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RUSI of NSW Article
Jump TO Article The article on the pages below is reprinted by permission from United Service (the journal of the Royal United Services Institute of New South Wales), which seeks to inform the defence and security debate in Australia and to bring an Australian perspective to that debate internationally. The Royal United Services Institute of New South Wales (RUSI NSW) has been promoting informed debate on defence and security issues since 1888. To receive quarterly copies of United Service and to obtain other significant benefits of RUSI NSW membership, please see our online Membership page: www.rusinsw.org.au/Membership Jump TO Article USI Vol61 No2 Jun10:USI Vol55 No4/2005 21/05/10 1:31 PM Page 24 CONTRIBUTED ESSAY Conflict in command during the Kokoda campaign of 1942: did General Blamey deserve the blame? Rowan Tracey General Sir Thomas Blamey was commander-in-chief of the Australian Military Forces during World War II. Tough and decisive, he did not resile from sacking ineffective senior commanders when the situation demanded. He has been widely criticised by more recent historians for his role in the sackings of Lieutenant-General S. F. Rowell, Major-General A. S. Allen and Brigadier A. W. Potts during the Kokoda Campaign of 1942. Rowan Tracey examines each sacking and concludes that Blameyʼs actions in each case were justified. On 16 September 1950, a small crowd assembled in High Command in Australia in 1942 the sunroom of the west wing of the Repatriation In September 1938, Blamey was appointed General Hospital at Heidelberg in Melbourne. The chairman of the Commonwealth’s Manpower group consisted of official military representatives, Committee and controller-general of recruiting on the wartime associates and personal guests of the central recommendation of Frederick Shedden, secretary of figure, who was wheelchair bound – Thomas Albert the Department of Defence, and with the assent of Blamey. -
Australians at War Film Archive Thomas Smith
Australians at War Film Archive Thomas Smith - Transcript of interview Date of interview: 25th March 2004 http://australiansatwarfilmarchive.unsw.edu.au/archive/1697 Tape 1 00:30 If you could start off by telling us a bit about where you were born and where you grew up? I was born in Glen Huon. I was born in a little cottage in the middle of an apple orchard. In those days there was no doctor in attendance, because 01:00 the nearest doctor would be four miles away. A midwife did all the deliveries in the district. My parents had come out from England in about 1920, and they were sponsored by this fruit grower, apple orchardist, by the name of Herb Browns. It was his little cottage 01:30 in the middle of the apple orchard. That’s where I was born. We were there, I suppose, twelve months, two years, before my father was settled onto a soldiers’ settlement orchard. In those days there was orchards all up the main roads, either side of the road was 02:00 just apple orchards. There was barely a bare space between all the orchards. You can imagine it was quite a sight in the spring with all the orchards out in flower. It was a wonderful sight, and smell. But then he went on this orchard. In those days, that was in 1922 02:30 when I was born, things were starting to get pretty bad, during the Depression. My early childhood, I got rheumatic fever, which I didn’t know about until well after the war years, they hadn’t told me about this. -
The Final Campaigns: Bougainville 1944-1945
University of Wollongong Thesis Collections University of Wollongong Thesis Collection University of Wollongong Year The final campaigns: Bougainville 1944-1945 Karl James University of Wollongong James, Karl, The final campaigns: Bougainville 1944-1945, PhD thesis, School of History and Politics, University of Wollongong, 2005. http://ro.uow.edu.au/theses/467 This paper is posted at Research Online. http://ro.uow.edu.au/theses/467 The Final Campaigns: Bougainville 1944-1945 A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree Doctor of Philosophy from University of Wollongong by Karl James, BA (Hons) School of History and Politics 2005 i CERTIFICATION I, Karl James, declare that this thesis, submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Doctor of Philosophy, in the School of History and Politics, University of Wollongong, is wholly my work unless otherwise referenced or acknowledged. The document has not been submitted for qualifications at any other academic institution. Karl James 20 July 2005 ii Table of Contents Maps, List of Illustrations iv Abbreviations vi Conversion viii Abstract ix Acknowledgments xi Introduction 1 1 ‘We have got to play our part in it’. Australia’s land war until 1944. 15 2 ‘History written is history preserved’. History’s treatment of the Final Campaigns. 30 3 ‘Once the soldier had gone to war he looked for leadership’. The men of the II Australian Corps. 51 4 ‘Away to the north of Queensland, On the tropic shores of hell, Stand grimfaced men who watch and wait, For a future none can tell’. The campaign takes shape: Torokina and the Outer Islands. -
