World War II
An overview of the causes of World War II, why men enlisted and where Australians foughtCauses of World War IITopic 9.2• A combination of short- and long-term factors contributing to the outbreak of conflict in 1939, including German resentment of terms in the Treaty of Versailles, economic depression, weakness of the League of Nations and unchecked acts of aggression by Germany and Japan in the 1930s• Rise of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist (Nazi) Party in Germany• The actions of the Nazi government in the 1930s (including re-arming and regaining territories lost after WWI breach the terms of the Treaty of Versailles)• Invasion of Poland in September 1939, causing Britain and France to declare warWhy Australians enlisted to fightTopic 9.10• Initially Australians were less enthusiastic to enlist (after the experiences of WWI), but numbers increased significantly after Germany’s invasion of France in 1940• Surge in recruitment after the fall of Singapore to the Japanese in 1942 when Australians felt more directly under threatWhere Australians foughtTopic 9.4Topic 9.6• Major campaigns involving Australian forces: Europe (Greece 1940–41), the Middle East (Syria and Lebanon 1941), Africa (Libya and Egypt 1941–1942), South East Asia (Malaya and Singapore 1942), Battle of the Coral Sea 1942, New Guinea 1942, Guadalcanal (South-west Pacific) 1942The scope and nature of warfare during World War IIThe changing scope and nature of warfareTopic 9.4• Aircraft and long-range tanks are used for the first time in a German invasion tactic known as Blitzkrieg (a term meaning ‘lightning war’); German forces invade France despite French ‘super-trenches’ known as the Maginot Line; bombing of civilians in strategic cities such as London• Code-breaking technology used to influence outcomes of battlesWhere World War II was foughtTopic 9.4Topic 9.6• The war in Europe 1939–1945: fighting took place in Western Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union• The war in the Pacific 1941–1945: Allies opposed Japanese invasions in the Pacific region with fighting taking place in Singapore, Midway Islands, Coral Sea and Papua New GuineaThe HolocaustTopic 9.8• The deliberate and systematic persecution of Jews and other minority groups by the Nazi government in Germany in the lead-up to war, and in Nazi-occupied territories throughout World War II• Deaths in Nazi labour camps, systematic killings in concentration camps by means of poison gas and mass shootingsAtomic bombings of Hiroshima and NagasakiTopic 9.9• Allied campaigns in the Pacific recapture many Pacific Islands taken by Japan; Allies eventually push the Japanese back to Japan’s ‘Home Islands’; heavy Japanese casualties and bombing of Japanese cities fail to force a Japanese surrender• The first atomic bomb is dropped on Hiroshima on 6 August 1945 followed by a second bomb dropped on Nagasaki on 9 August; both cities are devastated and Japan formally surrenders Significant events and experiences of Australians during World War IISignificant eventsTopic 9.4Topic 9.6In EuropeThe Battle of France:• In May 1940, Germany invades the Netherlands, Belgium and France using Blitzkrieg tactics.• On 22 June 1940, France surrenders to Germany.The Battle of Britain:• After Germany invades France, it turns its attention to defeating Britain.• From July–October 1940, Germany launches a large-scale air attack on the UK targeting key industrial cities (a period known as the Blitz).• Germany fails to achieve its objective.Operation Barbarossa:• On 22 June 1941, Axis powers (Germany, Italy and Japan) invade the Soviet Union. More than 3 million troops, 3600 tanks and 4300 aircraft take part in the campaign, making it the largest military operation in human history. It resulted in huge casualties.• The Axis powers won many battles but ultimately failed to take the capital Moscow, because of harsh winter and fierce resistance by Russian troops.In the PacificThe Fall of Singapore:• On 15 February 1942, Singapore surrendered to the Japanese. Around 130 000 Allied troops (including 22 000 Australians) were taken as prisoners of war.The Kokoda campaign:• In 1942, Japanese forces launch an assault to seize Port Moresby, a possible base of attack on Australia, via the Kokoda Tra il.• A small force of soldiers from Australia’s local militia and army reinforcements fight a series of battles in difficult conditions, forcing the Japanese to withdraw.Prisoners of warTopic 9.11• There were over 8000 Australian prisoners in Europe, and over 22 000 Australians captured in South-East Asia, mainly after the fall of Singapore.• Forced labour and poor treatment in prison camps led to a high death rate of prisoners captured by the Japanese.Participation of womenTopic 9.12• Australian women were encouraged to join the armed services after 1940; the majority joined auxiliary forces that operated on the home front.