non-fictionThis book brings to life for many Australians, the close connection between Australia and East Timor. In 1941-42, Archie Campbell was a lieutenant in the 'Sparrow Force' the 300 men of the 2/2nd Independent Company in a 14-month campaign of ambushes and hit-and-run tactics which effectively pinned down more than 15,000 Japanese troops in East Timor. This book recounts the bloodless Australian landing in Portuguese East Timor, military actions against the Japanese, and eventual evacuation to Darwin. Central to Campbell's experience is the ambush and execution of a section from his platoon, shortly after the Japanese landing in Dili. In 1973, Archie returned to East Timor to meet Barana, the East Timorese man who, as a 12-year-old boy, helped and protected him during the campaign. Each Timorese boy who helped a commando and guarded him while he slept, was called that commando's Criado. Ken White accompanied Archie in the 1973 journey to East Timor to find Barana. He has used excerpts from Archie's own diary to tell the heart-warming story of their first meeting after 30 years. Historical background on the centuries of Portuguese rule, the Japanese occupation and the more recent Indonworld war ii, independent companies, australian commando, timor

Self-government publication comprising 314 pages with some black-and-white photographs.non-fictionOn September 11, 1944, the British submarine "Porpoise" slipped quietly from Fremantle Harbour, bound for Indonesia. It was carrying the 23 Australian and British members of Operation Rimau who, under the leadership of the remarkable Lieutenant-Colonel Ivan Lyon of the Gordon Highlanders, intended to repeat the successful Jaywick raid of 1943 by blowing up 60 ships in Japanese-occupied Singapore Harbour, 19 days later, the preliminary part of the operation successfully completed, the submarine commander bade farewell to the raiders at Pedjantan Island, promising to return to pick them up in 38 days' time. A handful of Chinese and Malays and the conquering Japanese were the only people ever to see the 23 men again. According to the scant official post-war record, the mission was an utter failure. All of the party were captured of killed - ten of them beheaded in Singapore only five weeks before the Japanese surrender in, it was claimed, a ceremonial execution. The fate of eleven of the others remains officially unknown. After a 31 year search, Major Tom Hall, with the assistance of writer Lynette Silver, has overturned the official version and uncovered the truth. Aided by thousands of Japanese and Allied documents and by the first-hand accounts of several Indonesians and Malays, sole witnesses to the events of 1944, they have established the fate of every member of the party and unravelled the story of "The Heroes of Rimau" - a story that has for 45 years been all but lost, distorted by hearsay and fantasy, by military cover-ups and conspiracy, by official bungling, ineptitude and apathy. This book not only chronicles a feat of extraordinary daring in the face of overwhelming odds - a gripping tale of inspired courage, self-sacrifice and eventual tragedy - it also exposes the appalling sequence of events which has, until now, resulted in the shameful suppression of the truth about one of the most amazing stories to emerge from World War II.

Nylon is a thermoplastic, silky material, first used commercially in a nylon-bristled toothbrush (1938), followed more famously by women's stockings ("nylons"; 1940) after being introduced as a fabric at the 1939 New York World's Fair. Nylon was intended to be a synthetic replacement for silk and substituted for it in many different products after silk became scarce during World War II. It replaced silk in military applications such as parachutes and flak vests, and was used in many types of vehicle tyres. Nylon is clear and colourless, or milky, but is easily dyed. Multi-stranded nylon cord and rope is slippery and tends to unravel. The ends can be melted and fused with a heat source such as a flame or electrode to prevent this.A wooden reel of ' BLONDAL' Nylon sewing thread 100ydsBLONDAL 100ydsmoorabbin, brighton, early settlers, pioneers, cheltenham, dressmaking, craftwork, nylon thread, blondal pty ltd

The medal was distributed to Australian school children to coincide with the 10 June 1945 celebrations for the end of the war in Europe. The medalets were actually handed out on 6 June. Victory in Europe Day (V-E Day or VE Day) was on May 8, 1945, the date when the World War II Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany. The act of military surrender was signed on May 7 in Reims, France, and May 8 in Berlin, Germany.This medal was given to Australian school children in 1945One side of the medalet depicts a knight with a sword in front of an outline of Australia with the date 1945 at the bottom. The reverse shows a map of the southern hemisphere showing Australia, Antarctica, New Zealand, South America and Southern Africa. At the top are the words ‘VICTORY MEDAL’.Victory Medal - 1945school children, victory day, wwii, city of moorabbin, education, bentleigh, cheltenham, moorabbin

