Australia entered World War II shortly after the Invasion of Poland, declaring war on Germany on September 3rd, 1939. By the end of the war almost a million Australians had served in the Australian armed forces and Australian military units had seen combat in Europe, North Africa, and the South-West Pacific. In addition, Australia came under direct attack for the first time in its history. 39,366 Australians were killed and 23,477 were wounded by enemy action during the war.
Following the Japanese attacks on South East Asia in late 1941, Australia was attacked itself during the Air raids on Darwin, February 19, 1942, resulting in at least 243 civilian and military deaths. Australian troops were sent home from the Middle East to defend the country from a feared Japanese invasion of Australia. This invasion did not occur, however, and the Japanese did not ever intend to invade the Australian mainland.
The Statute of Westminster 1931 formally ended most of the constitutional links between Australia and the United Kingdom when Australia adopted it in 1942. The shock of the United Kingdom's defeat in Asia in 1942 and the threat of Japanese invasion caused Australia to turn to the United States as a new ally and protector. Since 1951, Australia has been a formal military ally of the US under the auspices of the ANZUS treaty. After World War II, Australia encouraged mass immigration from Europe
2006-11-22 22:44:07
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answer #1
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answered by Aqua 4
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nicely, following the assaults on Pearl Harbor and the jap invasion of Malaya, Australian best Minister John Curtin called for Australian troops to be withdrawn from Europe and North Africa and return to Australia to make stronger their defenses. Churchill tried to divert the ninth branch to Burma against the desires of the Australian government. It grew to become into argued that as they have been Australian troops, they have been ultimatley under Australian command mutually as Churchill argued that they've been vacationing aboard British ships and so could desire to be sent everywhere. Had Churchill have been given his way and the troops were diverted to Burma, they could have arrived on an analogous time using fact the jap and been sitting on the docks with out weapons (that have been shipped seperatley and have been an afternoon at the back of them) whilst the jap arrived . Churchill made it clean that the defence of Australia and New Zealand have been a low precedence.
2016-12-29 09:00:32
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answer #2
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answered by ? 3
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Try internet resources. lots of things changed.Men had to go to war while women looked after the homefront. There were women working on farms and in munition factories. It was accepted that women take on the jobs that men did. Americansalso stookout lots of women and married them.Australia also had the ration system.
2006-11-23 00:02:12
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answer #3
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answered by Anonymous
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