Welcome to the Military history of Australia portal!
The military history of Australia spans the nation's 230-year modern history, from the early
Australian frontier wars between
Aboriginals and
Europeans to the ongoing conflicts in
Iraq and
Afghanistan in the early 21st century. Although this history is short when compared to that of many other nations, Australia has been involved in numerous conflicts and wars, and war and military service have been significant influences on Australian society and national identity, including the
Anzac spirit. The relationship between war and Australian society has also been shaped by the enduring themes of Australian strategic culture and the unique security challenges it faces.
The six British colonies in Australia participated in some of Britain's wars of the 19th century. In the early 20th century, as a federated dominion and later as an independent nation, Australia fought in the First World War and Second World War, as well as in the wars in
Korea,
Malaya,
Borneo and
Vietnam during the
Cold War. In the Post-Vietnam era Australian forces have been involved in numerous international
peacekeeping missions, through the
United Nations and other agencies, including in the
Sinai,
Persian Gulf,
Rwanda,
Somalia,
East Timor and the Solomon Islands, as well as many overseas humanitarian relief operations, while more recently they have also fought as part of multi-lateral forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. In total, nearly 103,000 Australians died during these conflicts. (Full article...)
Featured articles are displayed here, which represent some of the best content on English Wikipedia.
Image 1
Bill Newton, c. 1942
William Ellis Newton,
VC (8 June 1919 – 29 March 1943) was an
Australian recipient of the
Victoria Cross, the highest decoration for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to a member of the
British and
Commonwealth armed forces. He was honoured for his actions as a bomber pilot in
Papua New Guinea during March 1943 when, despite intense
anti-aircraft fire, he pressed home a series of attacks on the
Salamaua Isthmus, the last of which saw him forced to
ditch his aircraft in the sea. Newton was still officially posted as missing when the award was made in October 1943. It later emerged that he had been taken captive by the
Japanese, and executed by
beheading on 29 March.
James Ernest Newland,
VC (22 August 1881 – 19 March 1949) was an Australian soldier, policeman and a
recipient of the
Victoria Cross, the highest decoration for gallantry "in the face of the enemy" that can be awarded to members of the British and
Commonwealth armed forces. Newland was awarded the Victoria Cross following three separate actions in April 1917, during attacks against German forces retreating to the
Hindenburg Line. While in command of a
company, Newland successfully led his men in several assaults on German positions and repulsed subsequent counter-attacks.
Born in the
Victorian town of
Highton, Newland joined the Australian military in 1899 and saw active service during the
Second Boer War. He continued to serve in the
Australian Army's permanent forces on his return to Australia, and completed several years' service in the artillery. Transferring to the militia in 1907, Newland became a police officer in Tasmania before re-joining the permanent forces in 1910. After the outbreak of the First World War, he was appointed to the
Australian Imperial Force and was among the first wave of men to
land at Gallipoli. In the following days, Newland was wounded and evacuated to Egypt where he was commissioned as a second lieutenant. (Full article...)
The son of a Scottish-Australian merchant and politician, Watt was born in England and moved to
Sydney when he was one year old, returning to Britain at the age of eleven for education at
Bristol and
Cambridge. In 1900 he returned to Australia, and enlisted in the
Militia, before acquiring cattle
stations in
New South Wales and
Queensland. He was also a partner in the family shipping firm. (Full article...)
Image 5
Howell (right) with fellow Australian ace
Raymond Brownell in France c. 1917
Howell spent eight months flying operations over Italy, conducting attacks against ground targets and engaging in sorties against aerial forces. While in Italy, he was credited with shooting down a total of nineteen aircraft. In one particular sortie on 12 July 1918, Howell attacked, in conjunction with one other aircraft, a formation of between ten and fifteen German machines; he personally shot down five of these planes and was awarded the
Distinguished Service Order. He had previously been awarded the
Military Cross and
Distinguished Flying Cross for his gallantry in operations over the front. He was posted back to the United Kingdom in July 1918. In 1919, Howell was killed while taking part in the
England to Australia air race. Piloting a Martinsyde A1 aircraft, he attempted to make an emergency landing on
Corfu but the plane fell short, crashing into the sea just off the island's coast. Both Howell and his navigator subsequently drowned. (Full article...)
