Books about the AU in ww2 (1 Viewer)

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chris2269

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Sorry, I have a huge fascination with Australia. If anyone can recommend a book or Documentary...I would be in debt.
 
chris2269 said:
Sorry, I have a huge fascination with Australia. If anyone can recommend a book or Documentary...I would be in debt.
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Chris mate,
Now you have opened a can of worms, where do I start. I, like you cobber have a great fascination with this great Land of OZ.^&grin I have just had a quick browse though my Military Library and would have to say for a moderate price book on Aussies in WW2, then you could not go passed the Osprey book "The Australian Army in World War II" by Mark Johnston. Maybe I am bias because it has a Matilda Tank in North Borneo on the front cover.:smile2:
Mark Johnston, who is the Head of History at Scotch College, Melbourne is one of my favourite authors on OZ in WW2. He has published fantastic books on three Aussie Divisions - "The Proud Sixth", "The Silent Seventh" and "That Magnificent Eighth". These three books take you through the Western Desert, Crete, Palestine to the Jungles of the Pacific with lots of photos.
The only other I put my hands on quickly was "The Second World War and its Australian Army Battle Honours"
by major General Gordon Maitland which has lots of maps.
I hope this helps.
Cheers from the Land Downunder, Howard
 
A few suggestions -

Curtin's Empire by James Curran
HMAS Sydney: Australia's Greatest Naval Tragedy by Tom Frane
Tobruk by Peter Fitzsimons
Invading Australia: Japan and the Battle for Australia, 1942 by Peter Stanley
The Germans in Australia by Jurgen Tampke
 
Chris,

A good starting point is here-

http://www.awm.gov.au/histories/second_world_war/

Along the lines of Howard's recommendation of the Osprey book the Army History Unit publishes the Australian Army Campaign Series. These are very informative and don't overload the reader. They are printed by Big Sky Publishing, some details here-

http://www.bigskyproductions.com.au/catview.php?vt=B&cid=12

There is a healthy market for new military history books down here, most are very good but there are a few not so great ones. I gave up reading accounts based on previous accounts on a particular campaign and have started looking for the older books. Chester Wilmont and Osmar White were two journalists at the time whose work is worth seeking out. White's 'Green Armour' is worth reading if Kokoda is your interest. It is a bit slow to get into but provides a good explanation of how the Japanese and Australia arrived at the position they were in.

Peter Stanley and Paul Ham are two contemporary writer/historians whose work I would recommend.

Scott
 
I'd point you to Lex McAuley's books on the fighting for Kokoda and the beach-heads. I think they are the best of the several options available. I also like Johnstone's books on the AIF divisions. He has some other good ones too. I recently read Phillip Bradley's 'Hell's Battlefield' about the whole New Guinea campaign and as is my want, I reviewed it for Amazon. Here it is -

Bradley is the author of several books on some of the later battles fought in New Guinea. Here he has taken on the task of examining the fighting in its entirety, including on the island territories, as well as key actions at seas. After recapping on the strategic situation, he looks at the first Japanese landings on New Britain and the infamous murder of about 150 Australian prisoners. This sets the scene for a conflict of exceptional savagery, compounded by some of the most difficult terrain in the world. The Australian's believed they were fighting to protect their country from a barbaric invasion and the Japanese fought with suicidal intensity as a matter of course. The stakes were high and it is rare to find of any quarter ever being given and this makes for a very compelling read.

As with any tome on this theatre, the fighting on the Kokoda Track dominates. Initially the Japanese advance was opposed by Australian militia units, mostly conscripted men who scandalously had been poorly trained and equipped. It had been expected that the all volunteer AIF veterans of Africa would do all the fighting. Stirringly, the outnumbered amateurs conducted themselves admirably and when the AIF veterans arrived they were given a very bloody nose. The campaign is well known in Australia but Bradley does a good job summarizing the key actions and linking them to the other significant battles of Milne Bay and the following sanguinary fights for the Beachheads. He has some telling things to say about command failures and the lamentable treatment of the militia. This includes a sharp critique of Arnold Potts who is normally accorded sympathetic treatment in the histories. Bradley spells out that Pott's disregard for the militia was a key factor in his failure. Bradley then covers the capturing of Gona, Buna and Sananda in considerable detail. Many Australians and Americans were sacrificed in poorly supported frontal attacks on powerful Japanese emplacements. While there is an element of hindsight here (something commonly found in writings on these battles) it is clear that MacArthur's distant command and poor understanding of the conditions contributed to many unnecessary casualties.

Bradley then covers the less well known campaigns of 1943 - 45. It is astonishing to read of the epic battles fought on cliff sides and razor topped ridges. There is a heap of fascinating detail. Many heroic deeds are recounted, disasters take place, commanders fail and injustices occur. Such is war. I also liked the examination of the alliance with the Americans and for all MacArthur's personal weaknesses, he was a brilliant commander who turned the Japanese inside out. While the focus is on the exploits of Australians the massive American contribution in this theatre is made clear. There are also some very interesting Japanese sources looked at, so there is some exploration of what was happening on the other side of the hill.

Bradley has given us a very readable one volume account of this exhausting campaign. There are extensive notes, maps and tables. It was particularly pleasing to see that the author personally interviewed many veterans which ensured there was much in the way of fresh material. Indeed, this points to the prime strength of the book, which is that the fighting is largely told through the voices of the men who did it. I am widely read on this subject and there was a lot for me to learn. I highly recommend this book to Australian readers but also to others who have an interest in the Pacific War.
 
