministers during the war. When it was declared in 2003, the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq was intensely controversial. While a few of America's partners, like Australia, joined in the war, many, including Canada, refused to take part. However the war in Iraq was viewed at the time, though, it is clear that that war and the war in Afghanistan have had a profound and lasting impact on international relations. Australia, Canada, and Iraq collects essays by fifteen esteemed academics, officials, and politicians, including the prime ministers of Australia and Canada at the time of the war — John Howard and Jean Chretién, respectively. This volume takes advantage of the perspective offered by the decade since the war to provide a clearer understanding of the Australian and Canadian decisions regarding Iraq, and indeed of the invasion itself.
The Australian Army in World War I
by Robert Fleming Mike ChappellThe Australian contribution to the Allied war effort during World War I is worthy of celebration. Some 400,000 Australians volunteered for active duty, an astonishing 13 per cent of the entire (white) male population, a number so great that the Australian government was never forced to rely on conscription. Casualties were an astonishing 52 per cent of all those who served, ensuring that the effects of the war would be felt long after the armistice. In particular, their epic endeavours at Gallipoli in 1915 became the nation's founding legend, and the ANZACs went on to distinguish themselves both on the Western Front, and in General Allenby's great cavalry campaign against the Turks in the Middle East. Their uniforms and insignia were also significantly different from those of the British Army and will provide the inspiration for a unique set of artwork plates.
The Australian Army in World War II
by Carlos Chagas Mark JohnstonOsprey's examination of the Australian army and its involvement in World War II (1939-1945). The Australian infantry were amongst the Commonwealth's toughest and most widely traveled infantry, serving in campaigns including Syria, Greece, Cyprus, Crete, Libya, Egypt, New Guinea, and the South West Pacific. Their fearsome fighting reputation was earned first against the Afrika Corps in the Libyan Desert, and then in the hellish conditions of New Guinea, where they held out against the Japanese invasion.Written by a leading expert on the subject and coupled with previously unpublished photographs from private collections and specially commissioned artwork, this book gives a comprehensive overview of the organization, units, uniforms, and insignia of the Australian "Diggers."
The Australian Army Uniform and the Government Clothing Factory: Innovation In The Twentieth Century
by Anneke Van MosseveldThis book reveals the business history of the Australian Government Clothing Factory as it introduced innovative changes in the production and design of the Australian Army uniform during the twentieth century. While adopting a Schumpeterian interpretation of the concept of innovation, Anneke van Mosseveld traces the driving forces behind innovation and delivers a comprehensive explanation of the resulting changes in the combat uniform. Using an array of archival sources, this book displays details of extensive collaborations between the factory, the Army and scientists in the development of camouflage patterns and military textiles. It uncovers a system of intellectual property management to protect the designs of the uniform, and delivers new insights into the wider economic influences and industry linkages of the Government owned factory.
Australian Battalion Commanders In The Second World War
by Garth PrattenThis book explores the background, role and conduct of the commanding officers of Australian infantry battalions in World War II.
Australian Contributions to Strategic and Military Geography (Advances In Military Geosciences Ser.)
by Richard Thackway Jane L. Holloway Stuart PearsonDrawing from military geography’s spatial roots, its embrace of dynamic systems, and integration of human and biophysical environments, this book helps in understanding the value of analyzing patterns, processes and systems, and cross-scale and multi-disciplinary ways of acting in a complex world, while making the case for a resurgence of strategic and military geography in Australia. Here, leading experts demonstrate that geography retains its relevance in clarifying the scale and dynamics of defense activities in assessments of the international, regional, national, and site impacts of changes in physical, cyber and human geographies. The cases presented show Australia contributing to a growing strategic and military geography.
Australian Force Somalia: 1992-1993
by Bob BreenIn 1992, civil war, drought and economic collapse left four million Somalis destitute, displaced and starving. Twenty-six nations sent their young men and women to make sure that food reached those who needed it. Australia joined this international &‘coalition of the willing&’ with the Australian Force Somalia comprised of a 1,000-strong battalion group based on 1st Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment from the 3rd Brigade in Townsville as well as a small national liaison headquarters from 1st Division in Brisbane. Opposing the US-led Unified Task Force were Somali warlords and their militia armies that had been pillaging humanitarian aid and terrorising the Somali population during a bloody civil war. American airpower forced the warlords to send their armies into hiding across the border, but thousands of bandit groups, criminal gangs and violent political factions remained to threaten humanitarian operations and the safety hundreds of ex-patriate aid agency staff. Australian Army units will serve in troubled parts of the world in the future. The lessons learned from the &‘unforgiving school of trial and error&’ in Somalia in 1992/93 will be invaluable. They will apply not only to those confronting hostile groups on the frontline but also those who command and support them from higher levels of command. Operations in 1993 were Exhibit A for change in the ways and means for mobilising, preparing and sustaining land forces serving overseas.