Elwyn Roy King,
DSO,
DFC (13 May 1894 – 28 November 1941) was a
fighter ace in the
Australian Flying Corps (AFC) during World War I. He achieved twenty-six victories in aerial combat, making him the fourth highest-scoring Australian pilot of the war, and second only to
Harry Cobby in the AFC. A civil pilot and engineer between the wars, he served in the
Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) from 1939 until his death.
Born in
Bathurst, New South Wales, King initially saw service as a
lighthorseman in Egypt in 1916. He transferred to the AFC as a mechanic in January 1917, and was subsequently commissioned as a pilot. Posted to
No. 4 Squadron, he saw action on the
Western Front flying
Sopwith Camels and
Snipes. He scored seven of his "kills" in the latter type, more than any other pilot. His exploits earned him the
Distinguished Flying Cross, the
Distinguished Service Order, and a
mention in despatches. Returning to Australia in 1919, King spent some years in civil aviation before co-founding a successful engineering business. He joined the RAAF following the outbreak of World War II and held several training commands, rising to the rank of
group captain shortly before his sudden death in November 1941 at the age of forty-seven. (Full article...)
Image 8
The "Morotai Mutiny" was an incident in April 1945 involving members of the
Australian First Tactical Air Force based on the island of
Morotai, in the
Dutch East Indies. Eight senior pilots, including Australia's leading
flying ace, Group Captain
Clive Caldwell, tendered their resignations to protest what they perceived as the relegation of
Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF)
fighter squadrons to strategically unimportant
ground attack missions against Japanese positions that had been bypassed in the Allies' "
island-hopping" campaign. A government investigation vindicated the "mutineers", and three high-ranking officers at First Tactical Air Force Headquarters, including the commander, Air Commodore
Harry Cobby, the
Australian Flying Corps' top-scoring ace in World War I, were relieved of their posts.
George Odgers summed up the cause of the incident in
the official history of the RAAF in World War II as "the conviction of a group of young leaders that they were engaging in operations that were not militarily justifiable—a conviction widely shared also by many Australian soldiers and political leaders." Odgers concluded that the ensuing inquiry "made it clear that almost everyone concerned acted from the highest motives, and was convinced that, in the crisis, he acted wisely". (Full article...)
Image 9
Thomas Baker as a cadet pilot c.1917
Thomas Charles Richmond Baker, DFC,MM &
Bar (2 May 1897 – 4 November 1918) was an Australian soldier, aviator, and
flying ace of the First World War. Born in
Smithfield, South Australia, he was an active sportsman in his youth and developed a keen interest in aviation. He was employed as a clerk with the
Bank of New South Wales, before he enlisted in the
Australian Imperial Force in July 1915, for service in World War I. Posted to an artillery unit on the
Western Front, he was awarded the
Military Medal for carrying out numerous repairs on a communications line while subject to severe artillery fire. In June 1917, Baker was awarded a
bar to his decoration for his part in quelling a fire in one of the artillery gun pits that was endangering approximately 300 rounds of
shrapnel and
high explosive.
In September 1917, Baker applied for a position as a mechanic in the
Australian Flying Corps. He was instead selected for flight training, and was posted to courses in the United Kingdom. He graduated as a pilot and was commissioned a
second lieutenant in March 1918. Posted for active duty in France that June, Baker joined the ranks of
No. 4 Squadron AFC. Over the next four months, he rose to the rank of
captain and was credited with bringing down 12 German aircraft. He was shot down and killed on 4 November 1918. In February 1919, he was posthumously awarded the
Distinguished Flying Cross. (Full article...)
