-
Australia declares on Germany
Prime Minister Robert Gordon Menzies decleared that Australia was at war with Germany. -
Australian fighter pilots participate in the Battle of Britain
The battle of Britain began with German attacks on coastal convoys in an effort to draw RAF fighters into battle. These attacks were succeeded by brief and unsuccessful raids on British radar installations. -
HMAS Sydney sinks the Italian cruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni off Crete
Despite their speed advantage, the Bartolomeo Colleoni failed to outrun Sydney because the most obvious route of escape to the south was to be changed to south-southwest, -
Australian troops capture Bardia, Libya, from the Italians
Troops of the 17th Australian Brigade joined the fighting later in the morning to clear the southern portion of the Italian defences, while the 16th Brigade advanced toward Bardia itself. -
Tobruk captured by the Allies
There were some 14,000 Australian troops and 12,000 British and Indian troops in Tobruk during the siege. The Germans dominated the desert but the waters around the port were still in control of by the British Navy, so they were able to supply provisions to the men holding Tobruk -
Singapore surrenders. Over 15000 Australians become prisoners of war
The British sent the newly built HMS Prince of Wales and the battle-hardened HMS Repulse to aid the defenders, but they were sunk by Japanese torpedo bombers before they could get there. -
Japanese aircraft bomb Darwin
The bombing od Darwin was the largest single attack ever mounted by a foreign power on Australia. The town was only lightly defended and the Japanese inflicted heavy losses upon the Allied forces at little cost to themselves -
Japanese midget submarines attack Sydney Harbour
Three Japanese submarines, sitting about 13 kilometres out from Sydney Harbour, each launched a Type A midget submarine for an attack on shipping in Sydney Harbour. -
Battle of El Alamein
The Australian 9th Division, led by Lieutenant General Leslie Morshead, played a key role in two of these battles, enhancing its reputation earned defending Tobruk during 1941. -
Australians recapture Kokoda
Two relatively small but intense battles were fought in Kokoda during the early stages of the battle, but on this occasion no shots were fired. This was a reprieve for the Australians who only a week before were involved in brutal fighting during the Battle of Eora Creek. -
HMAS Canberra sunk in Battle of Savo Sea
In the early hours of the morning, the RAN heavy cruiser HMAS Canberra was critically damaged off the Solomon Islands in a surprise attack, by a powerful Japanese naval force. Canberra was hit 24 times in less than two minutes and 84 of her crew were killed including Captain Frank Getting. -
Australians defeat Japanese landings at Milne Bay
The Japanese believed there no more than a few hundred troops safeguarding the airstrip, there were actually almost 9,000 Allied troops including two Australian infantry brigades - the 7th and the 18th. The Allies had the additional advantage of having air support close by. -
Australians capture Madang
The advance beyond Sio was taken over by the 8th Infantry Brigade, another militry formation, which went after the departing Japanese to Madang. The Australians entered Madang on 24 April 1944, unopposed, after the enemy had continued retreating. -
Australians capture Brunei
The spectacular take-over of North Borneo provided the Allies with a good advantage but were ultimately negated by the sudden conclusion of the war in August 1945. -
Japanese surrender signed - Australians and other Allied troops occupy Japan
There were many different reactions to the surrender of Japan, most people tried to continue on with a normal life as best they could. while many army and nay officers chose to comit suicide rather then surrender.
