Prime Minister John Curtin's speech to announce the war with Japan, 8 December 1941. Let us all tread it firmly, victoriously.' The thread of peace has snapped – only the valour of our fighting forces, backed by the very uttermost of which we are capable in factory and workshop, can knit that thread again into security. My appeal to you is in the name of Australia, for Australia is the stake in this conflict. Men and women of Australia: The call is to you, for your courage your physical and mental ability your inflexible determination that we, as a nation of free people, shall survive. That thing is the cooperation, the strength, and the willpower of you, the people of the Commonwealth. 'One thing remains, and on it depends our very lives. AWM P00455.016 Chapter 1: The gravest hour of our history ![]() The stories and events provide students with a glimpse into the experiences of those who served overseas as well as those who remained on the home front.Ī member of the Royal Australian Navy shows school children one of the Japanese midget submarines that took part in the attack on Sydney Harbour. The content of this book aligns with the Australian Curriculum and includes focus questions to help direct students' further study. Shifting Tides: Australia and the Pacific in the Second World War is designed to introduce students to significant campaigns in the war against Japan in Asia and the Pacific, as well as the impact on Australia. The size and complexity of the Second World War was of a scale that cannot be summarised in one publication. The Imperial Japanese Navy attacked shipping in Australian waters, including a midget submarine attack on Sydney Harbour. Mainland Australia came under attack as Japanese aircraft bombed towns and other areas in the north from Western Australia to Queensland. ![]() Personnel from the Royal Australian Navy, the Royal Australian Air Force and the Australian Imperial Force took part in campaigns in Europe, the Atlantic, North Africa, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and the Pacific, where the militia also fought. ![]() By the time of Japan's surrender in August 1945, several months after Germany's defeat, at least 50 million men, women and children, had lost their lives.Īustralia joined the war following Germany's invasion of Poland and while it started on the other side of the world, by the end of 1941 fighting had reached Australia's doorstep. For almost six years, tens of millions of civilians and military personnel from countries around the globe were involved in the deadliest conflict the world has ever seen. In December 1941 Japan launched a war against the western Allies with attacks on the United States and the Malay Peninsula. In Asia, Japan had been at war in Manchuria and China for almost a decade. In September 1939, after a series of crises and episodes of aggression, a German invasion of Poland led to declarations of war by Britain and France and their dominions.
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