The Combat Effectiveness of Australian and American Infantry Battalions in Papua in 1942-1943 Bryce Michael Fraser University of Wollongong
University of Wollongong Research Online University of Wollongong Thesis Collection University of Wollongong Thesis Collections 2013 The combat effectiveness of Australian and American infantry battalions in Papua in 1942-1943 Bryce Michael Fraser University of Wollongong Research Online is the open access institutional repository for the University of Wollongong. For further information contact the UOW Library: [email protected] Faculty of Arts School of History and Politics The combat effectiveness of Australian and American infantry battalions in Papua in 1942-1943 Bryce Michael Fraser, BA. This thesis is presented as the requirement for the Award of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Wollongong March 2013 CERTIFICATION I, Bryce Michael Fraser, declare that this thesis, submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Doctor of Philosophy, in the Department of History and Politics, University of Wollongong, is wholly my own work unless otherwise referenced or acknowledged. The document has not been submitted for qualifications at any other academic institution. B M Fraser 25 March 2013 ii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES iv ABBREVIATIONS vii ABSTRACT viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS x Introduction: 1 Chapter 1: Theory and methodology 13 Chapter 2: The campaign and the armies in Papua 53 Chapter 3: Review of literature and sources 75 Chapter 4 : The combat readiness of the battalions in the 14th Brigade 99 Chapter 5: Reinterpreting the site and the narrative of the battle of Ioribaiwa 135 Chapter 6: Ioribaiwa battle analysis 185 Chapter 7: Introduction to the Sanananda road 211 Chapter 8: American and Australian infantry battalions in attacks at the South West Sector on the Sanananda road 249 Chapter 9: Australian Militia and AIF battalions in the attacks at the South West Sector on the Sanananda road. -
Song of the Beauforts
Song of the Beauforts Song of the Beauforts No 100 SQUADRON RAAF AND BEAUFORT BOMBER OPERATIONS SECOND EDITION Colin M. King Air Power Development Centre © Commonwealth of Australia 2008 This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission. Inquiries should be made to the publisher. Approval has been received from the owners where appropriate for their material to be reproduced in this work. Copyright for all photographs and illustrations is held by the individuals or organisations as identified in the List of Illustrations. Disclaimer The views expressed in this work are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defence, the Royal Australian Air Force or the Government of Australia. The Commonwealth of Australia will not be legally responsible in contract, tort or otherwise, for any statements made in this document. Release This document is approved for public release, distribution unlimited. Portions of this document may be quoted or reproduced without permission, provided a standard source credit is included. First published 2004 Second edition 2008 Published by the Air Power Development Centre National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Author: King, Colin M. Title: Song of the Beauforts : No 100 Squadron RAAF and the Beaufort bomber operations / author, Colin M. King. Edition: 2nd ed. Publisher: Tuggeranong, A.C.T. : Air Power Development Centre, 2007. ISBN: 9781920800246 (pbk.) Notes: Includes index. Subjects: Beaufort (Bomber)--History. Bombers--Australia--History World War, 1939-1945--Aerial operations, Australian--History. -
British 8Th Infantry Division on the Western Front, 1914-1918
Centre for First World War Studies British 8th Infantry Division on the Western Front, 1914-18 by Alun Miles THOMAS Thesis submitted to The University of Birmingham For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY School of History and Cultures College of Arts & Law January 2010 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. ABSTRACT Recent years have seen an increasingly sophisticated debate take place with regard to the armies on the Western Front during the Great War. Some argue that the British and Imperial armies underwent a ‘learning curve’ coupled with an increasingly lavish supply of munitions, which meant that during the last three months of fighting the BEF was able to defeat the German Army as its ability to conduct operations was faster than the enemy’s ability to react. This thesis argues that 8th Division, a war-raised formation made up of units recalled from overseas, became a much more effective and sophisticated organisation by the war’s end. It further argues that the formation did not use one solution to problems but adopted a sophisticated approach dependent on the tactical situation. -
