Australian Military History

On 1st July 1916, General Haig launched his now infamous Somme Offensive. The opening days had been disastrous and something needed to be done to assist the British troops currently struggling against the strong German defence. To the north of the Somme, a salient jutting into the British lines, just near the little village of Fromelles. It was decided that a strong demonstration here would preven...

Taken on strength with the Royal Australian Navy between the wars and named for her sister ship who had sunk the German raider Emden during WW1, HMAS Sydney (II) gained fame as lucky ship during operations in the Mediterranean Theatre in World War 2. Involved in a number of actions in that theatre, including the sinking of the Bartolmeo Colleoni, while barely sustaining any damage herself, she cam...

In this episode I am talking with Mal Murray, Peter Harrower and Jim Smith, veterans of the fighting at Fire Support Base Coral. No more needs to be said. Enjoy. https://www.australianmilitaryhistorypodcast.com/ patreon.com/user?u=46029761 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In January 1968, the North Vietnamese Forces launched the Tet Offensive. They suffered server casualties during the opening phases of this attack and to replenish their forces, they required uninterrupted infiltration routes. Obviously, Western Forces, including Australians, didn't want this to happen. So in May troops from 1RAR, with Australian and New Zealand artillery, were sent out to establis...

After the evacuation of Greece, New Zealand, British and Australian troops prepared to defend the airfields of Crete. The Australians concentrated on the central area of the island, with the 2/1st and 2/11th Battalions responsible for the defence of the airfield at Retimo. When German paratroopers began to fall from the sky on the 20th May 1941, it signaled the beginning of several days of hard, b...

As the fighting at Pinios Gorge was reaching its peak, the majority of W Force moved back through Larissa heading for the next defensive position on the Thermopylae - Brallos Pass Line. Initially, this line was where the Allied Forces planned to halt the German advance through Greece, however the situation soon changed and the stand along this line was now responsible for delaying the German advan...

With the Germans pushing through the Metaxas Line, their invasion of Greece gained momentum as they pushed south. The British, Australian and New Zealand troops of W Force were falling back to their next defensive line, but with the Germans hot on their heels, a delaying action was needed. The junction town of Larisa was vital for the retiring troops and a German thrust on the eastern flank, aimed...

As the defence lawyer for Morant, Handcock and Whitton during the Boer War, the story of Major Thomas is often overshadowed by events of the Courts Marshall. As a prominent figure in the small rural town of Tenterfield, Thomas raised a contingent of mounted troops for service in South Africa and saw action on many battlefields, including The Siege of Elands River. The result of his service and the...

With Hill 317 in the safe hands of 3RAR, all that remained was for the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers to take Hill 217 and 3RAR to take Sierra feature and The Hinge. The previous day's fighting had shown that Hill 217 would be a tough nut to crack and although the Fusiliers managed to seize the position, they were unable to hold onto it in the face of a massive Chinese counter-attack. The outcome...

With Hill 355 secured, the focus of the fighting turned to the main objective, Hill 317 and its neigbouring feature Hill 217. 3RAR would make the assault on Hill 317 while the Northumberland Fusiliers attempted to take Hill 217. In order to take Hill 317, 3RAR first had to secure features known as Tango, Uniform and Qubec. The fighting to take these features would test the strength of 3RAR, severe...

In 1951 the combatant nations of the Korean War had finally come to the negotiating table, raising hopes that the Korean War would soon be over. But when negotiations broke down, the troops went back to fighting. General Van Fleet wanted the UN troops to advance and push the Chinese troops back. US troops pushed forward at Punchbowl, and shortly thereafter the 1st Commonwealth Division, including...

When the Second AIF headed to war, a little known photographer named Damien Parer was with them. Having made a reputation in the fledgling Australian film industry, Parer was selected as an official war photographer for the Department of Information. He would go on to record many of the iconic images of Australian troops in that war. But the bureaucracy of the DoI would eventually see Parer resign...

With the port town of Rabaul captured by the Japanese, the men of Lark Force began their retreat. Two main escape routes developed, one to the north and the other to the south. All of the survivors experienced hardships over the coming weeks. Those who went north and came under the energetic leadership of Lt Appel were the lucky ones, being evacuated after only a few weeks. Those who headed south...