Image 10
Wing Commander Peter Jeffrey, c. 1942–43
Peter Jeffrey, DSO,DFC (6 July 1913 – 6 April 1997) was a senior officer and
fighter ace in the
Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Born in
Tenterfield, New South Wales, he joined the RAAF active reserve in 1934, and transferred to the Permanent Air Force (PAF) shortly before World War II. Posted to the
Middle East in July 1940, Jeffrey saw action with
No. 3 Squadron and took command of the unit the following year, earning the
Distinguished Flying Cross for his energy and fighting skills. He was appointed
wing leader of
No. 234 Wing RAF in November 1941, and became an ace the same month with his fifth solo victory. The next month he was awarded the
Distinguished Service Order for his achievements, which included rescuing a fellow pilot who had crash landed in the desert.
The 1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF) was a
brigade-sized formation which commanded
Australian and
New Zealand Army units deployed to
South Vietnam between 1966 and 1972. 1 ATF was based in a rubber plantation at
Nui Dat, 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) north of
Bà Rịa in
Phuoc Tuy Province and consisted of two and later three infantry battalions, with armour, aviation, engineers and artillery support. While the task force was primarily responsible for securing Phuoc Tuy Province, its units, and the Task Force Headquarters itself, occasionally deployed outside its
Tactical Area of Responsibility.
Lieutenant General
Simon Stuart, the incumbent Chief of Army, has held the post since 2 July 2022. (Full article...)
Image 4
HMAS Rankin, sixth submarine of the Collins class, underway in 2006
The Collins-class submarines are Australian-built
diesel-electricsubmarines operated by the
Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The Collins class takes its name from Australian Vice Admiral
John Augustine Collins; each of the six submarines is named after significant RAN personnel who distinguished themselves in action during World War II. The six vessels were the first submarines built in Australia, prompting widespread improvements in Australian industry and delivering a sovereign (Australian controlled) sustainment/maintenance capability.
Planning for a new design to replace the RAN's
Oberon-class submarines began in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Proposals were received from seven companies; two were selected for a funded study to determine the winning design, which was announced in mid-1987. The submarines, enlarged versions of Swedish shipbuilder
Kockums'
Västergötland class and originally referred to as the Type 471, were constructed between 1990 and 2003 in South Australia by the
Australian Submarine Corporation (ASC). (Full article...)
Transportation of
infantry, incorporating full protection from
small arms fire, was the primary role for which the Bushmaster was designed; infantry would dismount from the vehicle, before going into action. As it was lightly armoured, the term
infantry mobility vehicle (IMV) was initially used, rather than
armoured personnel carrier, to distinguish the Bushmaster from heavier wheeled and tracked APCs used by the Australian Army, such as the
ASLAV and
M113. It was later discovered that the high-hardness steel specified for the Bushmaster meant that it generally offered better protection against ballistic weapons and
IEDs than the aluminium alloys used in ASLAVs and M113s. To reflect this capability, it was later redesignated a "Protected Mobility Vehicle" (PMV). (Full article...)
By the time of the battle, Japan had fewer
capital ships (aircraft carriers and battleships) left than the
Allied forces had total aircraft carriers in the Pacific, which underscored the disparity in force strength at that point in the war. Regardless, the IJN mobilized nearly all of its remaining major naval vessels in an attempt to defeat the Allied invasion, but it was repulsed by the
US Navy's
Third and
Seventh Fleets. (Full article...)
Image 9
The Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force Afghanistan Inquiry Report, commonly known as the Brereton Report (after the investigation head), is a report into
war crimes committed by the
Australian Defence Force (ADF) during the
War in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2016. The investigation was led by
Paul Brereton, who is both a New South Wales Supreme Court judge and a major general in the army reserve. The independent commission was initiated by the
Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force in 2016, and after a long investigation, delivered its final report on 6 November 2020. The redacted version was released publicly on 19 November 2020.
The report found evidence of 39 murders of civilians and prisoners by (or at the instruction of) members of the
Australian special forces, which were subsequently covered up by ADF personnel. The report stated 25 ADF personnel were involved in the killings, including those who were "accessories" to the incident. Some of those believed to be involved were still serving with the ADF. The unlawful killings discussed by the report began in 2009, with most occurring in 2012 and 2013. (Full article...)
...that Major General John Paton commanded the rear party during the
evacuation of
Anzac Cove in
World War I and was one of the last Australian soldiers to leave the beach?
