Australia entered World War II on 3 September 1939. By the end of the war, almost a million Australians had served in the armed forces. Military units fought primarily in the European theatre, North African campaign, and the South West Pacific theatre. Its casualties from enemy action during the war were 27,073 killed and 23,477 wounded.
About Military history of Australia during World War II in brief
Australia entered World War II on 3 September 1939, following the United Kingdom’s declaration of war on Nazi Germany. By the end of the war, almost a million Australians had served in the armed forces. Military units fought primarily in the European theatre, North African campaign, and the South West Pacific theatre. Australia came under direct attack for the first time in its post-colonial history. Its casualties from enemy action during the war were 27,073 killed and 23,477 wounded. The war accelerated the process of industrialisation, led to the development of a larger peacetime military and began the process with which Australia shifted the focus of its foreign policy from Britain to the United States. World War II contributed to major changes in the nation’s economy, military and foreign policy, including the introduction of conscription for home-defence service and the creation of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) The AIF was institutionally separate from the CMF, which was legally restricted to service in Australia and its external territories, and was formed by raising new units rather than transferring units from CMF units. The first Australian shot of the War took place several hours after the declaration of world war II. The Australian Army comprised a small permanent cadre of 3,000 men and 80,000 part-time militiamen who had volunteered for training with the Citizen Military Forces. The Royal Australian Air Force, the weakest of the services, had 246 aircraft, few of them modern. While the Commonwealth Government began a large military expansion and transferred some RAAF aircrew and units to British control upon the outbreak of war, it was unwilling to immediately dispatch an expeditionary force overseas due to the threat posed by Japanese intervention.
On 10 October 1939, a Short Sunderland of No.10 Squadron, based in England, became the first Commonwealth air-force to go into action when it undertook a mission to Tunisia. On 15 September 1939 Menzies announced the formation of the Imperial Force. This initially consisted of 20,000men, organised into an infantry division and auxiliary units. On 1 January 1940, Recruitment for Recruiting for Home Defence was effective and the new units were organised into infantry and auxiliary divisions. From 1942 until early 1944, Australian forces played a key role in the Pacific War. While the military was largely relegated to subsidiary fronts from mid-1944, it continued offensive operations against the Japanese until the war ended. The Australian Navy was the best-prepared of the three services, equipped with only two heavy cruisers, four light cruisers,. two sloops, five obsolete destroyers and a number of small and auxiliary warships. In 1931, the Statute of Westminster granted the Australian government independence in foreign affairs and defence. Nevertheless, Australian governments generally followed British policy towards Nazi Germany, supporting first the appeasement of Hitler and the British guarantee of Polish independence. After the British informed the Prime Minister of Australia of the declared war, the Governor-General of Australia issued a proclamation of the existence of war in Australia.
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