Index, bibliography, notes, ill, p.271.non-fictionIn 1941 in the midst of the British military defeats in Greece and the Middle East, a bitter conflict was taking place between two of the most charismatic leaders of the time. Robert Menzies and Winston Churchill were engaged in a war of polite public faces and behind the scenes lobbying and manipulationaustralia - foreign relations - great britain - 1939-1945, world war 1939-1945 - diplomatic history

Index, bibliography, notes, ill, maps, p.346.non-fictionAccount of the Second World War as viewed and experienced in northern Australia ; includes references to Aboriginal people as coast watchers and rescuers, in army service, as trackers, in the Special Reconaissance Unit ; W.E.H. Stanner and the North Australia Observer Unit ; Protectors of women ; results of war experiences ; white attitudes towards Aboriginal people. world war 1939-1945 - campaigns - australia, darwin - bombing

Index, bibliography, notes, ill, maps, p.374.non-fictionhis is the largely unknown story of another Anzac force, which fought not at Gallipoli, but in Greece, during World War II. Desperately outnumbered and fighting in deeply inhospitable conditions, these Anzacs found themselves engaging in a long retreat through Greece, under constant air attack. Most of the Anzac Corps was evacuated by the end of April 1941, but many men got only as far as Crete. Fighting a German paratroop invasion there in May, large numbers were taken captive and spent four long years as prisoners of the Nazis. The campaign in Greece turned out to have uncanny parallels to the original Gallipoli operation: both were inspired by Winston Churchill, both were badly planned by British military leaders, and both ended in defeat and evacuation. Just as Gallipoli provided military academies the world over with lessons in how not to conduct a complex feat of arms, Churchill's Greek adventure reinforced fundamental lessons in modern warfare - heavy tanks could not be stopped by men armed with rifles, and Stuka dive-bombers would not be deflected by promises of air support from London that were never honoured. In this revised edition, based on fresh archival research, and containing a collection of previously unpublished photos, the truth finally emerges as to how the Australian, Greek, and New Zealand Governments were misled over key decisions that would define the campaign. world war 1939-1945 - campaigns - greece, greek campaign - australian involvement

Index, bibliography, notes, ill, maps, p.580.non-fictionPeter FitzSimons, Australia's most beloved popular historian, focuses on one of the seminal moments in Australian history: the Battle of tobruk in 1941, in which more than 15 000 Australian troops - backed by British artillery - fought in excruciating desert heat through eight long months, against Adolf Hitler's formidable Afrika Korps. During the dark heart of World War II, when Hitler turned his attention to conquering North Africa, a distracted and far-fl ung Allied force could not give its all to the defence of Libya. So the job was left to the roughest, toughest bunch that could be mustered: the Australian Imperial Force. the AIF's defence of the harbour city of tobruk against the Afrika Korps' armoured division is not only the stuff of Australian legend, it is one of the great battles of all time, as against the might of General Rommel and his Panzers, the Australians relied on one factor in particular to give them the necessary strength against the enemy: mateship. Drawing on extensive source material - including diaries and letters, many never published before - this extraordinary book, written in Peter FitzSimons' highly readable style, is the definitive account of this remarkable chapter in Australia's historyworld war 1939 – 1945 – campaigns – north africa, siege of tobruk

Index, bibliography, notes, ill, maps, p.691.non-fictionIn 1942 and early 1943 Papua New Guinea was 'a bastard of a place' to fight a war. This book gives us the final, all-encompassing story of the five battles that changed Australia forever. The compelling narrative resonates with the voices of both the well-trained AIF volunteer, and the young Militia conscript who triumphed together. The author interviewed hundreds of these soldiers and himself travelled the treacherous terrain and bloody battlegrounds where so many of their mates perished, and reveals the inside story of how Generals MacArthur and Blamey sacrificed many of the senior Australian field commanders as scapegoats to protect their own positions. A Bastard of a Place restores Milne Bay, Gona, Buna and Sanananda to their rightful place beside Kokoda to what they should collectively be for all Australians - sacred ground.world war 1939 – 1945 – campaigns – new guinea, world war 1939 – 1945 – campaigns – kokoda

Index, bibliography, notes, ill, map, p.404.non-fictionBy March 1942, the Japanese had steamrolled through Malaya, laid siege to Singapore, and bombed Darwin with the same ferocity they had dealt Pearl Harbor. Nothing could stop them. Their next step was inevitable, surely: the invasion and occupation of Australia. Meanwhile, as Australian prime minister John Curtin was battling with Winston Churchill to get troops back from overseas to defend their homeland, he was also positioning to ensure the United States would be there with us to fend off the approaching enemy. And at home, people pitched in as best they could and in any way to frustrate the invader. They all played their part, torn between 'she'll be right' and near panic. On Our Doorstep is the story of how Australia and Australians - the government, the military and the people - prepared to face this calamity, and the events that persuaded them of its probability. In the end, Japan found it had stretched itself beyond the reliability of its supply line, but had it ever intended to invade Australia?world war 1939 – 1945 – campaigns – south west pacific, australia - politics and government - 1939-1945