For the benefit of our international viewers, to understand this exchange you need to be aware that Australians have a very strong sense of identification with their state - perhaps too strong in some respects. Queenslanders, Western Australians, South Australians and Tasmanians are linked only by their suspicion of New South Welshman and Victorians who have traditionally dominated because of their larger populations and their standing as the older states. This is further confused when we look at Sydney as new money and Melbourne as old money.

We all hate Canberra which is a planned capital - lovely to visit but sterile. It is also largely immune from economic indicators such as unemployment. The Northern Territory is made up of...well...let's just say that they have an identity all of their own.
 
Jack said:
For the benefit of our international viewers, to understand this exchange you need to be aware that Australians have a very strong sense of identification with their state - perhaps too strong in some respects. Queenslanders, Western Australians, South Australians and Tasmanians are linked only by their suspicion of New South Welshman and Victorians who have traditionally dominated because of their larger populations and their standing as the older states. This is further confused when we look at Sydney as new money and Melbourne as old money.

We all hate Canberra which is a planned capital - lovely to visit but sterile. It is also largely immune from economic indicators such as unemployment. The Northern Territory is made up of...well...let's just say that they have an identity all of their own.
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So to sum up. Mick has risen forom the bottom to the top of the pecking order (NSW being lower than
VIC with QLD being the top !!!). Naturally there is a zone around a small place in VIC called
Donnybrook and the people living there are considered honorary Queenslanders !!!
 
The Military Workshop said:
So to sum up. Mick has risen forom the bottom to the top of the pecking order (NSW being lower than
VIC with QLD being the top !!!). Naturally there is a zone around a small place in VIC called
Donnybrook and the people living there are considered honorary Queenslanders !!!
Click to expand...

As a new Australian Brett, how do you view your own journey?{sm4}
 
The Ruskie said:
I'm actually a Queenslander! :):):)

Just in Sydney until I move back :)

Mick
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Mick mate,
Should I say with tongue in check that makes it a tad worst.^&grin^&grin Maybe I should just cancel the order I just put thru to you for: (Joking Cobber:smile2:)

(1) Military Operations - Eygpt & Palestine Volume 2 - The Great War

(2) Cannister! On! Fire! Australian Tank Operations in Vietnam.

Hanging out to get my hands on these two especially the last one. Ist Armoured Regiments' Centurions on the prowl from 1968 to 1972.

Cheers Howard


Jack mate,
Did I just hear you state in your last post that VICTORIA is the place to be?????
Cheers Howard
 
Thanks mate - I saw the order :)

Keep a lookout for a picture of mine I contributed to Cannister! On! Fire!

Mick

Northgate Woods said:
Mick mate,
Should I say with tongue in check that makes it a tad worst.^&grin^&grin Maybe I should just cancel the order I just put thru to you for: (Joking Cobber:smile2:)

(1) Military Operations - Eygpt & Palestine Volume 2 - The Great War

(2) Cannister! On! Fire! Australian Tank Operations in Vietnam.

Hanging out to get my hands on these two especially the last one. Ist Armoured Regiments' Centurions on the prowl from 1968 to 1972.

Cheers Howard


Jack mate,
Did I just hear you state in your last post that VICTORIA is the place to be?????
Cheers Howard
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Jack said:
As a new Australian Brett, how do you view your own journey?{sm4}
Click to expand...

I will have to give some credit to my Dad for choosing Qld before I actually came down here. For
various reasons we decided not to go back to the UK after leaving Hong Kong.

However before the WA gang wake up I think we should establish that WA is equal first with Qld !!!!

Tom is not even in a state so no worries there.
 
Jack said:
. The Northern Territory is made up of...well...let's just say that they have an identity all of their own.
Click to expand...

But you love us, dontcha mate! ^&grin

Northgate Woods said:
Jack mate,
Did I just hear you state in your last post that VICTORIA is the place to be?????
Cheers Howard
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With all the bloody number plates i have seen in Darwin with those words Howard, i am wondering if it's really the case...{sm2}{sm4}

Jack said:
If you are policeman in the Vice Squad, most definitely.
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Jack, you have been watching to much Underbelly!

The Military Workshop said:
Tom is not even in a state so no worries there.
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You haven't seen me after one to many beers Brett! Im very much in a state when that happens! :rolleyes2: {sm4}

Tom
 
The Ruskie said:
Thanks mate - I saw the order :)

Keep a lookout for a picture of mine I contributed to Cannister! On! Fire!

Mick
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Mick mate,
I didn't know you were a Tankie.!!! Or was it in the Book you were a Grunt and used as a Target.^&grin^&grin
Nothing like the smell of Cordite in the morning.
Cheers Howard
 
I was Cav mate! I brassed up my fair share of grunts playing enemy on exercise!

Hence my 2/14th Light Horse avatar :)

I'm also involved with the RAAC History and Heritage Project.

Mick

Northgate Woods said:
Mick mate,
I didn't know you were a Tankie.!!! Or was it in the Book you were a Grunt and used as a Target.^&grin^&grin
Nothing like the smell of Cordite in the morning.
Cheers Howard
Click to expand...
 
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