If you would like to support the petition to erect a memorial to the Coastwatchers at Hamilton on the Brisbane River, please follow this link. https://www.epetitions.brisbane.qld.gov.au/petition/view/pid/1246 Cheers Warwick Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The war in Europe seemed a long way off for the inhabitants of New Britain and there was no real urgency from the Australian Chiefs of Staff to secure this vital island. A token force was sent to Rabaul to observe any movement and to report back to Army HQ. But in December 1941, Japanese forces bombed Pearl Harbor and began their conquest of the Pacific. Rabaul was now under threat, but you wouldn...

By the morning of the 7th August 1915, British troops were landing at Suvla Bay, , the left assaulting column was taking off for its part in proceedings, New Zealand Troops were waiting to attack Chunuk Bair and men of the Australian Lighthorse were preparing to charge at The Nek. This day would be one of farce and heartbreaking tragedy. The Commander of the Suvla Landing would start the day with...

With all the planning in place, it was time to put it all into action. Starting with a diversionary attack from Tasmania Post, the Allied attempt to break out from the Anzac Beachhead began. In the afternoon of 6th of August, the Australians charged forward at Lone Pine, initiating what would become five days of brutal fighting. As darkness fell, the main assault headed off for its attack on Chunu...

By August 1915, the Gallipoli Campaign had ground to a halt. Thousands of Allied troops had advanced not much further than they had on the first day of the Landing back in April. Something needed to happen to get this thing rolling again and bringing it to a successful conclusion. The British Commander of the expedition, General Sir Ian Hamilton was presented a modest plan from the Anzac Commander...

With the battle on a knife's edge, General Windeyer has to decide where to send his 20th Brigade for the best chance at finally breaking into Finschhafen. Between the Bumi River and the village lay a number of ridges and valleys, not to mention strong Japanese positions. And gnawing away at the back of Windeyer's mind is the potential threat from Sattleberg. If the Japanese broke through from ther...

Having established themselves around the Scarlet Beach and securing the village of Katika, the troops of the 20th Brigade began to push south towards Finschhafen. In their way stood the Bumi River, guarded by Japanese troops as members of the elite Japanese Marines. It was a tough fight just getting there, but a beachhead was soon established. However, the entire battle was now in danger of collap...

With Lae and Salamaua now in Allied hands, the next step in the expulsion of the Japanese from New Guinea would take place in Finschhafen. The 9th Division's 20th Brigade, veterans of Tobruk and El Alemein, would be the men tasked with making this amphibious attack. With assurances from that the US navy could land the men at the exact spot, the landing craft moved towards the beach in the pre-dawn...

While the main focus of Australia's involvement in Vietnam tends to be on the army, the army lads could not have done their job without the support from the Royal Australian Air Force. Whether it was the transport of men and materiel provided by Wallaby Airlines, the combat support of 9 Squadron, the bombing provided by 2 Squadron or the medical evacuation by the medical squadron, the RAAF was the...

Having held off the Chinese offensive overnight, the Australians of 3RAR were in a tricky spot. They were running dangerously low on ammunition and medical supplies and the extraction of their wounded was problematic. Despite having given the Chinese a bloody nose, 3RAR had no choice but to fall back. But to withdraw while in contact with the enemy is one of the most difficult military operations...

In April 1951, as troops from 3RAR were resting and preparing for Anzac Day commemorations, the Chinese army launched its largest offensive since its entry to the Korean War. The UN front collapsed and soon the Australians on the right of the Kapyong Valley, with Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Regiment on the left with some minor support units in between, would soon be all that stood...

Happy Yule, Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday everyone. If you can't be good, be good at it. And if you're not in bed by midnight, go home...... The link to the Hardtack Podcast episode on the Sandakan Death March is here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/43rA9mjEdnNMN8rdR1p6wy?si=e3450ddc61b149c8 Or alternatively, search Hardtack Podcast where ever you get your podcasts. Cheers everyone, see you nex...