Australian Hawk Over the Western Front: A Biography of Major R S Dallas DSO, DSC, C de G avec Palme
by Adrian HellwigThe true story of Australia&’s greatest flying ace and his WWI victories, based on his letters, combat reports, and other documents. Includes photos. Major Roderick Dallas is Australia&’s leading air ace of all time and, with fifty victories, also one of the highest-scoring Commonwealth aces. Yet, until this excellently researched volume, there has never been a full biography of this exceptional pilot, whose fighting career spanned from 1916 to 1918. Flying Nieuport Scouts, Triplanes, and Camels with the RNAS and RAF, he was an ever-present threat over the Western Front and the scourge of the German Air Force. Adrian Hellwig&’s book has been taken principally from primary sources—Dallas&’s own letters, log book, and service record, in addition to squadron record books, combat reports and contemporary accounts—and his resulting conclusions will surprise many. Here is a fitting tribute not just to Australia&’s greatest war hero of the air but to a man any country would be proud to call its own.
Australian Light Horse: A Study Of The Evolution Of Tactical And Operational Maneuver
by Major Edwin L. Kennedy Jr.This study analyzes the actions of the Australian Light Horse in the Middle East campaign during World War I. It shows the basis for their approach to war and how these techniques were successful by adapting to the circumstances of the situation. The Australian Light Horse demonstrated the traits of initiative and flexibility during the campaign in Egypt and Palestine by changing their modus operandi from mounted infantry to cavalry, a seemingly minor shift semantically, a major shift doctrinally.Their adaptability to the situations in the desert was largely responsible for their tactical successes and played a major part in the success of the operational maneuver of the mounted forces under General Allenby during the last year of the war. Most importantly, the lessons learned from their actions sustained the advocates of horse cavalry doctrine long after the apparent usefulness of the horse on the modern battlefield had diminished in importance.
Australian Military Operations In Vietnam (Australian Army Campaigns Series #3)
by Albert PalazzoFrom 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.
Australian Perspectives on Global Air and Space Power: Past, Present, Future
by Nicole Townsend Kus Pandey Jarrod PendleburyThis book surveys historical and emerging global air and space power issues and provides a multidisciplinary understanding of the application of air and space power in the past and present, as well as exploring potential future challenges that global air forces may face. Bringing together leading and emerging academics, professionals, and military personnel from Australia within the field of air and space power, this edited collection traces the evolution of technological innovations, as well as the ethical and cultural frameworks which have informed the development of air and space power in the 20th and 21st centuries, and contemplates its future. It covers topics such as the insurgent use of drones, the ethics of air strikes, the privatisation of air power, the historical trajectory of air power strategy, and the sociological implications of an ‘air force’ identity. While many of the chapters use Australian-based case studies for their analysis, they have broader applicability to a global readership, and several chapters examine other nations’ experiences, including those of the United States, and the United Kingdom. This accessible, illuminating book is an important addition to contemporary air and space power literature, and will be of great interest to students and scholars of air power, air warfare, military and international history, defense studies, and contemporary strategic studies, as well as military professionals.