• Women were still not permitted to take combat roles or serve overseas, with the exception of nurses.Participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoplesTopic 9.13• During WWII, restrictions for Indigenous Australian volunteers were officially lifted or unofficially relaxed.• An estimated 3000 Indigenous Australians served in the armed forces.• On their return, many Indigenous soldiers found they were not eligible for soldier resettlement schemes that were offered to white AustraliansImpact of World War II on the Australian home frontSpecific military attacks on AustraliaTopic 9.6• Bombing of Darwin on 19 February 1942 and towns in northern Australia until November 1943• Direct attack on an Australian ship (HMASKuttabul) in Sydney Harbour by a Japanese midget submarine on 31 May 1942 resulting in the deaths of 19 Australian sailorsConscriptionTopic 9.10• Conscription for overseas military service in the Pacific was introduced in 1943 with little opposition, as Australians felt the real threat of Japanese invasion.Use of government propagandaTopic 9.12• A range of propaganda produced by the Australian government was used throughout the war. It was designed to encourage Australians to enlist in armed forces, work and save for the war effort and unite against a common enemy. For the first time, propaganda posters, radio and newspaper campaigns were supported by the use of cinema newsreels.The changing role of womenTopic 9.12• Some women served in the armed forces, and over 60 000 women served in auxiliary services on the home front.• With so many Australian servicemen deployed overseas, the work of women in the auxiliary services and civilian groups (such as the Women’s Land Army) was increasingly important.• An increase in employment for women was crucial for Australia’s war economy. After the war, women were expected to return to traditional roles, which happened for the most part.The treatment of ‘enemy aliens’Topic 9.12• Some Australians of German and Italian heritage living in Australia were thought to pose a threat to national security. These people were declared ‘enemy aliens’ and detained in internment camps.• All people of Japanese heritage living in Australia during the war were thought to pose a risk and were sent to internment camps.War-time controls and censorshipTopic 9.12• The National Security Act 1939 gave the Australian government greater powers, including powers of censorship, the detention of ‘enemy aliens’, the banning of groups opposed to war, and other war-time control
An overview of the causes of World War II, why men enlisted and where Australians foughtCauses of World War IITopic 9.2• A combination of short- and long-term factors contributing to the outbreak of conflict in 1939, including German resentment of terms in the Treaty of Versailles, economic depression, weakness of the League of Nations and unchecked acts of aggression by Germany and Japan in the 1930s• Rise of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist (Nazi) Party in Germany• The actions of the Nazi government in the 1930s (including re-arming and regaining territories lost after WWI breach the terms of the Treaty of Versailles)• Invasion of Poland in September 1939, causing Britain and France to declare warWhy Australians enlisted to fightTopic 9.10• Initially Australians were less enthusiastic to enlist (after the experiences of WWI), but numbers increased significantly after Germany’s invasion of France in 1940• Surge in recruitment after the fall of Singapore to the Japanese in 1942 when Australians felt more directly under threatWhere Australians foughtTopic 9.4Topic 9.6• Major campaigns involving Australian forces: Europe (Greece 1940–41), the Middle East (Syria and Lebanon 1941), Africa (Libya and Egypt 1941–1942), South East Asia (Malaya and Singapore 1942), Battle of the Coral Sea 1942, New Guinea 1942, Guadalcanal (South-west Pacific) 1942The scope and nature of warfare during World War IIThe changing scope and nature of warfareTopic 9.4• Aircraft and long-range tanks are used for the first time in a German invasion tactic known as Blitzkrieg (a term meaning ‘lightning war’); German forces invade France despite French ‘super-trenches’ known as the Maginot Line; bombing of civilians in strategic cities such as London• Code-breaking technology used to influence outcomes of battlesWhere World War II was foughtTopic 9.4Topic 9.6• The war in Europe 1939–1945: fighting took place in Western Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union• The war in the Pacific 1941–1945: Allies opposed Japanese invasions in the Pacific region with fighting taking place in Singapore, Midway Islands, Coral Sea and Papua New GuineaThe HolocaustTopic 9.8• The deliberate and systematic persecution of Jews and other minority groups by the Nazi government in Germany in the lead-up to war, and in Nazi-occupied territories throughout World War II• Deaths in Nazi labour camps, systematic killings in concentration camps by means of poison gas and mass shootingsAtomic bombings of Hiroshima and NagasakiTopic 9.9• Allied campaigns in the Pacific recapture many Pacific Islands taken by Japan; Allies eventually push the Japanese back to Japan’s ‘Home Islands’; heavy Japanese casualties and bombing of Japanese cities fail to force a Japanese surrender• The first atomic bomb is dropped on Hiroshima on 6 August 1945 followed by a second bomb dropped on Nagasaki on 9 August; both cities are devastated and Japan formally surrenders Significant events and experiences of Australians during World War IISignificant eventsTopic 9.4Topic 9.6In EuropeThe Battle of France:• In May 1940, Germany invades the Netherlands, Belgium and France using Blitzkrieg tactics.