Hung in the public bar of the Rose and Crown Hotel in Bay Street soon after the 2nd World War until major renovations were carried out in aprrox 1986/7. It was then returned or donated to the Port Melbourne Sub-Branch of the RSL, but due to diminishing membership they soon donated it to the PMCC for safe keeping or display. It was kept in storage by the Council until 1994, when it was donated to PMH&PS by Council, just prior to its dissolution.Large wooden decorative World War II honour roll (military) from Rose & Crown HotelAustralian Commonwealth Military Forces - Port Melbourne Roll of Honour - Lest we forget - plus list of names, with those killed marked with an asterixsocieties clubs unions and other organisations, memorials, war - world war ii, e russell, t jacobs, f brill, r thompson, d fisher, l thompson, t mckenzie, a smith, c kerr, f gill, a nugent, f hart, l dobson, w davis, o v ward, a levier, w levier, d ferguson, b ferguson, h duggan, w smith, e miller, j hall, f bushell, s payne, g hall, j melia, f f cunningham, a g w beaumont, d mckenzie, b copeland, d j mcauley, j dunn, j j sullivan, r blacker, l r mcleavy, f dowling, business and traders - hotels

The Hall Cherokee II glider is an American design for amateur construction from plans. The designer was Stan Hall (1915-2009), a professional engineer, who gained extensive experience in the United States aviation industry during World War 2 including the programs for military gliders. He continued to work as an engineer for aircraft manufacturers and as a consultant to the industry after the war. He was active in gliding and, in particular, the home built sailplane movement. The Cherokee II was one of about 10 glider designs that he produced: it came out in 1956. It is understood that over 100 Cherokee gliders have been built. In Australia the number is possibly 10 or 11. The Hall Cherokee VH-GVO was built by R.D Meares of Caringbah, New South Wales. The glider was registered as VH-GVO on 11 October 1973 and given serial number “GFA-HB-82” by the Gliding Federation of Australia. The Logbook for VH-GVO appears to be a complete record of the flying history; in aggregate 210 hours 40 minutes in the air from 331 flights. The first test hop occurred on 29 July 1972 at Camden, New South Wales. VH-GVO was last flown on 22 July 1986. Many of the flights recorded are of one or two hours duration. The glider was last inspected and certified as airworthy and in a reasonable condition at the Hunter Valley Gliding Club in July 1986. Since that time, until transferred to the Australian Gliding Museum, the glider was in storage. Structural restoration work has been completed on the fuselage and one wing. However, inspection of the other wing revealed extensive damage to the ribs and spars and consequently a decision was taken to make it a static exhibit. The exhibit is an example of home built construction of a type that has proved popular amongst amateur glider builders.The Hall Cherokee (formerly registered as VH-GVO) is a single seat wooden home built glider. The glider is constructed from wood, plywood, fabric and metal fittings, all commercial grade except for main wing fittings, pulleys, cables and bolts. The fuselage is simple with four main longerons and bulkheads with diagonal bracing. The wing has two identical solid spars which form a geodetic structure, hence the leading edge is non-structural. Registration VH-GVO – serial number GFA-HB-82 australian gliding, glider, sailplane, hall, cherokee, meares, hunter valley gliding club

military memorabilia from world War two. This brigade was initially stationed in the middle east, in particular in Syria Lebanon and eventually moved to North Africa where it took part in the battle of the Tobruk and subsequently in Italy where it took part in the battle of monte casinoone of the few remaining elements of this Brigades (in Australia.metal badge with green cypress tree being the symbol of the carpathian brigadecarpathian brigade, world war ii, military memorabilia

Index, bibliography, ill, maps, p.288.non-fictionReaping the Whirlwind offers amazing insight into the events of World War II through the eyes of those who fought against the Allied forces in all theatres of the war. Readers will comb through many previously unpublished accounts of the war from German, Italian and Japanese soldiers, civilians and military leaders. The book covers every major arena of the war: Europe; the German invasion of Russia; Rommel's Afrika Korps; and the Pacific war between Japan and forces of the US, Australia and New Zealand. Reaping the Whirlwind uses the authentic voices of Germans and Japanese people caught up in the conflict and highlights the similar deprivations and dangers experienced by both victors and vanquished. world war 1939-1945 - participation - germany, world war 1939-1945 - participation - japan

