Relationships Between Officers and Other Ranks in the Australian Army in the Second World War
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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. -
Major General James Harold CANNAN CB, CMG, DSO, VD
Major General James Harold CANNAN CB, CMG, DSO, VD [1882 – 1976] Major General Cannan is distinguished by his service in the Militia, as a senior officer in World War 1 and as the Australian Army’s Quartermaster General in World War 2. Major General James Harold Cannan, CB, CMG, DSO, VD (29 August 1882 – 23 May 1976) was a Queenslander by birth and a long-term member of the United Service Club. He rose to brigadier general in the Great War and served as the Australian Army’s Quartermaster General during the Second World War after which it was said that his contribution to the defence of Australia was immense; his responsibility for supply, transport and works, a giant-sized burden; his acknowledgement—nil. We thank the History Interest Group and other volunteers who have researched and prepared these Notes. The series will be progressively expanded and developed. They are intended as casual reading for the benefit of Members, who are encouraged to advise of any inaccuracies in the material. Please do not reproduce them or distribute them outside of the Club membership. File: HIG/Biographies/Cannan Page 1 Cannan was appointed Commanding Officer of the 15th Battalion in 1914 and landed with it at ANZAC Cove on the evening of 25 April 1915. The 15th Infantry Battalion later defended Quinn's Post, one of the most exposed parts of the Anzac perimeter, with Cannan as post commander. On the Western Front, Cannan was CO of 15th Battalion at the Battle of Pozières and Battle of Mouquet Farm. He later commanded 11th Brigade at the Battle of Messines and the Battle of Broodseinde in 1917, and the Battle of Hamel and during the Hundred Days Offensive in 1918. -
The Pillars of American Grand Strategy in World War II by Tami Davis Biddle
Leveraging Strength: The Pillars of American Grand Strategy in World War II by Tami Davis Biddle Tami Davis Biddle is the Hoyt S. Vandenberg Chair of Aerospace Studies at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, PA. She is the author of Rhetoric and Reality in Air Warfare: The Evolution of British and American Thinking about Strategic Bombing, 1914–1945, and is at work on a new book titled, Taking Command: The United States at War, 1944–1945. This article is based on a lecture she delivered in March 2010 in The Hertog Program on Grand Strategy, jointly sponsored by Temple University’s Center for Force and Diplomacy, and FPRI. Abstract: This article argues that U.S. leaders navigated their way through World War II challenges in several important ways. These included: sustaining a functional civil-military relationship; mobilizing inside a democratic, capitalist paradigm; leveraging the moral high ground ceded to them by their enemies; cultivating their ongoing relationship with the British, and embra- cing a kind of adaptability and resiliency that facilitated their ability to learn from mistakes and take advantage of their enemies’ mistakes. ooking back on their World War II experience from the vantage point of the twenty-first century, Americans are struck, first of all, by the speed L with which everything was accomplished: armies were raised, fleets of planes and ships were built, setbacks were overcome, and great victories were won—all in a mere 45 months. Between December 1941 and August 1945, Americans faced extraordinary challenges and accepted responsibilities they had previously eschewed. -
The Thermopylae Line
CHAPTER 6 THE THERMOPYLAE LINE ENERAL Wavell arrived in Athens on the 19th April and immediately e Gheld a conference at General Wilson's quarters . Although an effectiv decision to embark the British force from Greece had been made on a higher level in London, the commanders on the spot now once agai n deeply considered the pros and cons . The Greek Government was unstable and had suggested that the British force should depart in order to avoid further devastation of the country. It was unlikely that the Greek Army of Epirus could be extricated and some of its senior officers were urging sur- render. General Wilson considered that his force could hold the Ther- mopylae line indefinitely once the troops were in position.l "The arguments in favour of fighting it out, which [it] is always better to do if possible, " wrote Wilson later,2 "were : the tying up of enemy forces, army and air , which would result therefrom ; the strain the evacuation would place o n the Navy and Merchant Marine ; the effect on the morale of the troops and the loss of equipment which would be incurred . In favour of with- drawal the arguments were : the question as to whether our forces in Greece could be reinforced as this was essential ; the question of the maintenance of our forces, plus the feeding of the civil population ; the weakness of our air forces with few airfields and little prospect of receiving reinforcements ; the little hope of the Greek Army being able to recover its morale . The decision was made to withdraw from Greece ." The British leaders con- sidered that it was unlikely that they would be able to take out any equip- ment except that which the troops carried, and that they would be lucky "to get away with 30 per cent of the force" . -