Index, bibliography, notes, ill, maps, p.304.non-fictionThe fighting on the Kokoda track in WWII is second only to Gallipoli in the Australian national consciousness. In this important book, the author explains what really happened on the Kokoda track in 1942.world war 1939 – 1945 – campaigns – kokoda, kokoda track papua new guinea

Index, bibliography, notes, ill, maps, p.252.non-fictionAgainst the sun is a challenging account of the AIF's 8th division and the campaign against the Japanese in Malaya in 1941 - 1942world war 1939 – 1945 – campaigns – malaya, australian army - 8th division

Notes, ill, maps, p.146.non-fictionB/W and colour illustrations and stories on the Japanese invasion of Malaya and Singapore and the experiences of the Australian Forces in 1941/42. world war 1939 – 1945 – campaigns – malaya, siege of singapore

Index, bibliography, notes, ill, maps, p.193.non-fictionAustralia lost its innocence in 1942. Japan had conquered Asia and the Pacific,and were at our doorstep. Our finest troops were fighting in the Middle East. All that stood between the Japanese onslaught and our homeland was a handful of 18-year-old militia troops who had never fired a shot in angerworld war 1939 – 1945 – campaigns – kokoda, kokoda track papua new guinea

Index, bibliography, notes, ill, maps, p.479.non-fictionKokoda, 1942. In the muddy, treacherous mountains of Papua New Guinea, a small force of young Australian soldiers - some of them still teenagers - are up against highly trained, experienced Japanese troops. Many believed that the all-conquering Imperial Japanese Army was unstoppable. But this is the story of how these brave young Aussies faced up to some of the world's best soldiers on a narrow, precarious jungle track - and defeated them.world war 1939 – 1945 – campaigns – kokoda, kokoda track 1942

Index, bibliography, notes, ill, maps, p.307.non-fictionThe biography of Ralph Honner, soldier and statesmanaustralian army - 39th infantry battalion, world war 1939 – 1945 – campaigns – new guinea

Index, bibliography, notes, ill, maps, p.548.non-fictionPearl Harbour. Kokoda. The fall of Singapore. Curtin's fight with Churchill. The bombing of Darwin. The Battle of Midway. POWs. Kamikaze. Hiroshima. These words alone are enough to convey the terror, courage and drama of the Pacific War, when the balance of power stood on a knife-edge and when the future of Australia herself was on the brink - threatened by Japanese aggression on one hand and British apathy on the other. Until now the history of the Pacific War has largely been written from the American perspective. Now, for the first time, Peter Thompson places Australian voices and action at the heart of a struggle that took an unimaginable number of lives and only ended with the unleashing of the most powerful weapon the world had ever seen. Pearl Harbor; The fall of Singapore; Curtin's fights with Churchill; The bombing of Darwin; POW camps; The battle of Midway; Kokoda; Buna; Kamikaze pilots; Hiroshima. These words alone are enough to convey the terror, courage and drama of the Pacific War, when the balance of power stood on a knife-edge and when the future of Australia was on the brink - threatened by Japanese aggression on the one hand and British deception on the other. After a conflict that took an unimaginable number of lives and ended with the unleashing of the most powerful weapon the world had ever seen, the Allies emerged victorious. Australia, however, was criticised by Churchill and his generals for showing cowardice in the face of the enemy and for not caring about the fate of other nations. The endorsement of these claims by several military historians today shows that the smear has not gone away. Until nowworld war 1939 – 1945 – campaigns – pacific, world war 1939 – 1945 – australia

Index, bibliography, notes, ill, maps, p.109.non-fictionBombing of Darwin - Includes glossary of World War II Australian slangworld war 1939-1945 - australia - northern territory, air raids - darwin

Index, notes, ill, tales, p.175.non-fictionThe reminiscences of Australian POW's and Japanese historians at a meeting 50 years after the war ended on the Burma Thailand railway.world war 1939 – 1945 - prisons and prisoners – japanese, burma - thailand railway

Index, bibliography, notes, ill, maps, p.376.non-fictionAfter Singapore fell to the Japanese in early 1942, 70000 prisoners, including 15000 Australians, were held as POWs at the notorious Changi prison. To amuse themselves, a group of sportsmen created an Aussie Football League, complete with tribunal, selection panel, umpires and coaches, a final game, and a Brownlow Medal.world war 1939 – 1945 - prisons and prisoners – japanese, changi prison - singapore

Notes, index, bibliography, maps, p.463.non-fictionValiant for the truth charts Wilmots exceptional life as he reported key events of the twentieth century.world war 1939-1945 - journalists - biography, wilmot chester 1911-1954

Bibliography, index, notes, ill (b/w). maps, p.463non-fictionA summary of the experiences of Australian soldiers in conflicts from Gallipoli to todayaustralia - military history, australia - social interaction