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

Ill, maps, p.220.non-fictionDuring World War II Greek independence was once again threatened. In October 1940, seeking to make Italy the master of the eastern Mediterranean, Benito Mussolini's armies invaded Greece, only to find themselves beaten back by the Greeks. Unfortunately for Greece, this setback for his Italian ally made the German leader, Adolf Hitler, turn his attention to the possible danger to Germany's ambitions from the Greeks, particularly if they should seek support from Britain. In March 1941, British support became a reality when a military expedition called 'Lustre Force', which included Australian troops, was dispatched to Greece from Egypt. ...more than 60,000 British and Dominion servicemen and women ... fought in Greece between November 1940 and May 1941, among them some 17,000 Australians and 16,700 New Zealanders. What circumstances had brought these men and women from half a world away to the aid of the Greeks?world war 1939 – 1945 – campaigns – greece, world war 1939-1945 - pictorial works - australia

p.202Biography of Keith William Truscott (1916-1943) ('Bluey') concentrating on his service during World War II. Truscott, born at Prahran, Melbourne became one of Australia's best-known flying aces of the Second World War. Already famous as a footballer, playing Australian Rules for Melbourne's premiership team in 1939, Truscott enlisted in the RAAF in 1940 amidst considerable publicity.air pilots - military - biography, truscott keith william 1916-1943

Index, ill (B/W plates), p.726.non-fictionIn 'Prisoners of War' dozens of interviews with former POWs are used to show the strength and courage of Australians taken prisoner in World War I, World War II and the Korean War. This book was written for those who know little of the experiences of these men and women; their courage, endurance and pain.australia - military history, australia - prisoners of war

Index, maps, ill(b/w), p.285.non-fictionA narrative history illustrated by photographs from the Nation's Archives by A.K. MacDougall, which include the Boer War, World War I, World War II, Korea War, Malaya War, Vietnam War, Gulf War, Battle of Britain, Mediterranean War, Tobruk, Battle of the Coral Sea, Desert War, Gallipoli, Dardanelles and diggers. With a list of VC (Victoria Cross) awards from Australia and New Zealand.australia - history - military, australian army - history

Index, bibliography, notes, ill, p.179.non-fictionOver 60,000 Australians and Americans captured by the Japanese during World War II toiled and died to build the Bridge over the River Kwai. Respected military historian Linda Goetz Holmes tells the story of one man's survival in Japanese labor camps during WWII. Amazing photographs, taken secretly by other prisoners, chronicle this dark history of Allied troops in the Pacific theatre of war.world war 1939 – 1945 - prisons and prisoners – australia, burma thailand railway

Index, bibliography, notes, ill, maps, p.337.Having already drawn both praise & controversy, this main selection for the Military Book Club continues to generate discussion among scholars & readers. Though histories of World War II are abundant, few of them examine the critical errors in Hitler's approach to the war that finally led to German defeat. Joining the ranks of "counterfactual" histories like the bestseller What If?, How Hitler Could Have Won World War II clearly shows what the consequences would have been for Hiltler, the Axis, & the world if he had chosen differently.world war 1939-1945 - germany - military strategy, adolf hitler - military leadership

Index, notes, map, p.267.non-fictionThe classic account of Hitler's fall from power, first pubilshed in 1947, reissued with a striking new cover. In September 1945 the fate of Adolf Hitler was a complete mystery. He had simply disappeared, and had been missing for four months. Hugh Trevor-Roper, an intelligence officer, was given the task of solving the mystery. His brilliant piece of detective work not only proved finally that Hitler had killed himself in Berlin, but also produced one of the most fascinating history books ever written. The Last Days of Hitler tells the extraordinary story of those last days of the Thousand Year Reich in the Berlin Bunker. Besieged in the shattered capital, but still dominating the remains of his court, Hitler reiterated the original alternative of Nazism: either total victory or annihilation. This book is the record of that carefully prepared, ceremonious finale to a terrible chapter of history. World War II. Military History. Nazi Germany. germany - politics and government - 1933-1945, adolf hitler - death and burial

Index, bibliography, ill, p.224.non-fictionCovers badges of the armies, navies, air forces, special forces and parliamentary formation from World Wars I and II to the present dayarmed forces insignia, armed forces - insignia - 20th century

Index, bibliography, notes, ill, p.688.non-fictionThe untold story of the Sandakan death marches of World War II. After the fall of Singapore, in February 1942, the Japanese conquerors rounded up tens of thousands of British and Australian soldiers and shipped them to prison camps scattered throughout Hirohito's newly won Empire. The fall of Britain's 'impregnable fortress' was the greatest humiliation in British military history, for which Churchill never forgave the Japanese. But nothing would surpass the wretched fate of some 2,700 British and Australian prisoners who were shipped to British North Borneo later that year. They landed in Sandakan, on the east coast of the island, after a 10-day voyage on a Japanese 'hell' ship, and were herded into a jungle camp some eight miles inland. Thus began the three-year ordeal of the Sandakan prisoners of war - a barely known story of unimaginable horror.world war 1939-1945 - prisoners of war - sandakan, japan - prisons and prisoners of war