Australian POWs: The untold stories of WWI
by David Coombes&“Comrades in distress we were, and it was now that one felt the existence of a brotherhood that establishes itself in circumstances of this kind … A few of the men are very dejected, and appear to be losing all interest in themselves, their habits and practices not being approved by the majority. In some cases, for the most miserable reward, they cringe to the Germans for the chance of being of some service; others also, despite the fact their bodies can ill-afford the sacrifice, trade their boots and other clothing in exchange for food and smokes … This is regrettable, but censure has no effect on the few. Most of us have resolved to maintain some sort of dignity, though &’tis difficult.&” So wrote Australian prisoner of war (POW) Corporal Lancelot Davies who was captured at the First Battle of Bullecourt on 11 April 1917 where Allied forces were &‘badly smashed up&’. Davies was one of almost 1,200 Australians captured that day, facing an uncertain future at the hands of their German captors. – he described the future as &‘blank&’ and unpredictable. The experiences of Australian prisoners of war (POWs) or Kriegsgefangeners held captive in Germany has been largely forgotten or ignored – overshadowed by the horrid stories of Australians imprisoned by the Japanese during World War Two. Yet, as David Coombes makes known, the stories are interesting and significant – not only providing an account of what those young Australian soldiers experienced, and the spirit they showed in responding to captivity – but also for the insight it provides into Germany in the last eighteen months of the war. Coombes draws upon previous inaccessible records – including the interviews conducted many years before by Chalk – as well as private papers and unpublished manuscripts. He paints a vivid picture of young soldiers who survived the trauma of battle, only to find themselves facing an unknown fate at the hands of an often vindictive and cruel enemy. These &‘comrades in distress&’, many wounded and traumatised by trench warfare, quickly discovered the bond of brotherhood, often the key to survival in a harsh environment with little food, poor medical treatment, back-breaking work and the anguish of confinement. What emerges in the pages of this amazingly detailed account is the typical Australian sense of humour and the sheer will to live that marked these men. Above all, it was their determination to be free and to return once more to their families that ensured their survival; often against overwhelming odds. Crossing the Wire is a fitting tribute to the World War One soldiers and POWs. David Coombes highlights the ordeals these men went through, their stoicism in enduring their mistreatment, and the fearlessness of a few in launching ingenious attempts to escape. He proves beyond doubt that their stories are by no means less compelling than those of their World War II brothers.
Australian Rules Football During the First World War
by Dale Blair Rob HessThe book explores the intersection between the Great War and patriotism through an examination of the effects of both on Australia’s most popular football code. The work is chronological, and therefore provides an easy path by which events may be followed. Ultimately it seeks to shine a light on and provide considerable detail to a much-ignored period in Australian Rules football history, including women’s football history, that was subject to much upheaval and which reflected considerable social and class divisions in society at the time. One hundred years on, the Australian Football League presents past soldier footballers as unequivocal representatives of a unifying national ‘Anzac’ spirit. That is far from the reality of football’s First World War experience.
The Australian Security Intelligence Organization: An Unofficial History (Studies in Intelligence)
by Frank CainThis book traces the history of Australia's highly secret Intelligence Security Organisation. Established in the early days of the Cold War, like most intelligence organisations working under covert conditions, it exceeded the vague powers entrusted to it. It has been the subject of two Royal Commissions in Australia and in recent times several acts of Parliament have been passed in order to make it more accountable to Australia's government and its citizens.
The Australian Victories In France In 1918 [Illustrated Edition]
by Lieutenant-General Sir John MonashContains 9 maps and 30 photo illustrationsThe Australian Corps gained a towering reputation as a fighting force during the First World War; firm in defence and nigh-on unstoppable in attack. Their men were all volunteers who had travelled from the furthest reaches of the Empire to serve in Europe; following on from the badly managed campaign at Gallipoli the Australians formed a heterogeneous corps on the Western Front in 1916. Their record in the fighting during 1916 and 1917; including the capture of Bullecourt, the battles of Passchendaele and Messines Ridge were noteworthy in themselves. However their performance in 1918 was beyond all praise; foremost in blunting the German Spring offensives and then hurling themselves on the retreating Germans with savage abandon as the spearhead of the entire British Army.It is only fitting that the author of this story of Australian Glory is Lieutenant-General Sir John Monash, their hugely successful commander. He writes with passion, verve and highlights the performance of his men even down to the performance of individual officers and soldiers with great pride.A fantastic book celebrating the victories and sacrifices of the Australian soldiers on the Western Front in the last year of World War One.
Australian War Graves Workers and World War One: Devoted Labour for the Lost, the Unknown but not Forgotten Dead
by Fred Cahir Sara Weuffen Matt Smith Peter Bakker Jo CaminitiThis book relays the largely untold story of the approximately 1,100 Australian war graves workers whose job it was to locate, identify exhume and rebury the thousands of Australian soldiers who died in Europe during the First World War. It tells the story of the men of the Australian Graves Detachment and the Australian Graves Service who worked in the period 1919 to 1922 to ensure that grieving families in Australia had a physical grave which they could mourn the loss of their loved ones. By presenting biographical vignettes of eight men who undertook this work, the book examines the mechanics of the commemoration of the Great War and extends our understanding of the individual toll this onerous task took on the workers themselves.