• On 22 June 1940, France surrenders to Germany.The Battle of Britain:• After Germany invades France, it turns its attention to defeating Britain.• From July–October 1940, Germany launches a large-scale air attack on the UK targeting key industrial cities (a period known as the Blitz).• Germany fails to achieve its objective.Operation Barbarossa:• On 22 June 1941, Axis powers (Germany, Italy and Japan) invade the Soviet Union. More than 3 million troops, 3600 tanks and 4300 aircraft take part in the campaign, making it the largest military operation in human history. It resulted in huge casualties.• The Axis powers won many battles but ultimately failed to take the capital Moscow, because of harsh winter and fierce resistance by Russian troops.In the PacificThe Fall of Singapore:• On 15 February 1942, Singapore surrendered to the Japanese. Around 130 000 Allied troops (including 22 000 Australians) were taken as prisoners of war.The Kokoda campaign:• In 1942, Japanese forces launch an assault to seize Port Moresby, a possible base of attack on Australia, via the Kokoda Tra il.• A small force of soldiers from Australia’s local militia and army reinforcements fight a series of battles in difficult conditions, forcing the Japanese to withdraw.Prisoners of warTopic 9.11• There were over 8000 Australian prisoners in Europe, and over 22 000 Australians captured in South-East Asia, mainly after the fall of Singapore.• Forced labour and poor treatment in prison camps led to a high death rate of prisoners captured by the Japanese.Participation of womenTopic 9.12• Australian women were encouraged to join the armed services after 1940; the majority joined auxiliary forces that operated on the home front.• Women were still not permitted to take combat roles or serve overseas, with the exception of nurses.Participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoplesTopic 9.13• During WWII, restrictions for Indigenous Australian volunteers were officially lifted or unofficially relaxed.• An estimated 3000 Indigenous Australians served in the armed forces.• On their return, many Indigenous soldiers found they were not eligible for soldier resettlement schemes that were offered to white AustraliansImpact of World War II on the Australian home frontSpecific military attacks on AustraliaTopic 9.6• Bombing of Darwin on 19 February 1942 and towns in northern Australia until November 1943• Direct attack on an Australian ship (HMASKuttabul) in Sydney Harbour by a Japanese midget submarine on 31 May 1942 resulting in the deaths of 19 Australian sailorsConscriptionTopic 9.10• Conscription for overseas military service in the Pacific was introduced in 1943 with little opposition, as Australians felt the real threat of Japanese invasion.Use of government propagandaTopic 9.12• A range of propaganda produced by the Australian government was used throughout the war. It was designed to encourage Australians to enlist in armed forces, work and save for the war effort and unite against a common enemy. For the first time, propaganda posters, radio and newspaper campaigns were supported by the use of cinema newsreels.The changing role of womenTopic 9.12• Some women served in the armed forces, and over 60 000 women served in auxiliary services on the home front.• With so many Australian servicemen deployed overseas, the work of women in the auxiliary services and civilian groups (such as the Women’s Land Army) was increasingly important.• An increase in employment for women was crucial for Australia’s war economy. After the war, women were expected to return to traditional roles, which happened for the most part.The treatment of ‘enemy aliens’Topic 9.12• Some Australians of German and Italian heritage living in Australia were thought to pose a threat to national security. These people were declared ‘enemy aliens’ and detained in internment camps.• All people of Japanese heritage living in Australia during the war were thought to pose a risk and were sent to internment camps.War-time controls and censorshipTopic 9.12• The National Security Act 1939 gave the Australian government greater powers, including powers of censorship, the detention of ‘enemy aliens’, the banning of groups opposed to war, and other war-time control