Index, ill, p.144.non-fictionDetailed description of every British aircraft in World War IIgreat britain - aircraft - world war ii, airplanes - military

Index, ill, p.192.non-fictionIllustrated and textual description of World War II fightersmilitary airplanes, aerial warfare - world war ii

Index, bib, ill, , maps, p.208.non-fictionExamines the military and political events, battles, campaigns, and leaders of World War II in China, Burma, and India.world war 1939-1945 - campaigns - burma, world war 1939-1945 - campaigns - india

Index, bib, ill, , maps, p.208.non-fictionExamines the military leaders, campaigns, battles, tactics and strategy of the African theater of war during World War II.world war 1939-1945 - campaigns - north africa, afrika corps

Index, bib, ill, , maps, p.208.non-fictionDiscusses the campaigns, battles, and leading military and political personalities in Italy during World War II. world war 1939-1945 - campaigns - italy, italy - history - 1943-1945

Index, ill, maps, p.760.non-fictionIllustrated with 620 photographs and 84 maps, this is a classified diary of the military events of World War II.world war 1939-1945 - pictorial works, world war 1939-1945 - history

Index, ill, p.600.non-fictionWorld War II was the most intensively photographed conflict in history. Military adn press photographers, propagandists, camera-wielding soldiers and civilians - all took the opportunity to record the tumultuous events of 1939-45. World War II in Photographs features 900 clearly captioned images selected from a wide variety of sources. Every major theatre of conflict is covered, from the icy seas of the Arctic Circle to the jungles of the South Pacific, from the deserts of North Africa to the steppes of Russia.world war 1939-1945 - history, world war 1939-1945 - pictorial works

Index, ill, maps, p.256.This history of the war has commentary on the political and economic factors leading to the conflict, the key turning points of the war and the impact of new technologies. Colour campaign maps and battle plans complement the description of every major battle on land and at sea, along with analysis of the success and failure of the various military strategies. It focuses on the key military figures who shaped the course of the war and describes all of the most successful weapons of war, with a specification box on each weapon providing key technical details.world war 1939-1945 - history, world war 1939-1945 - campaigns

Ill, maps, p.359.non-fictionHell′s Heroes is the story of the POW camp that never was − so dubbed by one old soldier because the atrocities that occurred there went largely unreported at the time. For while the Burma−Thai railway‚ the Bataan death march and events at Changi and in many other parts of Asia became synonymous with Japanese brutality‚ most of the camps which were set up to provide slave labour for the enemy military machine at home were slowly forgotten in the aftermath of World War II.world war 1939 – 1945 - prisons and prisoners - japanese, atrocities - japan

Index, ill, maps, p.378.non-fictionBased on the notebooks in which Vasily Grossman gathered the raw material for his newspaper articles, A Writer at War depicts the crushing conditions on the Eastern Front during World War II and the lives and deaths of infantrymen, tank drivers, pilots, snipers, and civilians. Deemed unfit for service when the Germans invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, Grossman became a special correspondent for The Red Star, the Red Army newspaper. A portly novelist in his mid-thirties with no military experience, he was given a uniform and hastily taught how to use a pistol. Remarkably, he spent three of the next four years at the front, observing with a writer's eye the most pitiless fighting ever recorded.". "Grossman witnessed almost all the major events on the Eastern Front: the appalling defeats and desperate retreats of 1941, the defense of Moscow, and the fighting in the Ukraine. In August 1942 he was posted to Stalingrad, where he remained during four months of brutal street fighting. Grossman was present at the battle of Kursk (the largest tank engagement in history), and, as the Red Army advanced, he reached Berdichev, where his worst fears for his mother and other relatives were confirmed. A Jew himself, he undertook the faithful recording of Holocaust atrocities as their extent dawned. His report "The Hell of Treblinka" was used in evidence at the Nuremberg tribunalworld war 1939-1945 - campaigns - eastern europe, soviet union - german occupation - 1941-1944

Silk and rayon maps were produced by Australia, Great Britain (some 1.75 million in total) and the United States (c.7.5 million) during World War II. They were issued to Allied military personnel as part of 'escape and evasion' kits.This silk map, one of relatively few produced in Australia (most Australian RAAF pilots and crew were issued with British and US maps), is an original map from World War II.An oblong, cream colour, single-sided map printed in black and white with brown contours, Celebes 'Prepared under the direction of RAAF Headquarters' Celebes (with Insets 'A' to 'E')world war ii, silk maps, australia, a185