Brigadier Arnold Potts
Brigadier Arnold Potts In the First World War, Arnold Potts rose from Lance Corporal to Brigadier, and fought at Gallipoli and in France. By 1918, he was a Captain and had been awarded the Military Cross (MC). In the inter-war years, Arnold Potts was a farmer in West Australia, but was active in the formation of a militia unit just before the Second World War began. In 1940, at the age of 44, he enlisted in the Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF). Potts was accepted as a Major, in command of Headquarter Company, 2/16th Australian Infantry Battalion. As part of 21st Brigade, the 2/16th fought the Vichy French in the Allied invasion of Syria in 1941. Potts was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO), promoted Lieutenant Colonel and appointed to command the 2/16th. When the war spread to the Pacific, and Potts’ battalion returned to Australia in 1942, he was in command of the brigade. 21 Brigade comprised the Victorian 2/14th Battalion, the West Australian 2/16th and the South Australian 2/27th. and, with the 18th and 25th Brigades, made up the 7th Australian Division, commanded by Major General Arthur Allen. After the Japanese landed at Gona on 21 July 1942, and began to advance on Port Moresby, only one partly trained Australian militia battalion could be deployed, on foot, to resist the advance, and the situation on the Kokoda Track became serious. The loss of Port Moresby, and so all Papua New Guinea, would be disastrous for the Allies. Potts’ brigade began to move to Papua New Guinea in early August. -
5 the BOUGAINVILLE CAMPAIGN TAKES SHAP E N the Forthcoming
CHAPTER 5 THE BOUGAINVILLE CAMPAIGN TAKES SHAP E N the forthcoming operations in New Guinea the First Army woul d I have more widespread responsibilities than its predecessor, New Guine a Force. From his headquarters at Lae Lieut-General Sturdee controlled four forces deployed in an area that was about 1,000 miles from east t o west. Sturdee had not previously held a command in the field in this war. In 1940 he had been appointed to command the 8th Division but afte r a few weeks had become Chief of the General Staff, an appointment he filled with distinction during the anxious months that followed the entr y of the Japanese into the war . In September 1942 he became head of the Australian Military Mission in Washington . His senior staff officer on Firs t Army was Brigadier E. L. Sheehan, who had come to that appointment i n 1943 after service on the staff of New Guinea Force and I Corps; his chief administrative officer was Brigadier R. Bierwirth who had held similar appointments on the staff of the 6th Division, Northern Territory Force , and I Corps .l The big base at Lae was well situated to be the headquarters of a n army controlling operations throughout the New Guinea territories . It was about 600 miles from Torokina on Bougainville, 450 from Aitape, an d 400 from Jacquinot Bay on New Britain and from Emirau Island, it s northernmost area of responsibility . From Lae Sturdee and his staff con- trolled and maintained not only the four main field formations but a total of 134 formations, units, and detachments, including Angau region s and districts, three Area Commands—Madang, Finschhafen and Wau , seven base sub-areas—at Aitape, Torokina, Madang, Lae, Buna, Port Moresby and Milne Bay, fixed defence units at Moresby and Lae, a multi- tude of engineer and signals units, and many others . -
'Track' Or 'Trail'? the Kokoda Debate1
‘Track’ or ‘Trail’? The Kokoda Debate1 Peter Provis Introduction The debate as to what should be the name of the route over the Owen Stanley Ranges, Kokoda ‘Track’ or ‘Trail’, has been persistent and spirited, despite appearing on the surface to be a minor issue of semantics. The topic has often resulted in the bitter exchange of correspondence between passionate interested parties who fervently advocate either ‘track’ or ‘trail’, offering a variety of evidence in support of what they believe to be the correct title of one of Australia’s most important and revered military campaigns. This article examines the use of the terms ‘track’ and ‘trail’ during the campaign and their use since in a variety of sources. The research was undertaken to provide an in‐depth response to the innumerable inquiries the Australian War Memorial receives regarding the matter.2 To determine the terms used at the time of the campaign, a wide range of material has been examined, including the war diaries of units that served in the Owen Stanley Ranges in 1942; official reports and a number of private records, especially diaries kept by servicemen, have been included. This has determined whether both versions were used at the time and how frequently they appear in the records. It has been asserted that the term ‘trail’ was coined by war correspondents covering the campaign. I will examine the legitimacy of these claims and 1 This article has been peer reviewed. 2 The author held a Summer Research Scholarship at the Australian War Memorial in 2003. fjhp | volume 26, 2010 | page 127 which terms were used in the newspapers covering the campaign. -