Index, notes, ill (b/w plates) (maps).non-fictionA tribute to the servicemen and women of the past, and peacekeepers of the present, in the Australian Army, Navy and Air Force. Begins with the Boer War, goes on to cover the Boxers conflict in China, the First and Second World Wars, Malayan emergency, Korean War, Indonesia, Vietnam War, also the Gulf War, and East Timor. australia - armed forces - history, australia - history - military

Index, Notes, Bibliography, ill (b/w)non-fictionThe Australian digger represents all the virtues Australians hold dear - mateship, equality, bravery and irreverence. But before 1914 Australia had no military tradition. Jane Ross has analysed the nature and origins of the myth of the digger.australian army - history, australia - military culture

Index, bibliography, notes, appendices, ill (b/w), p.427.non-fictionA story of humour and courage, of professionalism, and above all dedication to duty, this is the official history of The Royal Australian Regiment. "The Royal Australian Regiment, consisting initially of three battalions, formed at the end of World War 2. This "official history" was first published in 1990 and adds a detailed coverage of the activities of and developments in the regiment since 1990."--Provided by publisher. The Royal Australian Regiment, consisting initially of three battalions, has been the mainstay of the Australian Regular Army for over 60 years since its formation at the end of World War 2. Thisofficial history was first published in 1990 and adds a detailed coverage of the activities of and developments in the regiment since 1990. Titleaustralian army - royal australian regiment - history, australian army - regimental histories

Index, notes, ill (b/w), p.228.non-fictionA history of the Brigade from its foundation in Victoria, arranged into chapters each dealing with the work of an individual commissioner. Includes illustrations.st john ambulance brigade - victorian district, ambulance services

notes, 350.p.non-fictionThis anthology reveals the many ways in which going to war has formed a cultural bridge between Australia and the world. From the Sudan in 1885 to Afghanistan in 2001, the connection of war to travel is illustrated in the observations of many writers.war and literature - australia, travel writing - military - australia

Index, Notes, ill (b/w), p.258.non-fictionThis book explores the propagandist tendency in Australian war writing in promoting nationalist tendencies.war and literature - australia, literary criticism - australia

ill, notes, index, p.666non-fictionPompey Elliott was a remarkable Australian. During the Great War he was a charismatic, controversial, and outstandingly successful military leader. An accomplished tactician and the bravest of the brave, he was renowned for never sending anyone anywhere he was not prepared to go himself. As a result, no Australian general was more revered by those he led or more famous outside his own command. An officer on his staff even concluded that no greater soldier or gentleman ever lived.generals - australia - biography, world war 1914-1918 - history

ill, notes, p.234.non-fictionThe dark clouds returned and gathered about the boy. His eyes grew distant, and he began to tremble. He heard not only shells exploding, but the cries of dying men . . . He was stumbling over churned earth, looking into the face of an officer, bloodied red as the poppies, ripped apart in the Flanders mud . . . A small boy, an orphan of the First World War, wanders into the Australian airmen's mess in Germany, on Christmas Day in 1918. A strange boy, with an uncertain past and an extraordinary future, he became a mascot for the air squadron and was affectionately named 'Young Digger'. And in one of the most unusual incidents ever to emerge from the battlefields of Europe after the Great War, this solitary boy was smuggled back to Australia by air mechanic Tim Tovell, a man who cared for the boy so much that he was determined, however risky, to provide Young Digger with a new family and a new life in a new country, far from home.world war 1914-1918 - children - biography, henri tovelle

index, notes, ill, maps, p.586.non-fictionA biography of Australia's greatest military commander, Sir John Monash, who chnaged the way wars were fought and won.world war 1914-1918 - australia - campaigns, australia - generals - biography

index, bibliography, notes, ill, p.238.Tom Skeyhill wasn't what he appeared to be. Landing at Anzac Cover on the morning of 25 April 1915, Tom feigned blindness to escape. Wearing smoked-glass goggles he returned to Australia as the 'blind soldier-poet'... Spinning exaggerated and often erroneous tales, Tom's public lectures proved to be excellent theatre but truthfulness was a casualty of Tom's restless ambition; an ambition which eventually brought him down. world war 1914-1918 - biography, world war 1914-1918 - campaigns - gallipoli

index, bibliography, notes, ill, p.512non-fictionThe Australian Light Horse was a unique force, first raised during the Boer War, and then reformed for World War I. most of the men were from the outback, had a special bond with their horses (which were all brought from Australia) and they knew how to survive and fight in the desert. world war 1914-1918 - campaigns - palestine, australian light horse - history

index, notes, ill, maps. p.600.non-fictionTen extended biographies of young men who exemplified Australia's gifted lost generation of World War I. They involve a range of backgrounds and experiences, all states and classes, and come from a variety of military units, not just the infantry.world war 1914-1918 - biography, australia - armed forces - biography