Australians and the First World War: Local-Global Connections and Contexts
by Kate Ariotti James E. BennettThis book contributes to the global turn in First World War studies by exploring Australians' engagements with the conflict across varied boundaries and by situating Australian voices and perspectives within broader, more complex contexts. This diverse and multifaceted collection includes chapters on the composition and contribution of the Australian Imperial Force, the experiences of prisoners of war, nurses and Red Cross workers, the resonances of overseas events for Australians at home, and the cultural legacies of the war through remembrance and representation. The local-global framework provides a fresh lens through which to view Australian connections with the Great War, demonstrating that there is still much to be said about this cataclysmic event in modern history.
Australia's Dambusters: Flying into Hell with 617 Squadron
by Colin BurgessThe story of 617 Squadron RAF, which carried out one of the most dangerous and audacious aerial bombing raids of World War II It was the evening of 16 M ay 1943 Nineteen modified Lancaster bombers from 617 Squadron RAF, under the command of youthful W ing Commander Guy Gibson, roared into the night sky from their Lincolnshire base. They were on a top-secret Bomber Command mission, codenamed Operation Chastise, now regarded as one of the most dangerous and audacious bombing raids of World War II – an attack on the formidable, well-defended dams of G ermany&’s Ruhr Valley. Slung beneath the belly of each aircraft was one of the war&’s greatest secrets – a bouncing bomb. Against the odds, and flying straight and level into the teeth of terrifying enemy f ire, they succeeded in breaching the two principal dams. Many of the 133 airmen involved that fateful night hailed from Australia, and several would be counted among the 56 who would not return to base next morning. The Dams Raid led to the men of this gallant company – often referred to as a suicide squadron – taking on even more hazardous operations in the final two years of the war. Under valorous leadership, and now armed with massive Tallboy and Grand Slam &‘earthquake&’ bombs, they obliterated vital Nazi installations, destroying such defiant targets as the heavily defended K embs Barrage and the German battleship Tirpitz, often at a terrible cost in lives. First published in 2003, this deeply researched, revised and updated edition of Australia&’s Dambusters offers a truly comprehensive account of the most famous bombing raid of the war through the words and stories of the courageous Australian airmen and others who flew on this and later perilous missions, remembered and forever immortalised as the Dambusters.
Australia's Few and the Battle of Britain
by Kristen AlexanderDuring the summer and autumn of 1940, the Germans launched their Luftwaffe campaign to gain superiority over the RAF, especially Fighter Command. They were not successful, and this defeat marked a turning point in the Allies' favour. This is the story of eight Australian fighter pilots engaged in the Battle of Britain, the first major battle of World War II (or any war) fought entirely in the air. Jack Kennedy, Stuart Walch, Dick Glyde, Ken Holland, Pat Hughes, Bill Millington, John Crossman and Des Sheen only one of them came home.A story we take for granted, here told afresh with insight and empathy.Professor Peter Stanley, UNSW CanberraIn telling the stories of some of the Australians who flew in the Battle of Britain, Kristen Alexander has combined academic rigour with compelling personal detail. She has demonstrated that the unknowns of the Battle are as fascinating as those who gained celebrity status. This is a book for those who know much about what happened in 1940 and those who don't.... Geoff Simpson, Trustee, Battle of Britain Memorial TrustThe lives of eight Australian fighter pilots, from backyard to cockpit and beyond, lovingly and expertly told.... Andy Wright, Aircrew Book Review
Australia's First Campaign: The Capture of German New Guinea, 1914
by Dr Robert StevensonThe Australian campaign to seize German New Guinea in 1914 is one of the forgotten episodes of the First World War. Preceding the Gallipoli landings by seven months, this remarkably successful amphibious operation was the very first of its kind undertaken by the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. The campaign was also everything the Gallipoli campaign was not: the New Guinea operations were planned and executed by Australian officers, the fighting was short, sharp and successful, and it was a highly effective use of military force, achieving its operational objectives at a remarkably low cost and serving Australian strategic interests in a direct and tangible way. This volume of the Army History Unit&’s Campaign Series describes how a novice navy and army planned, mounted and launched a complex joint operation over 3300 kilometres from their mounting base and defeated or forced the withdrawal of German naval and land forces posing a direct threat to Australia and New Zealand. Australia&’s First Campaign presents a fresh examination of the evidence from a range of participants, providing a thoroughly researched and readable account of the Australian military&’s first joint operation. The volume is supported by more than 100 illustrations and includes a useful guide for those wishing to visit the battlefield today.