August 2007 Vol
Registered by AUSTRALIA POST NO. PP607128/00001 THE AUGUST 2007 VOL. 30 no.4 The official journal of The ReTuRned & SeRviceS League of austraLia POSTAGE PAID SURFACE ListeningListening Branch incorporated • Po Box Y3023 Perth 6832 • established 1920 PostPostAUSTRALIA MAIL Pastor Albert Knapp performs the traditional "Smoking Ceremony", toward off evil spirits and free the souls of the indigenous veterans, as part of the Commemorations to Indigenous War Veterans at Kings Park, Perth. Portrait of australian Historical hero's Western Australia Connection – Past commemorates Indigenous war and in the Making Page 6 Vice Admiral Viscount Lord Fields”. Twelve of these bells actually Nelson K.B. and Australia. What is hung in that church at the time and veterans as part of the connection? rang-in the news of the victory at There was certainly no personal Trafalgar and the death of Nelson. connection of Lord Nelson with The bells also rang for Nelson’s funeral Indigenous Week Australia. A number of his fellow on 9th February 1806. mariners in those days, i.e. the turn of In early 2005, prior to the Bicentennial Kings Park, Perth was the venue with the distinctive sounds of a the 18th to 19th centuries, had personal Celebration of Trafalgar in October for a ceremony commemorating didgeridoo, to let passed indigenous contact with our continent; being very of that year, the Nelson Society of Indigenous War Veterans as part veterans know that this day is for parochial, Captains Fremantle and Australia offered the Royal Australian of the National Indigenous Week, them. A prayer in both local dialect Stirling for example. -
THE LOSS of AMBON FTER Rabaul, Kendari and Balikpapan The
CHAPTER 1 9 THE LOSS OF AMBON FTER Rabaul, Kendari and Balikpapan the next important enemy Aobjective on the eastern flank was Ambon . Initially the Japanese had planned to take it by 6th February, but they had now advanced its plac e on the time-table . As mentioned earlier, Australia had agreed as an outcome of talk s with Netherlands East Indies staffs early in 1941 to hold troops and ai r force squadrons ready at Darwin to reinforce Ambon and Timor if th e Japanese entered the war ; and in consequence, on 17th December, th e 2/21st Battalion landed at Ambon . Part of No. 13 Squadron R.A.A.F., with Hudson bombers, had been established there since 7th December . The 2/21st Battalion, like other units of the 23rd Brigade group, ha d had a frustrating period of service. With other units of the 8th Division , it had been formed soon after the fall of France, and filled with me n eager to go overseas and fight . By March 1941 they had been training for nine months ; yet they were still in Australia . It had been a hard blow to the men of the 2/21st that three junior battalions, trained with the m at Bonegilla, had already sailed abroad. It was a disappointment when , in March, they were ordered to Darwin to spend perhaps the remainder of the war garrisoning an outpost in Australia . Good young leaders sought and obtained transfers to the Armoured Division, and the Indepen- dent Companies then being formed in great secrecy at Foster in Victoria . -
History of the War in South Africa, 1899-1902
525 APPENDIX I. ARMY HEADQUARTERS STAFF, SOUTH AFRICAN FIELD FORCE. April 29th, 19CX). Field-Marshal the Right Honble. Lord n^ 1^ TVT ^oK^i /-^r>,^« ^« rui^f . r Comdg.-in-Chief . Field-Marshal . -^ Roberts. K.P., G.C B.. V.C. &c. Military Secretary Lieut.-Col. H. V. Cowan, R.A. ^ Capt. A. C. M.WaterfieldJndian Staff Corps. Asst.A 00+ MilitaryTv/r;i;+o,.,r Secretariesc^^^^^-o^ioo ^^ ^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^ Marlborough. Imp. Yeo. I'Capt. Lord Settrington, 3rd Royal Sussex regiment. Aides-de-Camp ' Capt. Lord H. A. Montagu-Douglas-Scott, 3rd Royal Scots. I VLieut. H. Wake, 3rd K. R. Rifle Corps. Private Secretary Col. N. F. FitzG. Chamberlain, Indian Staff Corps. Asst. Private Secretary Lord Elphinstone. S.H. Naval Aide-de-Camp Commander the Hon. S. J. Fortescue, R.N. Lieut, the Earl of Kerry, Irish Guards. Lieut.-Col. J. J. Byron, Roy.Australian Art. Major S. A. Denison, Royal Canadian rgt. Extra Aides-de-Camp J. Capt. J. H. H. Watermeyer, Cape Town Highlanders. AngloBoerWar.comLieut. Duke of Westminster, Ches. Yeo. /-!-• Major-Gen. Lord Kitchener, G.C.B., Chiefr ofj: Staffc^j. £c J I K.C.M.G., Royal Engineers. , ^ fBt.-Major K. Watson, D.S.O., K.R.R.C Aides-de-Camp^.^ J. | Lieut. W. H. Cowan, D.S.O.. R.N. Dep.-Adjt.-Gen Major-Gen. W. F. Kelly, C.B. f *Col. I. J. C. Herbert. C.B., C.M.G. I Col. B. Duff, CLE., Indian Staff Corps. Bt.-Col. J. M. Grierson, M.V.O.. R.A. Bt.-Col. Sir H.