Attitudes, Values, and Behaviour: Pastoralists, Land Use and Landscape Art in Western New South Wales
Attitudes, Values, and Behaviour: Pastoralists, land use and landscape art in Western New South Wales Guy Fitzhardinge February 2007 Revised February 2008 A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of the University of Western Sydney © Guy Fitzhardinge 2007 Statement of Authentication The work presented in this thesis is, to the best of my knowledge and belief, original except as acknowledged in the text. I hereby declare that I have not submitted this material, either in full or in part, for a degree in this or any other institution Guy Fitzhardinge ii Acknowledgements My appreciation of the support, encouragement, wise council and efforts of Robert Fisher is unbounded. I also wish to acknowledge the support and encouragement of Tom Griffiths and Libby Robin and Robert Mulley. To my editor, Lindsay Soutar, my sincere thanks for a job well done. Many people – too many to name, have helped me and supported my efforts in a variety of ways and have made an otherwise difficult job so much easier. To all those people I wish to express my gratitude and thanks. Finally, to my wife Mandy, my deepest thanks for the sacrifices she has made during the writing of this thesis. Without her support this thesis would have not been possible. iii Table of Contents Statement of Authentication................................................................................................ii Acknowledgements............................................................................................................iii Table of Contents ...............................................................................................................iv -
Canadian Infantry Combat Training During the Second World War
SHARPENING THE SABRE: CANADIAN INFANTRY COMBAT TRAINING DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR By R. DANIEL PELLERIN BBA (Honours), Wilfrid Laurier University, 2007 BA (Honours), Wilfrid Laurier University, 2008 MA, University of Waterloo, 2009 A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in History University of Ottawa Ottawa, Ontario, Canada © Raymond Daniel Ryan Pellerin, Ottawa, Canada, 2016 ii ABSTRACT “Sharpening the Sabre: Canadian Infantry Combat Training during the Second World War” Author: R. Daniel Pellerin Supervisor: Serge Marc Durflinger 2016 During the Second World War, training was the Canadian Army’s longest sustained activity. Aside from isolated engagements at Hong Kong and Dieppe, the Canadians did not fight in a protracted campaign until the invasion of Sicily in July 1943. The years that Canadian infantry units spent training in the United Kingdom were formative in the history of the Canadian Army. Despite what much of the historical literature has suggested, training succeeded in making the Canadian infantry capable of succeeding in battle against German forces. Canadian infantry training showed a definite progression towards professionalism and away from a pervasive prewar mentality that the infantry was a largely unskilled arm and that training infantrymen did not require special expertise. From 1939 to 1941, Canadian infantry training suffered from problems ranging from equipment shortages to poor senior leadership. In late 1941, the Canadians were introduced to a new method of training called “battle drill,” which broke tactical manoeuvres into simple movements, encouraged initiative among junior leaders, and greatly boosted the men’s morale. -
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. -
'Something Is Wrong with Our Army…' Command, Leadership & Italian
Journal of Military and Strategic VOLUME 14, ISSUE 1, FALL 2011 Studies ‘Something is wrong with our army…’ Command, Leadership & Italian Military Failure in the First Libyan Campaign, 1940-41. Dr. Craig Stockings There is no question that the First Libyan Campaign of 1940-41 was an Italian military disaster of the highest order. Within hours of Mussolini’s declaration of war British troops began launching a series of very successful raids by air, sea and land in the North African theatre. Despite such early setbacks a long-anticipated Italian invasion of Egypt began on 13 September 1940. After three days of ponderous and costly advance, elements of the Italian 10th Army halted 95 kilometres into Egyptian territory and dug into a series of fortified camps southwest of the small coastal village of Sidi Barrani. From 9-11 December, these camps were attacked by Western Desert Force (WDF) in the opening stages of Operation Compass – the British counter-offensive against the Italian invasion. Italian troops not killed or captured in the rout that followed began a desperate and disjointed withdrawal back over the Libyan border, with the British in pursuit. The next significant engagement of the campaign was at the port-village Bardia, 30 kilometres inside Libya, in the first week of 1941. There the Australian 6 Division, having recently replaced 4 Indian Division as the infantry component of WDF (now renamed 13 Corps), broke the Italian fortress and its 40,000 defenders with few casualties. The feat was repeated at the port of Tobruk, deeper into Libya, when another 27,000 Italian prisoners were taken. -