...that HMAS Biloela was the first ship to be built entirely from Australian materials to an Australian design?
After the war the division was demobilised in 1919 before being re-raised in 1921 as part of the
Citizen Forces, based in central
Victoria. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the division's establishment fluctuated due to the effects of the
Great Depression and a general apathy towards military matters. (Full article...)
Image 2
No. 6 Squadron is a
Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) electronic attack
squadron. It was formed in 1917 as a training unit based in England during World War I. The squadron was disbanded in 1919 but re-formed at the start of 1939. It subsequently saw combat as a light bomber and maritime patrol squadron during World War II, and took part in the
New Guinea Campaign and
New Britain Campaign before being disbanded after the war.
The squadron was re-raised in 1948 as the RAAF's bomber
operational conversion unit. It has primarily served in this capacity since that time, though it has maintained a secondary strike capability and was also tasked with reconnaissance duties between 1979 and 1993. No. 6 Squadron is based at
RAAF Base Amberley, Queensland, and was equipped with
Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet aircraft from January 2011 to December 2016. The squadron converted to
Boeing EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft in 2017. (Full article...)
Image 3
Group Captain Caldwell (fourth from left) talking to No. 452 Squadron Spitfire pilots at Morotai in January 1945
The wing was established to provide fighter protection for an Allied offensive from
Darwin in
northern Australia into the eastern
Netherlands East Indies (NEI). This operation was effectively cancelled in June 1944, however, leaving No. 80 Wing without a clear mission. The unit remained at Darwin until it moved to
Morotai in the NEI between December 1944 and March 1945. Due to the small number of Japanese aircraft remaining in this area the Wing's aircraft were mainly used in the ground attack role. From May 1945 to the end of the war two of No. 80 Wing's squadrons participated in the
Borneo Campaign. (Full article...)
Image 4
Squadron Leader Jackson commanding No. 75 Squadron in New Guinea, September 1942
Jackson took over command of No. 75 Squadron after his brother was killed in action on 28 April 1942, leading it in the
Battle of Milne Bay later that year. Credited with a fifth aerial victory, he became the RAAF's first ace in the
New Guinea campaign, and was awarded the
Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). By 1944, Jackson was
wing leader of
No. 78 (Fighter) Wing in
Western New Guinea, gaining promotion to
wing commander in September that year. Awarded a
bar to his DFC in March 1945, he served as chief flying instructor at
No. 8 Operational Training Unit in Australia, and saw out the war as commander of Air Defence Headquarters,
Madang. After leaving the RAAF in 1946, Jackson returned to the business world, running two garages. He died in
Southport, Queensland, in 1980. (Full article...)
Frederick Birks,
VC,
MM (16 August 1894 – 21 September 1917) was a Welsh-born Australian First World War soldier and
recipient of the
Victoria Cross, the highest decoration for gallantry "in the face of the enemy" that can be awarded to members of the British and
Commonwealth forces.
Born in
Buckley,
Flintshire, Birks served in the
Royal Artillery for three years before
emigrating to Australia in 1913. After serving as a
non-commissioned officer during the
landing at
Gallipoli and the
Battle of the Somme, Birks was commissioned as a
second lieutenant on 4 May 1917. On 20 September, during the
Battle of Passchendaele, while advancing in Glencorse Wood,
Ypres, Birks, alongside a corporal, forced a garrison to surrender and captured sixteen men in another attack. His actions were later recognised with the Victoria Cross. The following day, Birks was killed by a shell while attempting to save some of his men. (Full article...)
Image 7
In
Australia, the outbreak of
World War I was greeted with considerable enthusiasm. Even before
Britain declared war on
Germany on 4 August 1914, the nation pledged its support alongside other states of the
British Empire and almost immediately began preparations to send forces overseas to engage in the conflict. The first campaign that Australians were involved in was in
German New Guinea after a hastily raised force known as the
Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force was dispatched in September 1914 from Australia and seized and held German possessions in the Pacific. At the same time another expeditionary force, initially consisting of 20,000 men and known as the
First Australian Imperial Force (AIF), was raised for service overseas.
