In the year 1937 the Japanese imperial army commenced its reign over the pacific after invading and conquering parts of China, the Japanese began to quickly conquer many parts of the pacific. By January the 31st all British forces had withdrawn from the Singapore area which lead to some political issues and also leaving Australia wide open for an invasion, and the Japanese did exactly that, on the 19th of February only weeks after the British withdrew from Singapore, 188 Japanese planes began to bomb Darwin. The Bombing of Darwin left about 250 people dead and over 400 injured, the threat of an invasion of Australia began to sink in as Australian forces began setup defenses in Papua New Guinea against the much larger Japanese armies. By 1942…
The Kokoda Trail fighting happened from the 21st of July 1942 to the 18th of November 1942. The Kokoda Trail had Australian and Papuan forces fighting the invading Japanese forces. There were many factors that influenced the fighting, such as the terrain, the supplies and reinforcements, the climate and the attitude of the…
he Kokoda Trail or Track is a single-file foot thoroughfare that runs 96 kilometres (60 mi) overland – 60 kilometres (37 mi) in a straight line – through the Owen Stanley Range in Papua New Guinea. The track was the location of the 1942 World War II battle between Japanese and Allied – primarily Australian – forces in what was then the Australian territory of Papua.…
The battle of the Kokoda Trail occurred from July 1942 until January 1943 and is known as one of the most important battles of WW2. Located in Papua New Guinea, the Australian soldiers fought against the Japanese army in order to protect Australia. The Kokoda was the ‘bloodiest’ of all battles in WW2 and included great involvement from the Australian soldiers. It was very difficult for the soldiers to fight in the battle. They had to rely on the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels for help while they were struggling with the conditions and illnesses that the battle had to offer.…
21. Battle of Guadalcanal—a 194201943 battle of World War II, in which German forces were defeated in their attempt to capture the city of Stalingrad in the Soviet Union…
Kokoda Track, one of the most vital battles in World War II, was the last defense against invasion of Australia by the Japanese. The soldiers who fought on the Kokoda Track had to experience some of the most severe climate and terrain of WWII. They were not prepared for it. The troops (many of whom who were conscripted) were young and inexperienced as well as naïve as to what they were about to endure. A large shortage of troops and supplies for the Kokoda battle, and a poor understanding of war by the troops were major disadvantages, yet the Australians persevered and were determined and managed to win the battle of Kokoda. Many of the troops kept their mental and physical battle scars for life.…
1914, in Europe, Africa and the Middle-East, there was a great conflict that was believed to end all wars. This was not the case. In Germany, September 1939, Adolf Hitler invaded Poland initiating World War 2 in Europe. Wars spread throughout the world. In the Pacific the War was from 1941-1945. Australia, America and Britain all fought together against the Japanese. During the War, Australia was going through very difficult times, people were confused and did not know what to do, until the Australian Prime Minister made huge and great decisions that helped Australia get through the War in the Pacific. The Australian Prime Minister at the time was John Curtin. John Curtin’s decisions were excellent and efficient during the Pacific World War. Curtin made decisions about Foreign…
The Gallipoli campaign had such an impact because of the naivety of those in charge, who believed that we would just come in and take over with little to no retaliation from the Turks, however as we know the Turkish retaliated with great force and on the first day 2000 were killed. I believe it was this number that really made the Gallipoli campaign catch the eye of the Australian people, the number was so large after the first day of fighting that Australian people’s eyes were opened to the horror and bloodshed of war. Also some Australian people were completely against the troops being there the especially after such heavy loss, they argued that it was a waste of perfectly good troops and that nothing was to be gained. Another reason that…
The Japanese plan was to attack Australia after they invaded Port Moresby. If Australian soldiers didn’t come to help prevent them from taking over the main Australian base Australia wouldn’t have been invaded. We remember this significant battle to show how Papa New Guinea acted as a barrier for Australia. Without Papa New Guinea being there the Japanese would have gone straight to Australia and who knows how it would look today. This event is remembered because of how to odds were stacked up against Australia but they still managed to win and save the home country from possible…