7468 .The London Gazette, December 28, 1877
7468 .THE LONDON GAZETTE, DECEMBER 28, 1877. Name. Rank. Regiment. Amount. £ s. d. Clarke, Alexander . ... • Private ... •« 1st West India Regiment 074 Cock, Thomas Private ... •• 2nd Battalion, 10th Regiment .. 1 12 7 Conn, Robert ... ... .. Private ... .. .1st Battalion, 3rd Regiment 9 1 11 Connell, Thomas .*. .. Private 72nd Regiment 10 15 t Dwyer, Simon ... ... .. Private ... .. 45th Regiment ... ..i .. 3 11 5 Fitzpatrick, John Private ... .. 108th Regiment... ' ... .. 23 19 6 Flinn, Thomas Private 44th Regiment 14-5 Gillott, H. ... - ... Gunner ... .. 2nd Brigade, Royal' Artillery .. 459 Goodwill, John .... ... Private ... .. 96th Regiment ... ... .. 315 Griffiths, Theodore Private ... 45th Regiment ... ' ... 6 9 O Hill, Thomas E.... ... .. Private 80th Regiment 1 11 7 Hogan, Patrick Private ...• 1st Battalion, 2 1st Regiment .. 32 7 2 Hoy, Thomas Private 94th Regiment 0 18 11 Mansell, Charles... ... .. Gunner ... .. 9th Brigade, Royal Artillery .. 3 9 10 Matthews, Patrick Gunner .. .. 16th Brigade, Royal Artillery .. 464 May, George; ... ... .. Private .. .. 62nd Regiment 3 13 5 Mehan, Daniel Private .. .. 66th Regiment ... ... .. 3 14 3 Murray, James ... ... Private .. •> 45th Regiment ... ... 104 McGrath, Richard Private .. ' ... 40th Regiment ... 2 11 4 McKay, James ... Private 2nd Battalion, 19th Regiment ... 15 4 5 McKenna, Patrick ... ... Private .. ... 2nd Battalion, 1st Regiment ... 529 McKeon, Bartholomew ... ... Gunner .. ... 5th Brigade, Royal Artillery ... 29 19 6 McKinstry, William Gunner .. Depot Brigade, Royal Artillery... 32 12 5 McWhiney, Thomas ... ... Private .. 36th Regiment ... ... ... 542 Nicholas, James Gunner ... Dep6t Brigade, Royal Artillery... 138 O'Farrell, Michael Warder Military Prison ... ...' • ... 424 Parker, Thomas Gunner ... .... 3rd Brigade, Royal Artillery ... 0 17 4 Peel, Thomas ... • ... ... Private ... - ... 1st Battalion, 17th'Regiment ... 4 17 6 Prendible, Charles Private 85th Regiment 212 9 Rabbitt, James B. -
7 Australian Infantry Division (1940 – 41)]
14 January 2019 [7 AUSTRALIAN INFANTRY DIVISION (1940 – 41)] th 7 Australian Infantry Division (1) Advanced Headquarters. 6th Australian Division, Signals & Employment Platoon Rear Headquarters, 6th Australian Division & Signals th 18 Australian Infantry Brigade (2) Headquarters, 18th Australian Infantry Brigade, ‘J’ Section Signals & 47th Light Aid Detachment 2nd/9th Australian Infantry Battalion 2nd/10th Australian Infantry Battalion 2nd/12th Australian Infantry Battalion 21st Australian Infantry Brigade Headquarters, 21st Australian Infantry Brigade, ‘K’ Section Signals & 59th Light Aid Detachment 2nd/14th Australian Infantry Battalion 2nd/16th Australian Infantry Battalion 2nd/27th Australian Infantry Battalion 25th Australian Infantry Brigade Headquarters, 25th Australian Infantry Brigade, ‘L’ Section Signals & 44th Light Aid Detachment 2nd/25th Australian Infantry Battalion 2nd/31st Australian Infantry Battalion 2nd/33rd Australian Infantry Battalion Divisional Troops 7th Australian Divisional Cavalry Regiment (H.Q., ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ Squadrons, ‘G’ Section Signals and 50th Light Aid Detachment) ©www.BritishMilitaryH istory.co.uk Page 1 14 January 2019 [7 AUSTRALIAN INFANTRY DIVISION (1940 – 41)] th Headquarters, Royal Australian Artillery, 7 Australian Division (7) 2nd/4th Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery (H.Q., 7th & 8th Field Batteries and 51st Light Aid Detachment) 2nd/5th Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery (H.Q., 9th & 10th Field Batteries and 52nd Light Aid Detachment) 2nd/6th Field Regiment, Royal Australian -
Moshe Goldberg Eulogy 2
EULOGY FOR MOSHE (MORRY) GOLDBERG GIVEN AT HIS FUNERAL ON SUNDAY 20 JANUARY 2013 Morry Asher GOLDBERG was born at Jerusalem, Palestine on 12 APRIL,1926 and originally enlisted and served in the Militia as N479345 prior to enlisting and serving as NX178973 PRIVATE Morry GOLDBERG in the 2nd/48th Australian Infantry Battalion AIF at Cowra NSW on 1st July 1944, then just 18 years of age. During his service with the Battalion, Morry was promoted to Corporal, taking part in its heavy fighting against the Japanese on Tarakan as part of Operation ‘Oboe’ in the South West Pacific Theatre. Morry was discharged on 10th March, 1947. The 2/48th Battalion AIF was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army raised in August 1940 at the Wayville Showgrounds in Adelaide, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Victor Windeyer, (later Major General Sir Victor Windeyer, KBE, CB, DSO and Bar, PC KC) a former Militia officer 9and later a Judge of the high Court of Australia) who had previously commanded the Sydney University Regiment. Together with the 2/23rd and 2/24th Battalions the 2/48th Battalion formed part of the 26th Brigade and was initially assigned to the 7th Division, although it was later transferred to the 9th Division in 1941 when it was deployed to the Middle East. While there, it saw action during the siege of Tobruk where it suffered the loss of 38 men killed in action and another 18 who died of their wounds and the Second Battle of El Alamein before being returned to Australia in order to take part in the fighting in New Guinea following Japan’s entry into the war.