The
Shrine of Remembrance, located in
St Kilda Road,
Melbourne, is one of the largest
war memorials in Australia. It was built as a memorial to the 114,000 men and women of
Victoria who served in
World War I, but soon came to be seen as Australia's major memorial to all the 60,000 Australians who died in that war. It now serves as a memorial for all Australians who served in war, and is the site of annual observances of
ANZAC Day (
25 April) and
Remembrance Day (
11 November). Around the Sanctuary walls is a
frieze of 12 carved panels depicting the armed services at work and in action during World War I. The Sanctuary is surrounded by a narrow walkway called the Ambulatory. Along the Ambulatory are 42 bronze caskets containing hand-written,
illuminated Books of Remembrance with the names of every Victorian who enlisted for active service with the
Australian Imperial Force (AIF) or
Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force in
World War I or died in camp prior to embarkation.
Although
Australia was remote from the main battlefronts of
World War II, there was considerable
Axis naval activity in Australian waters during the war. A total of 53
German and
Japanese warships and
submarines entered Australian waters between
1940 and
1945 and attacked ships, ports and other targets. Among the best-known attacks are the
sinking of HMAS Sydney by a German raider in November
1941, the
attack on Darwin in February
1942 and the Japanese midget submarine
attack on Sydney Harbour in May 1942. In addition, many
Allied merchant ships were damaged or sunk off the Australian coast by submarines and
mines. Japanese submarines also
shelled several Australian ports and submarine-based aircraft flew over several
Australian capital cities.
The
History of the Royal Australian Navy can be traced back to
1788 and the colonisation of Australia by the
British. During this period until
1859 vessels of the Royal Navy made frequent trips to the new colonies. In 1859 the Australia Squadron was formed as a separate squadron and remained in Australia until 1913. During the period before
Federation each of the 6 Australian colonies operated their own colonial naval force, these amalgamated in
1901 as the Commonwealth Naval Force. The Royal Australian Navy was established in
1911 and in
1913 the fleet steamed through
Sydney Heads for the first time.The Royal Australian Navy has seen action in every ocean of the world during its short life. Seeing action in
World War I,
World War II,
Korea,
Vietnam and countless smaller conflicts. Today the RAN fields a small but modern force, widely regarded as one of the most powerful forces in the
Asia Pacific Region.
The
Battle of Leyte Gulf was a
naval battle of the
Pacific campaign of
World War II, fought in the seas around the island of
Leyte in the
Philippines from
October 23 to
October 26,
1944. The Japanese intended to repel or destroy the Allied invasion of Leyte. Instead, the Allied navies inflicted a major defeat on the outnumbered
Imperial Japanese Navy which finished it as a strategic force in the
Pacific War. The battle is often considered to be the
largest naval battle in history. Leyte Gulf was also the scene of the first use of
kamikaze aircraft by the Japanese. The
Australian heavy cruiser HMAS Australia was hit on
21 October, and organized suicide attacks by the "Special Attack Force" began on
25 October. In total Australia contributed around 10 warships and
No. 10 Group RAAF which conducted groud attacks in the
Southern Philippines.
The
Battle of Savo Island, also known as the
First Battle of Savo Island and, in Japanese sources, as the
First Battle of the Solomon Sea, took place August 8–9, 1942, and was a
naval battle of the
Pacific Campaign of
World War II, between the
Imperial Japanese Navy and
Allied naval forces. The battle was the first major naval engagement during the
Battle of Guadalcanal in the
Solomon Islands campaign and a victory for
Japan. Australia contributed two heavy cruiser to the battle,
HMAS Australia and
Canberra, navy
Coastwatchers and a small number of
Air Force aircraft. On August 9
Canberra was struck by two torpedoes and over 20 salvoes of 8 inch shellfire,
Canberra was later scuttled by
United States Navy destroyers.