This war between the Australians, Papuans and the Japanese took place around the Kokoda Trail and specifically Port Moresby on the 21st of July 1942 and ended in November in the same year. It was also apart of World War II. The Kokoda Trail is a pathway that stretches out about 96km long. (Show parts of the trail) At one end, there is Ower’s Corner, which is 40 kilometers North East of Port Moresby (Show image of Owers Corner) and on the other side is a small village named Wairopi…
The battle of Kokoda saved Australia from the threat of invasion, of if not, definitely from being isolated and possibly forced into surrender, just like the Fall of Singapore. At the time it was a genuine belief that Japan would invade Australia. Because Australia had already been threatened already, in multiple ways; through the bombing of Darwin, Broome and Townsville, as well as the Japanese penetration of Sydney Harbour. Australian citizens were extremely anxious for their safety. This is so because even if the Japanese had not invaded at the time of their Pacific Battles, Australian would still have been in constant danger, because Port Moresby was an extremely important tactical position because it had an airfield. Since it was so close…
Australia`s involvement in the First World War began after The British Empire entered the war against Germany on August 4, 1914 . When The Great War broke out, it was welcomed with great enthusiasm in Australia and many young men were rushing to sign up and to take arms. Having in mind that Australia was part of the British Empire, the moment Great Britain entered the war Australia became part of the conflict. Prior to looking back at the motives and numbers of Australia’s involvement in WWI, I would like just to mention that AIF (Australian Imperial Forces) were not part of the regular Australian Armed Forces, but a solely voluntary type of forces. When we take into consideration the 416 thousand soldiers taking part on…
The Tobruk siege of eight months during the 1941 North African Campaign in World War 2 showed the positive qualities of the ANZAC legend and played a role in making Australia the independent country it is today. The campaign started with the Italian declaration of war on June 1940. The Australian soldiers of the 9th division aligned forces with the United States and Britain to fight in Tobruk, Libyan coast. One of the ANZAC qualities, show in this campaign, was the bravery the Australian soldiers demonstrated when facing dangerous threats to defend Tobruk. The Australian troops adopted the nickname, “Rats of Tobruk,” with pride as they were determined to keep fighting against all odds. Along with their Australian humour used as a method to…
The Battle of Iwo Jima (19 February – 26 March 1945) was a pivotal conflict during World War II characterized by some of the fiercest fighting in the Pacific Campaign. For Japan, Iwo Jima served as their last line of defense protecting their homeland from the Allied advancements. Japan knew the strategic significance of the island for both Allied and Axis powers and was equally certain that the U. S. would seek to secure it. Resolved that America would pay a huge price for every inch of ground gained, The Battle of Iwo Jima become the bloodiest battle of World War II and remains the most costly of battles in Marine Corps history. Three Marine Divisions conducted an amphibious landing and assault to destroy one heavily defended Japanese Division on the 7.5 square mile island of Iwo Jima. The 36-day assault claimed 6,766 U.S. lives and nearly 20,000 wounded. For the Japanese, the loss was even more staggering with only 1,083 survivors of the original 21,060 defenders. General Tadamichi Kuribayashi, the commander for Japanese forces, “proved to be Japan’s greatest wartime general and…the most redoubtable adversary” for the United States. Kuribayashi displayed brilliant leadership and tactical application of strategic objectives, as he skillfully employed the art and science of mission command in his epic defense of Iwo Jima.…
General MacArthur’s command was further complicated by his presence in Australia, where he became the principal military adviser to the Australian Prime Minister, John Curtin. Between General MacArthur and Prime Minister Curtin, history reveals several critical decisions that ultimately helped Australia secure victory at Kokoda. Prime Minister Curtin’s decision to call back 20,000 war hardened Australian troops from the Middle East even though Britain and the United States objected with the decision, proved to be critical in terms of the Kokoda result. These AIF troops went on to fight with the 39th militia and eventually aided in delivering victory. Curtin also decided that Australia should side more and work more closely with the Americans when Britain lost Singapore to the Japanese in early 1942. This decision to side more closely with the Americans saw General MacArthur put in place as the supreme commander of American and Australian troops in the Pacific. American troops in the Pacific also helped to strengthen in time the position of Australia in Papua New Guinea, as Australia had significant air support from the USA, in terms of getting supplies flown in and providing air support. General MacArthur, upset with the fall of the Philippines to the Japanese, arrived in Australia ardent…