The AIF departed Australia in November 1914 and, after several delays due to the presence of German naval vessels in the Indian Ocean,
arrived in Egypt, where they were initially used to defend the
Suez Canal. In early 1915, it was decided to carry out an amphibious landing on the
Gallipoli peninsula with the goal of opening up a
second front and securing the passage of the
Dardanelles. The Australians and
New Zealanders, grouped together as the
Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC), went ashore on 25 April 1915 and for the next eight months the Anzacs, alongside their British, French and other allies, fought a costly and ultimately unsuccessful campaign against the
Turks. (Full article...)
Image 8
Green and Coad returning from a reconnaissance just east of Chongju, 29 October 1950.
That evening the KPA were strongly reinforced, attacking the Australian southern flank manned by D Company 3 RAR, and partially penetrating their perimeter. After two hours of fighting the assault was repulsed, and the KPA subsequently launched a furious assault against A Company 3 RAR on the northern position, which also failed amid heavy losses. The following day the Australians advanced to the high ground overlooking Chongju, killing and capturing a number of KPA in skirmishes. That afternoon the town itself was cleared by the remaining elements of the
27th British Commonwealth Brigade without opposition. KPA casualties during the fighting were heavy, while Australian losses included their commanding officer,
Lieutenant ColonelCharles Green, who was wounded in the stomach by artillery fire after the battle and died two days later. (Full article...)
The squadron saw combat against both
Nazi Germany and the
Empire of Japan during the war. From March to May 1942 it was based in southern England and flew missions over German-occupied France during which it shot down at least five
Luftwaffe aircraft. After being deployed to Australia, No. 457 Squadron was based near
Darwin as part of
No. 1 Wing RAAF and intercepted several Japanese raids on Allied bases in
northern Australia between March and November 1943. The squadron remained at Darwin and saw almost no combat during 1944, but moved to
Morotai and later
Labuan in 1945 from where it attacked Japanese positions in the
Netherlands East Indies and
Borneo as part of Allied offensives in these areas. (Full article...)
Image 10
The history of the Royal Australian Navy traces the development of the
Royal Australian Navy (RAN) from the colonisation of Australia by the British in 1788. 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. Until
Federation, five of the six Australian colonies operated their own colonial naval force, which formed on 1 March 1901 the Australian Navy's (AN) Commonwealth Naval Force which received Royal patronage in July 1911 and was from that time referred to as Royal Australian Navy (RAN). On 4 October 1913 the new replacement fleet for the foundation fleet of 1901 steamed through
Sydney Heads for the first time.
The Royal Australian Navy has seen action in every ocean of the world. It first saw action in
World War I, in the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans. Between the wars the RAN's fortunes shifted with the financial situation of Australia: it experienced great growth during the 1920s, but was forced to reduce its fleet and operations during the 1930s. Consequently, when it entered
World War II, the RAN was smaller than it had been at the start of World War I. During the course of World War II, the RAN operated more than 350 fighting and support ships; a further 600 small civilian vessels were put into service as auxiliary patrol boats. (Contrary to some claims, however, the RAN was not the fifth-largest navy in the world at any point during World War II.) (Full article...)
Image 24Women friends and family on the wharf waving farewell to the departing troop ship RMS Strathallan carrying the Advance Party of the 6th Division to service overseas. They include
George Alan Vasey's wife
Jessie Vasey (second from the left). The photograph is especially poignant because Vasey did not survive the war. (from Military history of Australia during World War II)
Image 53The light cruiser
HMAS Hobart showing torpedo damage inflicted by a Japanese submarine on 20 July 1943. Hobart did not return to service until December 1944. (from History of the Royal Australian Navy)
Image 72Australian sailors take possession of a midget submarine at a Japanese naval base near Tokyo in September 1945. (from History of the Royal Australian Navy)
"My men are being unmercifully shelled. They cannot hold out if an attack is launched. The firing line and my headquarters are being plastered with heavy guns and the town is being swept by shrapnel. I myself am O.K. but the front line is being buried."