The
Battle of Greece was an important
World War II battle which occurred on the Greek mainland and in southern
Albania. The battle was fought between the
Allies (
Greece and the
British Commonwealth) and the
Axis (
Nazi Germany and
Fascist Italy) forces. The battle of Greece began on
October 28,
1940, when Fascist Italy invaded Greece, and ended with the fall of
Kalamata in the
Peloponnese. With the
Battle of Crete and several naval actions it is considered part of the wider
Aegean component of the
Balkans Campaign of
World War II. The British Commonwealth troops were sourced mainly from the
Australian 6th Division which played a key role in the battle, while units of the
Royal Australian Air Force and
Royal Australian Navy also took part in the battle.
The
invasion of Tulagi, on
May 3 and
4,
1942, was part of
Operation Mo, the
Empire of Japan's strategy in the
South Pacific and
South West Pacific Area in 1942. The plan called for
Imperial Japanese Navy troops to capture
Tulagi and nearby islands in the
Solomon Islands Protectorate. The occupation of Tulagi by the Japanese was intended to cover the
flank of Japanese forces that were advancing on
Port Moresby in
New Guinea as well as to provide a base for Japanese forces to threaten and interdict the supply and communication routes between the
United States and
Australia and
New Zealand. The only Allied military forces at Tulagi were 24
commandos from the
Australian Army's
2/1st Independent Company, and about 25 personnel from
11 Squadron RAAF, operating a seaplane base on nearby
Gavutu-Tanambogo with four
PBY Catalina reconnaissance aircraft. Shortly after the Japanese landing the Australian troops on the island began a pre-planned evacuation destroying any materials of value. Tulagi was recaptured by the Allies on
August 9,
1942.
Operation Downfall was the overall
Allied plan for the invasion of
Japan at the end of
World War II, but was ultimately never used. It was scheduled to occur in two parts — Operation Olympic, the invasion of
Kyushu, set to begin in November, 1945; and later Operation Coronet, the invasion of
Honshū near
Tokyo, scheduled for the spring of 1946. Kyushu was to be invaded at three points — Miyazaki beach, Ariake beach, and Kushikino beach. Southern Kyushu would become a staging ground for operation Coronet, and would give the Allies a valuable airbase from which to operate. Following the
atomic bombing of
Hiroshima and
Nagasaki, and the
Soviet declaration of war against Japan, the Japanese surrendered and the operation was cancelled. If the operation had gone ahead Australia was to play a part. The 20 squadrons strong
First Tactical Air Force was earmarked to take part in both Olympic and Coronet, while a planned
Australian 10th Division was to land during Coronet. Any Invasion of Japan would have also seen the
Royal Australian Navy play a role.
The
Battle of the Somme was one of the largest battles of
World War I, with more than one million casualties. The
British and
French forces attempted to break through the
German lines along a 25 mile (40 km) front north and south of the
River Somme in northern France. One purpose of the battle was to draw German forces away from the
battle of Verdun; however, by its end the losses on the Somme had exceeded those at Verdun. The battle is best remembered for its first day,
July 1,
1916, on which the British suffered 57,470 casualties, making it the bloodiest day in the history of the
British Army. As horrific as the battle of the Somme is in British memory, it also had a staggering impact on the German army; one officer famously describing it as "the muddy grave of the German field army." By the end of the battle the British had learnt many lessons in modern warfare while the Germans had suffered irreparable losses. Four Divisions of the
Australian Imperial Force saw action during the Somme; the
1st,
2nd,
4th and
5th, in total they suffered around 23,000 casualties.
The
Victoria Cross (
VC) is the highest recognition for valour "in the face of the enemy" that can be awarded to members of the
British and
Commonwealth armed forces of any rank in any service, and civilians under military command. It is also the highest military award in the
British honours system. The decoration is a
cross pattée, 1.375 inches (35 mm) wide, bearing a crown surmounted by a lion, and the inscription "FOR VALOUR". This was originally to have been "FOR BRAVERY", until it was changed on the recommendation of
Queen Victoria, who thought some might erroneously consider that only the recipients of the VC were brave in battle. The decoration, suspension bar and link weigh about 0.87
troy ounces (27 g). In total 96 Australians have been
awarded the Victoria Cross the first being awarded during the
Second Boer War and the most recent during the
Vietnam War.