Australia's Greatest Escapes: Gripping tales of wartime bravery
by Colin BurgessAustralia's greatest escape stories from two world wars Australia&’s Greatest Escapes is a collection of stories about the most hazardous aspect of the prisoner of war experience – escape. Here is all the adventure, suspense and courage of ordinary Australians who defied their captors; men who tunnelled to freedom, crawled through stinking drains, or clawed a passage beneath barbed wire in a desperate attempt to flee captivity. They were willing to risk the odds and even death in the loneliest war of all – the fight to be free. Each possessed in spades the noble qualities of boldness, resourcefulness, cunning, determination and mateship we have come to admire about our Australian service men and women under adversity. Featuring stories of Australian POWs from all theatres of war, including one who fled a German work camp during World War I, another involved in a mass tunnel escape from a notorious Italian camp, and an airman who brazenly attempted to steal a German fighter and fly it back to England. We also re-live the tragic saga of the Sandakan death marches in which six Australian escapers became the only survivors from 2000 POWs, and follow the perilous journeys to freedom undertaken by Australian infantrymen following the appalling massacre of their fellow soldiers on the Japanese-held island of Ambon.
Australia's Lost Heroes: Anzacs in the Russian Civil War 1919
by Damien WrightThis extraordinary book is both an engaging military history and an enthralling mystery. Australia&’s Lost Heroes tells the astonishing little-known story of the Australian soldiers who fought the Red Army in Russia in 1919 and the personal odyssey, 100 years later, to locate and identify the lost grave of Victoria Cross hero Sergeant Samuel Pearse VC MM.The Anzac volunteers fought an arduous campaign punctuated by fierce ambushes in thick forest, swamps and marshes and attacks on fortified bunkers. They also had to fight a war within, avoiding the treachery and mutiny of White Russian &‘allies&’. Remarkably, two Australians were awarded the Victoria Cross, one posthumously. Yet, unlike the reverence, recognition and commemoration afforded to WWI soldiers, not only do the deeds of Anzacs in Russia remain unrecognized, their graves lie lost and forgotten. Follow the author&’s journey to a remote corner of Russia with the grandson of Samuel Pearse in the hope of identifying the lost grave. Guided by a Russian battlefield archaeologist, they discover an astonishing clue which may resolve the mystery of an Australian hero missing for 100 years. An extraordinary story of national importance dedicated to those forgotten Australian heroes who fought and died in Russia after the Armistice.
Australia's Nuclear Policy: Reconciling Strategic, Economic and Normative Interests
by Michael Clarke Stephan FrühlingAustralia’s Nuclear Policy: Reconciling Strategic, Economic and Normative Interests critically re-evaluates Australia’s engagement with nuclear weapons, nuclear power and the nuclear fuel cycle since the dawn of the nuclear age. The authors develop a holistic conception of ’nuclear policy’ that extends across the three distinct but related spheres - strategic, economic and normative - that have arisen from the basic ’dual-use’ dilemma of nuclear technology. Existing scholarship on Australia’s nuclear policy has generally grappled with each of these spheres in isolation. In a fresh evaluation of the field, the authors investigate the broader aims of Australian nuclear policy and detail how successive Australian governments have engaged with nuclear issues since 1945. Through its holistic approach, the book demonstrates the logic of seemingly conflicting policy positions at the heart of Australian nuclear policy, including simultaneous reliance on US extended deterrence and the pursuit of nuclear disarmament. Such apparent contradictions highlight the complex relationships between different ends and means of nuclear policy. How successive Australian governments of different political shades have attempted to reconcile these in their nuclear policy over time is a central part of the history and future of Australia’s engagement with the nuclear fuel cycle.
Australia's Palestine Campaign 1916-1918 (Australian Army Campaigns Series #7)
by Jean BouWith nearly two mounted divisions engaged against the Ottoman Empire in the Middle East for almost three years the Palestine Campaign was Australia's longest running militarily significant endeavour of the First World War after the Western Front. And yet apart from the battle of Beersheba, the Palestine Campaign receives little attention in Australia compared to Gallipoli and the Western Front. In contrast to the years of grinding trench warfare in France and Belgium, the Palestine Campaign was a war of relative movement and manoeuvre. Cavalry, including Australia's light horse, played a prominent role, but it was a hard fought fully modern war, in which the latest military technologies and techniques were all used.